Assisted reproduction
Which health insurer pays for IVF and other assisted reproduction?
Every insurer pays half, some pay more.
For assisted reproduction (IUI, IVF, ICSI – künstliche Befruchtung), every public health insurer covers 50% of the approved costs under fixed conditions. Insurers may voluntarily pay more. What you bear yourselves is shown in your treatment plan, so it is worth checking before treatment starts.
Author: Jan Ortgies · As of 11 November 2026 · If a switch comes about through our comparison, we receive a fee from the new insurer, not from you.
For everyone
What every insurer pays
- 50% of the costs
- The insurer covers half of the costs it has approved with the treatment plan. The plan must be submitted to the insurer before treatment begins.
- Requirements
- You are married to each other, only your own egg and sperm cells are used, and a doctor has determined that the treatment is necessary and has a sufficient prospect of success. That is no promise that it will work. Beforehand you need counselling by a doctor who does not carry out the treatment themselves.
- Age
- Both must be at least 25. Entitlement ends on the woman’s 40th and the man’s 50th birthday. The limits must be met by both of you at the start of each cycle. After sterilisation there is normally no entitlement, and you usually pay for freezing egg or sperm cells yourselves.
- Number of attempts
- Depending on the procedure there is a maximum number, for example up to three attempts in total for IVF (fertilisation in the lab) and ICSI (a sperm cell is injected directly into the egg). The insurer only approves the third if fertilisation occurred in one of the first two. An attempt with a confirmed pregnancy but no birth does not count. After the birth of a child a new entitlement arises.
- Two different insurers
- If you are insured with different insurers, each insurer pays only 50% of the cost of the steps carried out on its own insured person. The larger part usually runs through the woman’s insurer. Together that is still half, and you pay the rest. If one of you is privately insured, the public insurer only covers its part. Clarify this before you start.
Voluntary
What insurers add voluntarily
- A higher subsidy
- Insurers may cover more than the statutory 50% in their rules. Some do, often only if both partners are insured with them. Ask about this explicitly.
- Unmarried couples
- Under a ruling of the Federal Social Court (18 November 2014, B 1 A 1/14 R), insurers may not cover anything for unmarried couples, not even voluntarily.
- If you want to switch
- If you want to switch: it normally takes until the end of the month after next and is usually only possible after twelve months with your current insurer. The treatment plan must be approved by the insurer you are with when treatment starts. Whether the new insurer pays its higher subsidy straight away or attaches conditions, only the insurer can tell you. Get it in writing before you switch. The new insurer can also change its subsidy later.
- Extras can change
- Voluntary benefits are set out in the insurer’s rules (Satzung). It can change or drop them, and when you switch, the new insurer’s rules apply. Ask before treatment what currently applies.
- Check in the comparison
- In the calculator below, pick “Artificial Insemination” under “Selected benefits”. You then see, for the insurers listed there, whether and up to what amount they contribute according to the calculator. Only the insurer’s own information is binding.
Other benefits
What else does the insurer pay?
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much does public insurance pay for IVF and assisted reproduction?
Does public insurance also pay for unmarried couples?
What age limits apply?
What does your help cost?
This page is general information based on our own research, without guarantee, and does not replace individual advice, legal or tax advice, medical advice or information from your insurer. Which voluntary benefits an insurer pays is set out in its rules and can change.
Sources: § 27a SGB V · § 11 SGB V · G-BA: directive on assisted reproduction (German) · Federal fertility information portal (German) · Federal Insurance Office: annual report 2014 (German)
Why is the comparison free?
The comparison and advice on statutory health insurance cost you nothing. If a switch comes about through us, we receive remuneration from the new health insurer – not from you. Your contribution is the same as if you switched directly with the insurer, and you enter into no obligation.
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