The compulsory insurance threshold rises as a one-off in 2027 from €77,400 to €84,150 a year. For employees who are already privately insured on 31 December 2026, however, a lower grandfathering limit applies: €80,550 – the threshold after the normal annual adjustment. If you were already privately insured on 31 December 2002, your limit is €72,900. This is provided for by the GKV contribution rate stabilisation act; the amounts are set by the 2027 calculation regulation adopted by the federal cabinet on 7 October. The Bundesrat still has to approve it.
What this means for you: If you regularly earn no more than your limit in 2027 – Christmas and holiday bonuses count – you become subject to compulsory insurance on 1 January 2027 and are automatically publicly insured again. You choose the health insurer yourself, with no health check. If you want to stay private, you can apply for exemption within three months, i.e. by 31 March 2027 – the exemption cannot be revoked. If you are 55 or older, you usually stay privately insured.
If you return: You can cancel your private insurance retroactively within three months. Consider beforehand whether to keep a dormant policy or a supplementary tariff. All ways back, deadlines and insurers with online application: From private back to public health insurance.
Source: Federal government: 2027 calculation values adopted by cabinet · Association of Private Health Insurers: 2027 threshold and grandfathering limit · GKV contribution rate stabilisation act, BGBl. 2026 I No. 228 · Exemption § 8 SGB V, cancellation § 205 VVG, over 55 § 6(3a) SGB V