Legal and private health insurance
If you work in Germany, you are covered by health insurance in Germany. Germany has different types of health insurance: Legal health insurance (compulsory or voluntary) and private health insurance. As an employee, you are compulsorily insured if your gross salary does not exceed € 69.300 per year (2024). If you earn more, you can choose between voluntary insurance with a legal health insurance and private insurance.
The disadvantage of private health insurance is that you will not be able to obtain an S1 form and will therefore not be able to benefit from the Belgian health system on the basis of European legislation. You will then have to contact your private insurance company.
If you are compulsorily or voluntarily insured, you must register with a health insurance in Germany. You can find an overview of the German health insurance companies here (note: certain funds are only available regionally). This health insurance company provides form S1 (previously E106). You can use this form to join a Belgian health insurance company. As a cross-border worker, you can benefit from Belgian health care through this insurer. You are entitled to the same health care in Belgium as a person insured in Belgium. However, you do not have to pay a premium for this apart from possible supplementary insurance. You can then claim German health care, as is usual in Germany, and Belgian health care, as is usual in Belgium.
Co-insured family members
If your partner does not have an income of their own, your partner and any minor children will be co-insured with you in Germany. They will also be insured with a Belgian health insurance fund and will be entitled to Belgian health care. If your partner has their own insurance in the country of residence (own employment in Belgium, but also, for example, unemployment), your partner and children are insured only in Belgium.
Sickness allowance
If you are ill for more than six weeks, your German sickness insurance company will pay you a sickness allowance. Your employer will continue to pay your wages for the first six weeks. The sickness allowance is about 70% of your gross wages. NOTE: If you take out private insurance, you must also take out daily sickness benefit insurance! Sickness allowance in Germany is paid for a maximum of 72 weeks, i.e. a total of 78 weeks. Even if your German employment is terminated in the meantime and you continue to be on continuous sick leave, the German sickness allowance will continue to be paid.