This guide is for internationals who have recently moved to Germany and are starting work as an employee. After reading it, you will be able to name the five branches of social insurance, see who pays each share of the contributions on your payslip, and understand what your social insurance number is for.
- Who pays into social insurance
- The five branches
- Who pays which share
- How contributions leave your payslip
- Your social insurance number
- FAQ
Who pays into social insurance
Germany’s social security system protects insured people against illness, the need for long-term care, accidents at work, unemployment and old age. According to Handbook Germany, the insurance rules are set by the state. The benefits are paid by the Sozialversicherungsträger (social insurance providers): the health insurance companies, the trade associations, the Employment Office (Arbeitsamt) and the German Pension Insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung).
Earnings decide whether contributions are due. Anyone working as an Arbeitnehmer (employee) who earns more than €538 per month has to pay social security contributions. People who earn less, in what is known as a Minijob (small, low-paid job), are exempt from social security contributions. Self-employed people are outside this automatic system. They can make voluntary contributions and get coverage that way.
One rule applies to everyone, whatever their type of work. Everyone in Germany must be covered by health insurance, whether or not their job involves social insurance contributions. The page does not explain how people outside employment arrange that cover, so the health insurer decides how an individual case is handled.
Many newcomers are used to rules that vary from one federal state (Land) to the next. That happens with address registration, schools and childcare, where the Land, the city or the local office sets much of the detail. The page describes social insurance rules as set by the state and does not mention any regional differences.
The five branches
The system rests on five pillars, and each one covers a different risk:
- Health insurance (Krankenversicherung) covers the costs of illness and pregnancy.
- Long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung), also called nursing care insurance, covers costs when nursing care is needed.
- Pension insurance (Rentenversicherung) pays your living expenses when you can no longer work because of age or illness.
- Unemployment insurance (Arbeitslosenversicherung) secures your livelihood if you lose your job.
- Accident insurance (Unfallversicherung) covers the costs of a work-related accident or an occupational disease.
Four of these branches leave no room for choice. Employees are automatically covered by pension, accident, long-term care and unemployment insurance. Health insurance is different, because you can choose between a variety of insurance companies. Handbook Germany covers that choice in a separate chapter on health insurance. The page on social insurance does not compare providers.
Who pays which share
For four of the five branches, the cost is split evenly. You and your employer each pay half of the total contribution to health insurance, long-term care insurance, pension insurance and unemployment insurance. Accident insurance works differently. Your employer pays those contributions on your behalf, so there is no employee share.
The size of each contribution depends on your income. Each social insurance provider receives a set percentage of your gross income, and those rates are adjusted regularly. The Handbook Germany page does not list the current percentages. Instead, it sends readers to ihre-vorsorge.de for up-to-date information on contribution rates.
In practice, the deductions taken from your pay relate to health, long-term care, pension and unemployment insurance. The employer’s matching half and the accident insurance contribution are paid by the employer and are not deducted from your wages.
How contributions leave your payslip
Employees do not transfer social insurance contributions themselves. Your employer deducts the required percentage from your gross wages. It then sends that money, together with the employer’s share, directly to the social insurance institutions responsible.
The process starts when you take a job that involves social security contributions. Your employer registers you for social security, and that registration requires your social insurance number. The page does not give a deadline for registration or describe how employers carry it out. Those details are a matter for the employer and the institutions concerned.
Social insurance explains only part of the difference between gross and net pay. The page covers contributions to the five branches and does not deal with income tax, which follows separate rules.
Your social insurance number
The first time you start a job with social security contributions in Germany, you receive a Sozialversicherungsausweis (social insurance card). It shows your name and your social insurance number. The number stays valid for life, so it does not change when you change employer.
Each time you start a new job, you must give your employer your social insurance number. If you do not have one yet, it is sent to you after an employer registers you. Handbook Germany reminds readers to keep the card in a safe place.
A lost card can be replaced. You can request a new one from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, including online at eservice-drv.de. The page does not state a fee or a processing time, so the Deutsche Rentenversicherung decides those.
A social insurance number is not a residence permit or a work permit. Questions about whether a particular residence status allows work belong with the foreigners’ authority (Ausländerbehörde) or a migration advice service.
FAQ
Do I pay social insurance contributions on a Minijob?
According to Handbook Germany, employees who earn less than €538 per month, as in a Minijob, are exempt from social security contributions. The health insurance requirement still applies, because everyone in Germany must be covered by health insurance whatever their job.
Can I choose my social insurance providers?
Only for health insurance, where you can choose between a variety of companies. Employees are automatically covered by pension, accident, long-term care and unemployment insurance, so there is no choice of provider for those branches.
How much is deducted from my salary?
The amount depends on your income. Each provider receives a percentage of your gross income, and the rates are adjusted regularly. Employer and employee each pay half for health, long-term care, pension and unemployment insurance, and the employer alone pays for accident insurance. The page does not list current rates and sends readers to ihre-vorsorge.de.
What happens if I do not have a social insurance number yet?
A social insurance number is sent to you after an employer registers you for social security. It appears on your Sozialversicherungsausweis with your name and stays valid for life. If the card is lost, you can request a new one from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, including online at eservice-drv.de.
Sources: handbookgermany.de
Last verified: 9 November 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.
This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the foreigners’ authority (Ausländerbehörde) of your city, a recognised migration advice service or a lawyer (Rechtsanwalt).
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