A New Job Can Change Your Status
Changing employer is one of the moments when your private health insurance (private Krankenversicherung, PKV) status deserves a second look. Your policy itself stays with you — PKV is a personal contract, not tied to your employer — but your new salary determines whether you remain entitled to stay in PKV, and your new employer takes over the subsidy. Knowing the rules avoids an unwelcome surprise.
The key check: does your new gross salary still exceed the salary threshold (Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze)? If yes, you simply continue in PKV. If your new salary falls below it, GKV may become compulsory again.
If Your New Salary Stays Above the Threshold
This is the straightforward case. Your PKV continues unchanged, and your new employer takes over paying the employer subsidy (Arbeitgeberzuschuss) toward your premium. You provide your new employer with proof of your PKV cover, and payroll handles the subsidy from your start date. Nothing about your policy, reserve or terms changes.
If Your New Salary Falls Below the Threshold
If you move to a lower-paid role and your gross salary drops below the threshold, you generally become subject to compulsory statutory insurance (GKV) again — unless you are 55 or older and were privately insured, in which case you typically remain exempt and stay in PKV. For those under 55, this can mean an unplanned return to GKV.
| Scenario | Outcome |
|---|---|
| New salary above threshold | Stay in PKV; new employer pays subsidy |
| New salary below threshold, under 55 | GKV usually becomes compulsory |
| New salary below threshold, 55+ | Usually exempt; stay in PKV |
| Becoming self-employed | Free to stay in PKV regardless of income |
Special Cases
Two situations are worth flagging. If you leave employment to become self-employed, the salary threshold no longer applies and you can stay in PKV freely. If there is a gap between jobs, make sure your cover continues — your PKV runs on regardless, but if you claim unemployment benefit in between, the unemployment rules may temporarily change your status.
What to Do When You Change Jobs
- Check your new gross salary against the threshold before assuming nothing changes
- Give your new employer proof of PKV so the subsidy starts on day one
- If your salary drops below the threshold, take advice on whether you must, or want to, return to GKV — remembering the over-55 rule
- Mind any gap between jobs and how benefits affect your status
For most job changes among well-paid professionals, PKV simply carries on with a new employer paying the subsidy. But because a lower salary can force a return to GKV — a one-way door after 55 — it is always worth a quick status check when you move.
Frequently Asked Questions
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