The Family Question, Single-Handed
For couples, the PKV-vs-GKV family calculation involves two incomes and shared risk. Single parents run the same numbers alone — and a few rules work differently in ways worth knowing before deciding, or when single parenthood arrives mid-policy.
The central fact: PKV has no free family insurance. Each child carries their own premium — typically €150–€250 monthly for solid cover. One child in PKV is manageable; three children change the arithmetic fundamentally.
Where Your Children Get Insured
The rules pivot on the parents' statuses, and separation does not change the underlying insurance law:
| Constellation | Children's options |
|---|---|
| You PKV, other parent GKV | Free GKV family insurance via the other parent is often possible — the notorious income comparison rule mainly restricts this for married parents living together |
| Both parents PKV | Children need private policies; Kindernachversicherung guarantees acceptance for newborns |
| You PKV, sole custody, other parent absent | Children are typically insured with you privately, or via GKV if the other parent has statutory cover usable for family insurance |
After a separation, re-check the children's insurance: constellations that blocked free family insurance during the marriage (the high-earning PKV spouse rule) may no longer apply, and moving children to free GKV family cover via the other parent can save hundreds monthly.
Money Flows Worth Knowing
- Maintenance law: children's health insurance premiums are generally part of their maintenance needs — a child's PKV premium can be added to Düsseldorf-table maintenance claims against the other parent
- Employer subsidy: employed single parents receive the employer contribution towards their own and their children's PKV premiums, within the overall cap
- Tax: basic-cover premiums for you and your children are deductible as Vorsorgeaufwendungen — including premiums you pay for a child in the other parent's policy in some constellations
- Beihilfe: single-parent civil servants receive child-related Beihilfe percentages, making conform PKV cover for children inexpensive
Protecting the Structure
A single-parent household has no redundancy: your illness is the family's financial event. Prioritise Krankentagegeld (income continuation) sized to real household costs, keep the children's cover independent of your health, and revisit your deductible — a high deductible plus sole responsibility for children's bills concentrates risk you may prefer to smooth.
The Bottom Line
PKV can absolutely work for single parents — especially with one child, good income and the other parent's GKV available for family insurance. Run the constellation table honestly, claim children's premiums where maintenance law allows, and insure your own earning capacity first: you are the system's single point of failure.
Frequently Asked Questions
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