PKV Knowledge Base

Expert guides on German private health insurance for English-speaking expats, freelancers, and professionals.

13
Articles
12
Topics
2026
Updated
Eligibility
Mini-Jobs, Midi-Jobs and PKV: Small Jobs, Big Insurance Effects

Mini-jobs create no health insurance, midi-jobs trigger full GKV membership — a sharp line with big consequences for PKV members and their spouses.

Eligibility
Timing Your Switch to PKV: When in Life and When in the Year

When should you switch to PKV — in life and in the calendar year? Age windows, career triggers, GKV notice periods and the myths about deadlines.

Eligibility
Werkstudent and Health Insurance: What Working Students Need to Know

The Werkstudent privilege exempts student jobs from most social insurance. How it interacts with student GKV and PKV — and the 20-hour rule that decides everything.

Eligibility
Artists, the Künstlersozialkasse and PKV: How Creatives Choose

Freelance creatives insured via the Künstlersozialkasse are usually in GKV. When KSK members can choose PKV and how the subsidy transfers.

Eligibility
Part-Time Work and PKV: What Happens When Your Hours Drop

Part-time work can drop you below the PKV salary threshold and trigger compulsory GKV. What happens before 55, after 55 and how to plan a reduction in hours.

Eligibility
PKV for GmbH Directors: Why Managing Directors Can Often Choose Freely

Shareholder-directors of a GmbH are often exempt from social insurance and can choose PKV at any salary. How the rules work and what to watch.

Eligibility
The Age-55 Rule: Why Returning to GKV Later Is Almost Impossible

From age 55 the law effectively bars a return from PKV to statutory insurance — even below the salary threshold. How the rule works and its rare exceptions.

Eligibility
Changing Jobs on PKV: What Happens to Your Cover

What changing employer means for your PKV — the salary-threshold recheck, the employer subsidy, and the pitfalls to avoid.

Eligibility
PKV and Unemployment: What Happens to Your Cover

What happens to your PKV if you become unemployed, the ALG I vs ALG II rules, and how to keep premiums manageable.

Eligibility
PKV for Doctors and Medical Professionals in Germany

Why doctors and medical professionals favour PKV, the special profession tariffs available, and what to look for when choosing cover.

Eligibility
How to Return to GKV from PKV in Germany

The realistic routes back from PKV to GKV, why age 55 is a hard barrier, and the options if you are over it.

Eligibility
Private Health Insurance for the Self-Employed in Germany

Self-employed people (Selbststaendige) can join PKV regardless of income. Entry rules, costs, and the GKV-vs-PKV decision for freelancers.