Number format: this calculator uses German notation throughout — a comma is the decimal separator and a dot groups thousands. “1.234,56” means one thousand two hundred thirty-four euros and fifty-six cents. The figures come from German tax law, so they are shown the way German authorities write them.
Insurer-specific supplementary rate (Zusatzbeitrag)
Every health insurer sets it for itself; the published average rate is only a default.
There is a full article on this term: Health insurer comparison
In plain language
The general health insurance rate of 14,6 % is the same for every statutory insurer. On top of that each insurer charges its own supplementary rate — and those differ appreciably. You and your employer split it half and half. Switching insurer can therefore save real money without much changing in the benefits.
In detail
§ 241 SGB V sets the general contribution rate at 14,6 %. § 242 SGB V allows every insurer to set an insurer-specific supplementary rate in its statutes; since 2019 it has been shared equally. That is to be distinguished from the average supplementary rate under § 242a SGB V, published annually by the Federal Ministry of Health — for 2026 it is 2,9 %. That average governs certain groups of people and otherwise serves as a default, not as the rate that applies to you.
Worked example
On 4.000 € gross per month, one percentage point of supplementary rate costs 40 € a month — 20 € of which you bear. Between the cheapest insurer (2,18 %) and the dearest (4,39 %) lie 2,21 percentage points, so roughly 88 € of total contribution and a good 44 € of your own share per month — more than 530 € a year.
In brief
Employee and employer each bear half of it.
Legal basis: § 242 SGB V · as at 2026