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Sick child
Photo: Annette Riedl / picture alliance/dpa
The number of applications for children's daily sickness benefit fell significantly last year, but is still 71 percent above the level in the first year of the pandemic in 2020. The Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) received around 605,000 applications in 2023.
In the previous year the number was around 682,000 applications.
“We see in the data that the number of applications from the last months of 2023 are high, but are still well below the record values from the autumn and winter months of 2022,” says Jens Baas, CEO of the TK.
Most applications were received in March last year, with more than 80,000.
If a sick child needs to be cared for up to the age of eleven, the parents can apply for daily child sickness benefit from the insurance company.
As a rule, it amounts to 90 percent of the lost net wages.
Until 2023, legally insured parents were allowed to apply for child sickness benefit for up to 30 working days per child - single parents for 60 working days.
There is no age limit for children with disabilities who need help.
Since this year, the entitlement has been reduced to 15 days, and single parents are allowed to request support for 30 days.
The number of applications for additional pandemic-related child sickness benefit has fallen sharply.
There were payments for parents if they could not work because schools or daycare centers were closed.
This entitlement expired in April 2023.
At TK, the largest German health insurance company, there were still 6,000 applications.
At the height of the corona crisis in 2021 there were still around 301,000 applications.
Since December 18, 2023, parents have also had the option of having their children take sick leave by telephone.
Sick leave is a prerequisite for parents to be paid sick pay if they are unable to work due to caring for their sick child.