Krankmeldung in Germany: How to Call in Sick in 2026
Nobody tells you this before your first German job: calling in sick has its own vocabulary, its own paperwork, and, as of this year, its own political fight. It’s one of those things that looks simple (you’re ill, you stay home) until you realize there are at least three German words for what you’re about to do, and your colleagues all assume you know the difference.
So here’s the plain version, with the new rules and the planned new rules kept clearly apart. That second part matters, because a lot of articles online treat the plans as if they were already law. They aren’t, at least not yet.
The 60-Second Version
Tell your employer yourself, immediately. Say that you’re sick and roughly how long you expect to be off. A text from your doctor’s office doesn’t count.
A doctor’s note is normally required from day four. If you’re off for more than three calendar days, you need one by the next working day. Your employer can ask for it earlier, even from day one.
If you have statutory health insurance, the note is electronic. Your doctor sends it to your insurer, and your employer fetches it. You don’t carry a paper slip around anymore.
You keep your full pay for up to six weeks. After that, your health insurer pays sick pay.
You don’t have to tell anyone what’s wrong with you. Your employer is entitled to know that you’re unfit for work and for how long, not why.
Germans use these words loosely in conversation, but legally they’re different things. Mixing them up is the most common source of confusion.
German term
What it means
Krankmeldung
You telling your employer you’re sick. Your job, every time.
Krankschreibung
A doctor certifying that you can’t work. The doctor’s job.
AU (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung)
The official certificate of unfitness for work.
eAU
The electronic version, in use since 2023.
Gelber Schein
“Yellow slip,” the nickname for the old paper certificate. Still said out of habit.
Entgeltfortzahlung
Continued pay from your employer while you’re sick.
Krankengeld
Sick pay from your health insurer, after the employer’s period ends.
Here’s the one that trips people up: the eAU has not replaced the Krankmeldung. Even if your doctor files everything electronically, you still have to tell your employer yourself. A lot of workplace warnings come from people who assumed the system would do it for them.
Step One: Tell Your Boss, Fast
The law says “unverzüglich,” which roughly means without undue delay. In practice, that means before your shift starts, or as early as you reasonably can. Check how your own company wants it done. Some teams expect a phone call to your manager, others want an email to HR as well. If your contract or company policy sets a specific route, follow it, because getting it wrong can earn you a formal warning (Abmahnung).
You don’t need to give a diagnosis. Say that you’re sick and how long you expect to be out. If you’re abroad, you also need to give your address there.
If you’re nervous about the German, here’s a script that works:
“Guten Morgen, hier ist [Name]. Ich bin leider krank und kann heute nicht arbeiten. Ich gehe heute noch zum Arzt und melde mich, sobald ich weiß, wie lange ich ausfalle.”
Which means: “Good morning, this is [name]. I’m sorry, I’m ill and can’t work today. I’ll see a doctor today and let you know as soon as I know how long I’ll be out.” Short, polite, and everything the law asks for.
Step Two: The Doctor’s Note
Here’s the standard rule, and it hasn’t changed yet: if you’re sick for more than three calendar days, you need a doctor’s certificate no later than the following working day. In other words, from day four. But your employer is allowed to ask for it from the first day, and plenty of contracts say so. Courts have confirmed that employers don’t need a special reason for this.
For people in the statutory health system (the great majority of employees), here’s how it works since 2023: your doctor sends the certificate electronically to your insurer, and your employer retrieves it from there. You normally don’t hand anything in, though you should keep any printout you get. There are exceptions. If you’re privately insured, if you’re treated by a doctor abroad, or if you see a private doctor, you’ll still get a paper certificate and have to pass it on yourself.
What about phone and video sick notes?
Since December 2023, doctors can issue a sick note by phone for mild illnesses, but only if they know you as a patient and judge a phone call sufficient. A first note can run for up to five calendar days. Video consultations allow up to seven days for patients the practice knows. Nobody has a right to one: it’s up to the doctor. And you can’t get a sick note backdated much. Doctors can do it only in exceptional cases, and usually for no more than three days.
Who Pays While You’re Sick?
Weeks one to six: your employer keeps paying your full salary. This applies once you’ve been in the job for at least four weeks.
From week seven: your health insurer pays Krankengeld, around 70 percent of your gross pay and no more than 90 percent of your net, for up to 78 weeks within three years for the same illness.
Longer absences: if you’re off for more than six weeks in a year, your employer must offer you a betriebliches Eingliederungsmanagement (BEM), a structured process to help you return to work.
One practical detail: for sick pay, the doctor’s certificates have to be gapless. If you’re still ill when your note runs out, you need the next one on the following day, not a few days later.
The 2026 Shake-Up (Which Isn’t Law Yet)
This is the part that’s all over the German news. On 2 July 2026, the governing coalition of CDU, CSU, and SPD announced a package of reforms that includes two changes to sick leave:
Phone sick notes would be abolished.
A doctor’s certificate would be required from the first day of illness, instead of from the fourth.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the number of sick days in Germany is too high and that the economy can’t afford long absences. He also said that nobody has to be at the doctor’s on day one, but must have a certificate from the first day on, and that exceptions through employment contracts or collective agreements should be possible.
The plans have drawn sharp criticism. The AOK health insurance federation says there’s no evidence of abuse of the phone system and calls the abolition symbolic politics. The national association of statutory-insurance doctors has called the plans an imposition, and unions and the Greens also oppose them. Doctors warn about millions of additional practice visits. Employers, on the other hand, point to the cost of continued pay and the need to be able to rely on certificates. The health insurer DAK reported an average of 19.5 sick days per insured employee for 2025, and says that in its analysis the phone sick note was not a reason for the rise.
As of the sources I could check in early autumn 2026, this remains a political decision, not a law. A draft bill was expected to go through the Bundestag in the autumn, with implementation possible at the end of 2026 or the start of 2027. Until it passes and takes effect, the old rules above apply. Check the current status before relying on any of this.
Mistakes That Actually Get People in Trouble
Assuming the eAU means you’re done. It doesn’t. Tell your employer yourself.
Ignoring your company’s reporting route. If the contract says phone your manager and email HR, do both.
Giving your diagnosis. You don’t have to, and it’s better not to.
Letting your certificate lapse. A gap can cost you sick pay.
Waiting for a doctor’s appointment without telling anyone. If you can’t get an appointment on day one, inform your employer immediately, contact the practice, and keep a record of when you tried.
Faking it. Pretending to be ill can lead to a warning, loss of pay, and in serious cases dismissal.
A Few Words for Newcomers
If you’ve just moved to Germany, check whether you’re in the statutory or private system, because it changes the paperwork. If you’re on a very new job, remember the four-week rule for employer pay. And if you’re not sure how your workplace handles sick days, ask HR before you need to, not on the morning you wake up with a fever. For more on getting set up, see our guides to German supermarkets and the Deutschlandticket and Deutsche Bahn.
FAQ
Do I need a doctor’s note for one day off sick in Germany? Not by law, which requires a certificate only after more than three calendar days. But your employer can ask for one from day one, so check your contract.
Do I still have to call in sick if my doctor sends the eAU? Yes. The electronic certificate doesn’t replace your duty to tell your employer immediately that you’re sick and how long you expect to be off.
Can I still get a sick note by phone in Germany? Yes, under the current rules, for mild illnesses if you’re known to the practice, for up to five days. The government has announced plans to abolish this, but it was not law in the sources I checked.
How long does my employer pay me when I’m sick? For up to six weeks at full salary. After that, your health insurer pays Krankengeld.
