Your contributions rise in 2027 if you earn over €5,812
The federal cabinet approved on 7 October 2026 the annual regulation that sets the income limits for social insurance contributions in 2027. These limits, called contribution assessment ceilings, decide how much of a salary is charged for health, pension and unemployment insurance. Income above the ceiling stays free of contributions.
For statutory health insurance, the monthly ceiling rises from €5,812.50 to €6,375. For pension and unemployment insurance, it rises from €8,450 to €8,850 a month. The increase follows wage growth of 4.38 percent in 2025, and the health ceiling goes up by an additional amount on top of that to help close funding gaps. The labour ministry stresses that only people who already earn above the current limits are affected. For the large majority of insured employees, nothing changes.
For high earners, the extra cost is noticeable. An employee with one child who earns above all the new limits pays almost €102 more per month, or about €1,220 a year, assuming unchanged contribution rates and an average additional health insurance contribution of 2.9 percent. The employer pays a similar extra amount. Childless employees could pay around €124 more per month, because a separate care reform that parliament still has to pass would also raise their care insurance surcharge from 0.6 to 0.9 percentage points.
What to check: if your gross salary is below €5,812.50 a month, this decision does not change your contributions. If you earn more, expect a smaller net salary from January 2027 and check your first payslip of the year. The regulation still needs the approval of the Bundesrat, the chamber of the federal states, before it takes effect.