Can I stay home with a sick child?
Yes. If your statutorily insured child under 12 is ill and needs care, you're entitled to unpaid time off from work (§ 45 SGB V) and to child sickness benefit from the health insurer. 2026: 15 working days per child and parent a year, for single parents 30 days; with several children at most 35 or 70 days. You need a doctor's certificate ('child-sick AU'). Many employment or collective contracts also provide paid time off for individual days.
📋 The rules
- Entitlement for a sick child under 12 (statutorily insured)
- 2026: 15 days per child and parent, single parents 30 days
- Cap: 35 days (single parents 70) with several children
- Doctor's certificate needed (child-sick AU)
- Child sickness benefit is paid by the health insurer (a share of net pay)
🔓 Exceptions
- For children with a disability who depend on help, the age limit of 12 doesn't apply
- For very serious/incurable illness there's unlimited child sickness benefit
- Privately insured people have no claim to statutory child sickness benefit — here the contract counts
⚠️ Penalties & fines
It's about an entitlement. The employer must release you if no one else in the household can care for the child — a dismissal solely for this would be unlawful. Paid time off under § 616 BGB can, however, be validly excluded by the contract; then the insurer's child sickness benefit steps in. Report sick in time and submit the certificate to avoid pay/benefit gaps.
📎 Official sources
- § 45 SGB V · Sickness benefit for a child's illness →
- Techniker Krankenkasse · Child sickness benefit 2026 — how many days? →
- AOK · Child sickness benefit: entitlement and amount →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I stay home with a sick child?
Yes. If your statutorily insured child under 12 is ill and needs care, you're entitled to time off work and to child sickness benefit from the health insurer — provided no one else in the household can care for the child.
How many child-sick days do I have in 2026?
15 working days per child and parent a year, for single parents 30 days. With several children the cap is 35 days per parent or 70 days for single parents.
Do I keep getting paid?
Usually yes — via the insurer's child sickness benefit, which replaces much of your lost net pay. Some contracts first continue pay for individual days (§ 616 BGB); but the contract can exclude this.
Do I need a certificate?
Yes. You need a doctor's certificate about the child's illness and need for care ('child-sick AU'), which you submit to the insurer. Also report to your employer in time.
Does it apply to older children too?
In principle only up to the 12th birthday. For children with a disability who depend on help, this age limit doesn't apply. For very seriously ill children there's also unlimited child sickness benefit.
🔎 Common searches
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