Germany continued pay during sickness 2026

API Duration, waiting period and deadlines of German continued pay as REST API, JSON and CSV, with the legal basis for every value.

Duration, waiting period, deadlines and proof for continued pay during sickness under the EFZG since 2015.

After six weeks, the health insurance fund pays sickness benefit.

Last checked against the sources on September 26, 2026. Next expected change: only if the law changes.

REST /v1/hr/entgeltfortzahlungMCP hr_entgeltfortzahlungCLI qk entgeltfortzahlung

Employees who fall ill through no fault of their own receive full pay from their employer for up to six weeks, after a four-week waiting period. The dataset covers the deadlines for recurring illness, the certificate for more than three days, the electronic certificate (eAU) since 2023 and the rule for public holidays.

Valid on September 26, 2026

Duration of continued pay per incapacity: 6 weeks
Waiting period from the start of employment: 4 weeks
Level of continued pay: 100%

Source: Continued Remuneration Act (Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz, EFZG)
License: Values from official works (§ 5 UrhG). Use of the compilation under the Quellenkontor terms of use.
Updates: when the law changes
Coverage: Germany, from 2015

A value doesn't match the official source? Report an error. We check against the primary source and document every correction in the changelog.

Related solutions: For HR software For AI agents and HR chatbots

api.quellenkontor.dev/v1/hr/entgeltfortzahlung?datum=2026-10-01

Zur API-Doku →

curl "https://api.quellenkontor.dev/v1/hr/entgeltfortzahlung?datum=2026-10-01" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $QK_KEY"

import { Quellenkontor } from "@quellenkontor/sdk";

const qk = new Quellenkontor(process.env.QK_KEY);
const daten = await qk.hr.entgeltfortzahlung({ datum: "2026-10-01" });

import os
from quellenkontor import Quellenkontor

qk = Quellenkontor(api_key=os.environ["QK_KEY"])
daten = qk.hr.entgeltfortzahlung(datum="2026-10-01")

$ qk entgeltfortzahlung --datum 2026-10-01

{
  "name": "hr_entgeltfortzahlung",
  "arguments": {
    "datum": "2026-10-01"
  }
}

This is how an agent calls the tool. Server setup is described in the MCP docs.

Antwort200 OK · JSON

{
  "datensatz": "entgeltfortzahlung",
  "datum": "2026-10-01",
  "vorlaeufig": false,
  "werte": {
    "dauer": 6,
    "wartezeit": 4,
    "fortsetzung_pause": 6,
    "fortsetzung_rahmenfrist": 12,
    "hoehe": 100,
    "bescheinigung_ab_dauer_ueber": 3
  },
  "bestandteile": [
    {
      "id": "dauer",
      "name": "Dauer der Entgeltfortzahlung je Arbeitsunfähigkeit",
      "gruppe": "Anspruch",
      "art": "dauer",
      "einheit": "wochen",
      "wert": 6,
      "gueltig_ab": "2015-01-01",
      "gueltig_bis": null,
      "rechtsgrundlage": "§ 3 Abs. 1 Satz 1 EFZG",
      "quelle": {
        "titel": "§ 3 EFZG (Anspruch auf Entgeltfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall)",
        "url": "https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/entgfg/__3.html"
      },
      "hinweis": "Sechs Wochen sind 42 Kalendertage. Gilt je Arbeitsunfähigkeit infolge unverschuldeter Krankheit. Wortlaut unverändert seit vor 2015; seit 2012 wurden im EFZG nur § 3a (Organ- und Gewebespende) und § 5 (eAU) geändert.",
      "naechster_wert": null,
      "status": "festgelegt",
      "erwartet": null,
      "letzter_wert": null
    },
    {
      "id": "wartezeit",
      "name": "Wartezeit ab Beginn des Arbeitsverhältnisses",
      "gruppe": "Anspruch",
      "art": "frist",
      "einheit": "wochen",
      "wert": 4,
      "gueltig_ab": "2015-01-01",
      "gueltig_bis": null,
      "rechtsgrundlage": "§ 3 Abs. 3 EFZG",
      "quelle": {
        "titel": "§ 3 EFZG (Anspruch auf Entgeltfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall)",
        "url": "https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/entgfg/__3.html"
      },
      "hinweis": "Der Anspruch entsteht nach vierwöchiger ununterbrochener Dauer des Arbeitsverhältnisses. Wortlaut unverändert seit vor 2015; seit 2012 wurden im EFZG nur § 3a (Organ- und Gewebespende) und § 5 (eAU) geändert.",
      "naechster_wert": null,
      "status": "festgelegt",
      "erwartet": null,
      "letzter_wert": null
    }
  ],
  "hinweise": [
    "Arbeits- oder Tarifvertrag können günstigere Regeln vorsehen (§ 12 EFZG)."
  ],
  "lizenz": "Werte aus amtlichen Werken (§ 5 UrhG). Nutzung der Zusammenstellung nach den Nutzungsbedingungen von Quellenkontor.",
  "stand": "2026-09-26",
  "zitat": "Entgeltfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall am 01.10.2026: Dauer der Entgeltfortzahlung je Arbeitsunfähigkeit: 6 Wochen; Wartezeit ab Beginn des Arbeitsverhältnisses: 4 Wochen; Höhe des fortgezahlten Arbeitsentgelts: 100 Prozent; Ärztliche Feststellung nötig, wenn die Arbeitsunfähigkeit länger dauert als: 3 Tage. Rechtsgrundlage: § 3 Abs. 1 Satz 1 EFZG. Quelle: § 3 EFZG (Anspruch auf Entgeltfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall), https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/entgfg/__3.html. Daten: Quellenkontor (quellenkontor.dev).",
  "datenstand": "2026-09-26.25"
}

Response shortened. All parameters and response fields are in the Continued pay reference.

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Entitlement 2026

As of September 26, 2026, unchanged since January 1, 2015.

Legal citations stay in German, exactly as they appear in the official sources.

Component	Value	Type	Valid	Legal basis	Source
Duration of continued pay per incapacity	6 weeks	dauer	from January 1, 2015	§ 3 Abs. 1 Satz 1 EFZG	Source
Waiting period from the start of employment	4 weeks	frist	from January 1, 2015	§ 3 Abs. 3 EFZG	Source

Recurring illness 2026

As of September 26, 2026, unchanged since January 1, 2015.

Component	Value	Type	Valid	Legal basis	Source
Gap without incapacity from the same illness for a new claim	6 months	frist	from January 1, 2015	§ 3 Abs. 1 Satz 2 Nr. 1 EFZG	Source
Period since the first incapacity from the same illness	12 months	frist	from January 1, 2015	§ 3 Abs. 1 Satz 2 Nr. 2 EFZG	Source

Amount 2026

As of September 26, 2026, unchanged since January 1, 2015.

Component	Value	Type	Valid	Legal basis	Source
Level of continued pay	100%	rate	from January 1, 2015	§ 4 Abs. 1 EFZG	Source

Proof 2026

As of September 26, 2026, unchanged since January 1, 2015.

Component	Value	Type	Valid	Legal basis	Source
Medical certificate required if incapacity lasts longer than	3 days	frist	from January 1, 2015	§ 5 Abs. 1 Satz 2 EFZG (seit 01.01.2023 für gesetzlich Versicherte mit § 5 Abs. 1a Satz 2 EFZG)	Source

Continued pay since 2015

Every change to a component with its validity, newest first.

Component	Value	Type	Valid	Legal basis	Source
Duration of continued pay per incapacity	6 weeks	dauer	from January 1, 2015	§ 3 Abs. 1 Satz 1 EFZG	Source
Waiting period from the start of employment	4 weeks	frist	from January 1, 2015	§ 3 Abs. 3 EFZG	Source
Gap without incapacity from the same illness for a new claim	6 months	frist	from January 1, 2015	§ 3 Abs. 1 Satz 2 Nr. 1 EFZG	Source
Period since the first incapacity from the same illness	12 months	frist	from January 1, 2015	§ 3 Abs. 1 Satz 2 Nr. 2 EFZG	Source
Level of continued pay	100%	rate	from January 1, 2015	§ 4 Abs. 1 EFZG	Source
Medical certificate required if incapacity lasts longer than	3 days	frist	from January 1, 2015	§ 5 Abs. 1 Satz 2 EFZG (seit 01.01.2023 für gesetzlich Versicherte mit § 5 Abs. 1a Satz 2 EFZG)	Source

Rules from statutes and administrative guidance

Employees who become unable to work due to illness through no fault of their own are entitled to continued pay from the employer for up to six weeks (§ 3 Abs. 1 Satz 1 EFZG).
The entitlement only arises after the employment has lasted four weeks without interruption (§ 3 Abs. 3 EFZG).
If the same illness causes renewed incapacity, a further six weeks are only due if there was no incapacity from this illness for six months before, or if twelve months have passed since the first incapacity began (§ 3 Abs. 1 Satz 2 EFZG).
A lawful sterilisation or a lawful termination of pregnancy also counts as incapacity through no fault of the employee (§ 3 Abs. 2 EFZG).
Continued pay is also due when an employee cannot work because of an organ or tissue donation or a blood donation for the separation of stem cells or other blood components (§ 3a EFZG).
The employer continues to pay the wages due for the relevant regular working time, i.e. 100 percent; overtime pay and expense allowances are not included (§ 4 Abs. 1 und 1a EFZG).
Employees must report their incapacity and its expected duration without delay (§ 5 Abs. 1 Satz 1 EFZG).
If the incapacity lasts longer than three calendar days, a medical certificate is required no later than the following working day; the employer may ask for it earlier (§ 5 Abs. 1 Satz 2 und 3 EFZG).
Since January 1, 2023, employees with statutory health insurance no longer hand in the certificate but have the incapacity certified by a doctor at these times (electronic certificate, eAU); this does not apply to mini-jobs in private households or to doctors outside the statutory system (§ 5 Abs. 1a EFZG).
As long as the proof is missing, the employer may withhold continued pay unless the employee is not responsible for the delay (§ 7 EFZG).
For working time lost due to a public holiday, the employer pays the wages that would have been paid without the loss (§ 2 Abs. 1 EFZG).
Employees who are absent without excuse on the last working day before or the first working day after public holidays are not paid for those holidays (§ 2 Abs. 3 EFZG).
If a day of illness falls on a public holiday, the amount for that day follows the holiday rule (§ 4 Abs. 2 EFZG).
The rules may not be changed to the detriment of employees; only the basis of calculation may be set differently by collective agreement (§ 12 und § 4 Abs. 4 EFZG).
From January 1, 2028, partial incapacity gives a partial right to continued pay; the six-week maximum does not get longer (§ 44c Abs. 7 SGB V new version, GKV-Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz, BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 228).

The API returns these statements in the regeln field, so software and agents can display them.

As JSON and CSV

Every request returns JSON. The history since 2015 is also available as a CSV file with format=csv, and with trennzeichen=semikolon it fits Excel with German regional settings. More in Responses and CSV.

Terminal

curl "https://api.quellenkontor.dev/v1/hr/entgeltfortzahlung/verlauf?format=csv&trennzeichen=semikolon" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $QK_KEY" -o entgeltfortzahlung.csv

Parameters

Parameters	Type	Meaning
`datum`date	date	Effective date in the format YYYY-MM-DD. Defaults to today.
`bestandteil`text	text	Return and cite only this component, for example for a single question (optional). Allowed values are the component ids.

All response fields with types, allowed values, defaults and error cases are in the Continued pay reference.

Questions about this dataset

How long does the employer pay during sickness in Germany?

Up to six weeks per incapacity, which is 42 calendar days (§ 3 Abs. 1 EFZG). After that, the health insurance fund pays sickness benefit.

Is there continued pay in the first four weeks of a new job?

No. The entitlement only arises after four weeks of uninterrupted employment (§ 3 Abs. 3 EFZG).

When do you need a doctor's note?

If the incapacity lasts longer than three calendar days, by the next working day at the latest. The employer may ask for it from the first day (§ 5 Abs. 1 EFZG).

How often is the dataset updated?

When the law changes. We check the data against the official sources every week, and every change is logged in the changelog. On the Pro plan, a webhook notifies your server.

Germany continued pay during sickness 2026

Entitlement 2026

Recurring illness 2026

Amount 2026

Proof 2026

Continued pay since 2015

Rules from statutes and administrative guidance

As JSON and CSV

Parameters

Questions about this dataset

Related datasets

Sickness benefit and child sickness benefit

Public holidays

Vacation entitlement calculator

Notice period calculator

Related datasets

Sickness benefit and child sickness benefit
Rates, caps and maximum duration of German statutory sickness benefit under §§ 44 to 48 SGB V since 2015.
APIMCPwhen the law changes

Public holidays
Public holidays by state and year, with regional holidays marked.
APIMCPwhen the law changes

Vacation entitlement calculator
Statutory minimum vacation for part-time work and for joining or leaving during the year.
APIMCPwhen the law changes

Notice period calculator
Statutory notice period and end date under § 622 BGB from start date and date of receipt.
APIMCPwhen the law changes