Apply for household help in the event of illness or pregnancy
As a person with statutory health insurance, you can receive support from a home help if you are temporarily unable to continue running your household. Reasons for this can be, for example
- Pregnancy
- Childbirth
- Cure measures (preventive cure, medical rehabilitation measure, mother or father-child measure)
Most statutory health insurance companies work together with appropriate organisations and provide a replacement. If this is not possible or expedient, they will reimburse the costs of a self-organised replacement to an appropriate amount. Before you employ someone, you should find out in advance from your statutory health insurance fund what benefits you can receive.
Responsible department
Your statutory health insurance
Details
Prerequisite
The prerequisite for household help is that
- the person responsible for the household is insured under the statutory health insurance scheme,
- no other person living in the household can take over the running of the household
- a child under the age of 12 or a child with a disability who is dependent on help lives in the household
- if you do not have to care for a child of your own and are not in need of care from care level 2: You are seriously ill or your illness has worsened acutely, especially after hospitalisation, outpatient surgery or outpatient hospital treatment
- Exception: If you need household help due to pregnancy problems or after giving birth, it is not necessary for a child to already be living in the household.
Procedure
You must apply for household help in writing to your health insurance fund. You can request the form "Application for household help" by telephone or download it from the website of your health insurance fund.
Deadlines
Application before claiming the benefit
Required documents
- in case of pregnancy: medical certificate with the following information:
- the certificate stating the expected date of birth
- the date of delivery
- the expected duration of hospitalisation
- in case of illness: medical certificate stating the expected duration of the hospitalisation or illness
Costs
If you need home help during pregnancy or directly after the birth due to symptoms, you do not have to pay anything extra. The home help will usually settle the costs directly with your health insurance company. However, this only applies if the complaints are directly related to the pregnancy.
Otherwise, a co-payment must be made when using home help from the age of 18. The co-payment is ten per cent of the cost of the home help per day, but a minimum of five and a maximum of ten euros per day.
Miscellaneous
In addition to the application, a medical certificate is also required. Your attending doctor will confirm that you are unable to continue running the household for health reasons.
For members of private health insurance companies, assistance depends on the contractual arrangements you have agreed with your health insurance company. You should therefore enquire with your private health insurance company about the exact benefits and their requirements.
The health insurance company does not reimburse any costs for relatives and relatives by marriage up to the second degree. However, it can reimburse the necessary travelling expenses and loss of earnings if these are in reasonable proportion to the costs otherwise incurred for a replacement.
Legal basis
Mutterschutzgesetz (MuSchG):
- § 15 Sonstige Leistungen
Sozialgesetzbuch Fünftes Buch (SGB V):
- § 24c Leistungen bei Schwangerschaft und Mutterschaft
- § 24h Haushaltshilfe
- § 38 Haushaltshilfe
- § 61 Zuzahlungen
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Sozialministerium Baden-Württemberg, 12.03.2026