German health minister proposes reducing child sick days to pre-pandemic level

Federal proposal to reduce sick days

Federal Health Minister Carsten Linnemann of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) announced plans to end the pandemic-era expansion of paid child sickness leave, known as Kinderkrankengeld. Speaking during government question time in the Bundestag, Linnemann argued that special pandemic regulations should be withdrawn rather than extended further. Under the proposed adjustment, the annual entitlement would revert to the pre-pandemic allocation of 10 days per parent per child, which amounts to 20 days combined for a two-parent household. During the pandemic, the statutory allowance was temporarily raised to 30 days before being set at 15 days per parent per child for 2024 and 2025. Single parents currently receive 30 days per child under the temporary rule.

“It will be 10 days, multiplied by two that is 20 days a year. And we had that in all the years before Corona as well.”

State ministers push back against cuts

The proposal met opposition from Social Democratic Party (SPD) state leaders and regional health officials across Germany. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Minister-President Manuela Schwesig criticized the plans on the sidelines of a Bundesrat session in Berlin, stating that the SPD had negotiated during healthcare reform talks to preserve the expanded child sickness days. In Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate Health Minister Clemens Hoch warned that lowering the limit from 15 days back to 10 days puts families and single parents at risk of financial insecurity when children fall ill. Hoch emphasized that parental employment and income should not be jeopardized by necessary caregiving duties.

“If we want people to be able to reconcile family and career, then we must also ensure that they are not confronted with unsolvable problems when caring for their sick children.”

Pre-pandemic baseline10

Pandemic peak30

2024–2025 extension15

Proposed baseline10

Pre-pandemic baseline

10 days

Pandemic peak

30 days

2024–2025 extension

15 days

Proposed baseline

10 days

Data from the article text

Regional data and workplace debates

In Erfurt, Thuringia Health Minister Katharina Schenk rejected the rollback and pointed to usage statistics showing that most parents do not exhaust their available days. Schenk noted that claims in the previous year averaged 2.5 days per submitted child illness case, with overall claim rates declining recently. She questioned the rationale for curtailing the allowance when actual usage remains modest. Thuringian Left Party social policy spokesperson Lena Saniye Güngör also rejected the plan, describing it as an austerity measure that transfers additional burdens onto women in already strained household arrangements. Güngör stated that a sick child does not recover simply because statutory leave days run out, calling for a permanent continuation of the 15-day policy.

“Family friendliness must not be measured by what is currently most convenient for the economy.”

Benefit structures and statutory coverage

Under German statutory health insurance rules, parents can claim child sickness benefit when caring for an ill child under the age of 12 if they cannot work. The statutory health fund covers the bulk of the resulting loss of earnings, paying 90% of the parent's net income. Under the current 15-day framework, a two-parent household with two children can access up to 60 combined days per year, with a statutory maximum ceiling of 70 days for families with three or more children. Special exceptions exist outside the standard caps, such as hospital stays or terminal conditions where benefits can be paid without time limits. If standard paid sickness days are depleted, parents must resort to overtime reduction, vacation days, or unpaid leave to manage childcare responsibilities.