Exhaustion of sick pay (GKV)

Exhaustion of sick pay occurs when the GKV stops paying Krankengeld after 78 weeks (1.5 years) within a three-year period for the same illness. After this point the sick pay ends, and the person must find other income sources — such as unemployment benefit, reduced earnings pension, or disability insurance (BU) benefits. This gap is significant and often underestimated.