DAK fertility coverage in Germany: subsidy, application 2026

Updated on October 3, 2026 · Fertilio Editorial Team

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This page covers Germany only.

What DAK pays for fertility treatment

According to its benefits page (updated October 1, 2026), DAK-Gesundheit covers 50% of the costs for up to eight inseminations and for a maximum of three attempts with other methods such as IVF or ICSI. The basis is Section 27a of Book V of the German Social Code (Sozialgesetzbuch V, SGB V). Under the directive of the Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, G-BA) on assisted reproduction (KB-RL no. 8), the eight inseminations apply to the natural cycle, including with hCG or clomiphene. After stimulation with gonadotropins, it is up to three.

There is no bylaw benefit. The bylaws, as of the 67th amendment (September 1, 2026), set out additional benefits in Section 19, and assisted reproduction is not among them.

DAK therefore pays nothing for blastocyst culture, assisted hatching, TESE, or frozen embryo transfer. According to the fertility clinic vitro-med, the statutory health insurance funds do not cover these services. DAK pays for freezing eggs or sperm only before a therapy that damages germ cells (Section 27a, paragraph 4, SGB V).

Insurance fund	Extra for 3 IVF attempts*	What the fund pays in addition	Conditions	Source
DAK-Gesundheit	€0	No additional benefit, only the statutory 50%	Statutory requirements under Section 27a SGB V	DAK benefits page, no provision in the bylaws Bylaws as of September 1, 2026

By law, all insurance funds cover 50% for up to three attempts at IVF or ICSI (Section 27a SGB V). The table shows what individual funds pay in addition, sorted by the example value.
* Example: insurance fund rates of around €3,000 per IVF attempt including medication, subsidies as a maximum value if both partners are insured with the fund. You can calculate your own case with the cost calculator.
Unmarried couples do not receive a subsidy from any statutory insurance fund, not even through bylaw benefits (Federal Social Court [Bundessozialgericht, BSG], B 1 A 1/14 R).
Bylaw benefits often change on January 1. Get the fund's written commitment before treatment begins.

Requirements at DAK

On its page about the requirements (updated October 1, 2026), DAK lists the following:

You are married and use only your own eggs and sperm.
Both of you are at least 25, the woman is under 40, and the man is under 50.
Your doctor or facility has authorization for assisted reproduction.
DAK has the original of the medical treatment plan before treatment begins.

For inseminations without stimulation, the requirement for counseling by a doctor who is not treating you does not apply (Section 27a, paragraph 2, SGB V). And the age limit is checked for each cycle, with the first day of the cycle or of stimulation as the reference date (KB-RL no. 9.1).

Applying to DAK step by step

Check the clinic: Does the practice have authorization for assisted reproduction? Only then does DAK pay.
Counseling: Before IVF, ICSI, or stimulated insemination, you receive counseling from a doctor who is not treating you.
Original plan: The clinic draws up the treatment plan with the costs per cycle, medication included. Send the original to DAK before treatment begins and wait for approval.
Funding: Federal and state funding applies only to IVF and ICSI, not to insemination. For IVF, you submit the funding application before treatment begins.

Worked example: insemination at DAK

An example, not a promise: A married couple, both insured with DAK, starts with inseminations. Billing follows insurance fund rates. For its Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV) district, the vitro-med fertility clinic gives €200.96 for the medical service and about €750 for medication with stimulation.

	Natural cycle	After stimulation
Cost at insurance fund rate	€200.96	€950.96
DAK, 50%	€100.48	€475.48
Your out-of-pocket cost per attempt	€100.48	€475.48

Three stimulated inseminations therefore cost you €1,426.44. Kinderwunschzentrum Augsburg gives an out-of-pocket cost of about €50 to €100 without stimulation and €150 to €500 with stimulation. If IVF follows, the out-of-pocket cost at vitro-med's rates is €1,486.30 per attempt. Prices for self-pay patients are listed under IUI cost.

In the calculator, you select insemination and DAK.

This section applies to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Country

Germany Austria Switzerland

Treatment

Attempts (1 to 6)

Cost per attempt (€)

Insurance

Marital status

Health insurance fund

Residence (German state)

Estimate tax savings

Total amount of income per year (€)

Family

Marginal tax rate

Which funds pay more for insemination

How much extra the insurance funds payfor 3 IVF attempts, on top of the statutory 50%

higher percentage (75% or 100%) fixed subsidy per attempt. 12 other insurance funds, including BARMER and DAK, pay nothing extra for the first three attempts, 5 of them only from the 4th attempt onward. Example using insurance fund rates of around €3,000 per attempt.

Substitute funds (Ersatzkassen) such as TK, KKH, and HEK pay their subsidy, according to their bylaws, only for IVF and ICSI. The following, among others, also pay for inseminations:

AOK Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland: 100% instead of 50%
AOK Baden-Württemberg and AOK PLUS: 75% instead of 50%
AOK Bayern: an additional €500 per attempt
IKK Südwest: the remaining 50%, up to €1,000 per attempt
IKK classic: €500 per attempt if both spouses are insured there, otherwise €250
KNAPPSCHAFT: €250 per insured person and attempt

You can choose an AOK only where you live or work, and a BKK or IKK only if its bylaws open it there. Substitute funds are open to everyone (Section 173, paragraph 2, SGB V). For IVF and ICSI, KKH (€1,000) and TK (€500 per attempt) pay the most among the substitute funds. The comparison table shows all funds.

What to keep in mind when switching insurance funds

Timing: It is best to switch before the treatment plan. According to their bylaws, AOK Hessen and IKK Südwest require a new plan if you switch during treatment. AOK Hessen reimburses only from the start of membership.
One partner or both: At AOK Baden-Württemberg, both partners must be insured, and at IKK classic the full €500 applies only then. At TK, HEK, and KNAPPSCHAFT, one partner is enough.
Time limit: After switching, you are bound to the new fund for twelve months, and cancellation takes effect at the end of the month after next (Section 175, paragraph 4, SGB V).

Frequently asked questions

Will DAK pay more for assisted reproduction from 2027?

So far, there is no evidence of this. The bylaws (as of September 1, 2026) contain no fertility benefit, and the 68th amendment effective January 1, 2027 concerns only the employer levy. The administrative board (Verwaltungsrat) met on October 1, 2026, and no new amendments had been published as of October 3, 2026.

Does DAK still pay if the woman turns 40 during treatment?

For each cycle, the first day of the cycle or of stimulation counts. If a cycle begins before the 40th birthday, it is still covered, and a later one is no longer (KB-RL no. 9.1).

What does DAK cover if one partner has private insurance?

According to the KB-RL, the man's fund bears semen collection, sperm preparation, and his lab work, and the woman's fund bears the procedures outside the body. DAK pays 50% of the procedures for its own insured person, and the other partner's share is governed by their insurance contract.