TK (Techniker Krankenkasse) fertility coverage in Germany: subsidy, application
Updated on October 3, 2026 · Fertilio Editorial Team
This page covers Germany only.
What TK pays for fertility treatment
By law, TK covers 50% of the costs it approved with the treatment plan, medication included (Section 27a of Book V of the German Social Code, Sozialgesetzbuch V, SGB V; Directive on Assisted Reproduction, KB-RL, of the Federal Joint Committee, Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, G-BA). That applies to up to three attempts at IVF or ICSI, up to three inseminations after stimulation, and up to eight in a natural cycle.
In addition, Section 27h of the TK bylaws (as of April 17, 2026) provides for three subsidies:
- IVF and ICSI: €500 per married couple for each attempt carried out, at most the costs actually incurred by the spouse insured with TK. The bylaws do not state their own maximum number of attempts. According to TK, the entitlement ends after three unsuccessful attempts.
- TESE: a one-time €300 for men if sperm retrieval from the testicle is medically necessary.
- Assisted hatching: a one-time €200 if the woman is at least 37 when applying and one of three cases applies: unsuccessful attempts despite promising embryos, a measurably thickened outer shell of the egg (zona pellucida), or embryos that were frozen because of cancer.
According to its benefits page, TK has paid for TESE and assisted hatching since January 1, 2026. Without a bylaw benefit, people with statutory health insurance pay for both themselves; the fertility clinic vitro-med lists them as services that the insurance funds do not cover. There is no TK subsidy for inseminations.
| Insurance fund | Extra for 3 IVF attempts* | What the fund pays in addition | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) | up to €1,500 | An additional €500 per IVF or ICSI attempt (up to 3 attempts), for insemination only the statutory 50% Since January 1, 2026, a one-time €300 for TESE and a one-time €200 for assisted hatching (woman aged 37 and over, certain findings). Transfer of frozen eggs from an approved previous attempt is covered at 50% and counts as an attempt. |
One spouse insured with TK is enough, capped at their costs. Reimbursed against an invoice, also through the TK app. | TK bylaws, Section 27h Bylaws as of April 17, 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.
Insurance fund pays You pay out of pocket. Applies to married couples with an approved treatment plan.
Requirements and special features at TK
You only get the subsidy if the statutory benefit applies as well. According to the TK benefits page, that means: you are married, you use only your own eggs and sperm, both of you are at least 25, the woman is under 40, the man is under 50, and TK approved the treatment plan before treatment began.
One spouse insured with TK is enough. The bylaws pay per married couple and cap the amount at the costs of the partner insured with TK. According to the Directive on Assisted Reproduction, the man's insurance fund covers only semen collection, sperm preparation, and his lab work, while the woman's insurance fund covers the procedures outside the body. If only the man is insured with TK, the subsidy can therefore be less than €500.
Reimbursement through the app. TK pays the subsidy against an invoice, submitted in the TK app or through Meine TK.
Check optional tariffs. In the optional tariff TK-PrämieFlex, you can choose benefit package 5, which includes Section 27h, with a deductible (Section 37, paragraph 4 of the TK bylaws). If you have this tariff, find out before treatment begins what it means for the subsidy.
How to apply to TK, step by step
- Treatment plan: The fertility clinic writes it with the expected costs per cycle. According to the Directive on Assisted Reproduction, a plan covers at most three cycles, or up to eight for inseminations in a natural cycle.
- Approval: Submit the plan to TK before treatment begins. Without approval, you get neither the 50% nor the subsidy.
- Funding: If you live in a state with a funding program, you also apply there before treatment begins. The states are listed in the coverage overview.
- Invoice: After the attempt, you upload the invoice for your out-of-pocket cost in the TK app.
Calculation example: out-of-pocket cost with TK
An example, not a promise: A married couple undergoes IVF, and the woman is insured with TK. With an approved plan, billing follows insurance fund rates. For its KV district (Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians), the fertility clinic vitro-med gives €1,172.60 for the physician's services and about €1,800 for medication per cycle. According to vitro-med, other KV districts deviate by up to 20%.
| 1 attempt | 3 attempts | |
|---|---|---|
| Costs at insurance fund rates | €2,972.60 | €8,917.80 |
| TK, statutory 50% | €1,486.30 | €4,458.90 |
| TK subsidy under Section 27h | €500.00 | €1,500.00 |
| Your out-of-pocket cost | €986.30 | €2,958.90 |
Without the subsidy, you would pay €1,486.30 per attempt, which is consistent with the €1,200 to €1,700 that the fertility clinic Kinderwunschzentrum Augsburg gives as the out-of-pocket cost for IVF.
In a state with a funding program, the subsidy has less effect, because the federal government and the states deduct insurance fund benefits and bylaw benefits first. Thuringia gives married couples up to 50% of the remaining out-of-pocket cost, at most €800 per IVF attempt, if the clinic is in Thuringia or a neighboring state. With the TK subsidy, €493.15 is left, without it €743.15. Net, the subsidy is worth €250 per attempt there.
In the calculator, you select TK, and it then applies €500 per IVF or ICSI attempt. It does not include the frozen embryo transfer.
This section applies to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Who qualifies for the IVF Fund (IVF-Fonds)?
The IVF Fund pays for problems with the fallopian tubes, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or male infertility, if the woman is under 40 and her partner is under 50. You are married, in a registered partnership, or living together; you are insured; at least one of you has a primary residence in Austria; you hold Austrian, EEA, or Swiss citizenship or a suitable residence permit; and you are treated at one of the 27 contracted centers. After a deliberate sterilization, such as a vasectomy, the fund pays only if the other partner has one of these diagnoses themselves. Four new attempts are available only after a pregnancy through IVF, ICSI, or frozen embryo transfer, even if you paid for that attempt yourself.
For the deductible, what counts is what basic health insurance has already billed this year.
Estimate tax savings
- Treatment costs
- Health insurance fund
- Federal and state funding
- Your out-of-pocket cost
- Tax savings (estimated)
- Net cost after tax
Non-binding estimate using rounded average values and the rules as of October 2026. What counts is your clinic's treatment plan, your insurer's cost approval, and your tax assessment notice. Not tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
Does TK also pay for unmarried couples?
No. According to the benefits page, the couple must be married, and Section 27h pays per married couple. In 2014, the Federal Social Court (Bundessozialgericht, BSG) ruled that insurance funds may not pay unmarried couples additional bylaw benefits (B 1 A 1/14 R). However, the federal government and the states also fund unmarried couples in the states with funding programs. The costs are also deductible for them, to the extent that they exceed the reasonable burden (Federal Fiscal Court, Bundesfinanzhof, BFH, III R 47/05), see deducting fertility treatment costs for tax purposes.
Does TK pay anything extra for an insemination?
No, Section 27h names only IVF and ICSI. For an insemination, TK covers the statutory 50%.
What does TK pay for a frozen embryo transfer?
According to the benefits page (as of July 28, 2026), TK covers 50% of the contractual costs if surplus frozen eggs from a previous attempt approved by TK are transferred. The transfer replaces a fresh cycle and counts as an attempt. The bylaws do not say this. TK does not pay for the freezing itself or for elective egg freezing; by law, freezing is covered only before a therapy that damages germ cells, such as chemotherapy (Section 27a, paragraph 4 SGB V).
Sources
- Bylaws of the Techniker Krankenkasse, Section 27h Assisted reproduction and Section 37 Optional tariff, as of April 17, 2026
- Which costs does TK cover for assisted reproduction?, Techniker Krankenkasse, as of July 28, 2026
- Section 27a SGB V, gesetze-im-internet.de
- KB-RL (Directive on Assisted Reproduction), Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), in force since February 9, 2022
- Financial support, Informationsportal Kinderwunsch
- Costs for people with statutory health insurance, vitro-med
- Cost arrangements, Kinderwunschzentrum Augsburg
- BFH, judgment of May 10, 2007, III R 47/05, citations at dejure.org
- BSG, judgment of November 18, 2014, B 1 A 1/14 R, report on lto.de