This is the step that makes the whole formality worthwhile. A recognised workplace accident moves you into a different system: the cash benefit is calculated differently and is usually higher, and beyond it sit rehabilitation, retraining and a pension for lasting consequences.
Benefits: why this is not ordinary sick pay
For a recognised workplace accident it is the accident insurer that pays, not your health fund — and usually more. Not everyone notices the difference.
✓ Verified: 01/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
AUTHORITY
Berufsgenossenschaft (gesetzliche Unfallversicherung)
Public bodyWhich BG covers you depends on your industry — look it up via the DGUV portal.
COSTS
- For you as the insured person free
treatment, rehabilitation and the procedure are borne by the Berufsgenossenschaft
- €Accident insurance contributions paid by the employer alone
§ 150 (1) SGB VII — nothing is deducted from your wages for it
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
I drew ordinary sick pay for six months without knowing something else was due. It was recalculated, but only after I asked myself.
👩🏼💼
Lea recommends:
Ask explicitly about rehabilitation and retraining. Nobody volunteers that information, and it is exactly what decides what you do next.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How does injury benefit differ from sick pay? ▾
It is calculated under different rules and is generally higher, because a broader earnings base is used. It is paid by the accident insurer rather than by your health fund.
When does it start? ▾
Usually once the employer’s continued wage payment ends. From then the accident insurer takes over, provided the case is recognised as a workplace accident.
What else does this system cover? ▾
Not only treatment and cash benefits: rehabilitation, assistive devices, retraining into another occupation where needed, and a pension where earning capacity is permanently reduced. Many people learn about these rights too late.
Are travel costs to appointments reimbursed? ▾
As a rule yes — journeys connected with treatment of the recognised case are reimbursed. Keep receipts from the start rather than assembling them retrospectively.
Does reporting the accident or the treatment cost me anything? ▾
No. Statutory accident insurance is financed by employers alone — § 150 (1) SGB VII names them as the parties liable for contributions. Not a cent is deducted from your wages for it, and treatment by the Durchgangsarzt, rehabilitation and the procedure itself cost you nothing. Fear of costs is no reason not to report the accident.