Entgeltfortzahlung (continued pay in the event of illness) is the statutory obligation under the Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz (EFZG) for German employers to continue paying an employee's full gross wages for up to six weeks (42 calendar days) per distinct illness episode. The entitlement arises after four weeks of continuous employment with the same employer. Where the same illness recurs within six months, or where the employee suffers a new but related condition, the six-week clock does not restart; a new condition after a six-month gap creates a fresh entitlement.
Employees must notify their employer without delay on the first day of absence and, if the illness lasts longer than three consecutive calendar days, submit a medical certificate (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, colloquially the "gelber Schein"). Since 2023, statutory health insurers receive digital certificates (eAU) directly from general practitioners and forward them electronically to employers, removing the paper submission requirement for insured employees. Employers may still require a certificate from the first day of absence through a contractual clause.
After six weeks of Entgeltfortzahlung, responsibility shifts to the employee's statutory health insurer, which pays Krankengeld (sickness benefit) at 70 per cent of gross wages (capped at 90 per cent of net) for up to 78 weeks within a three-year period for the same condition. Employers can recover a portion of their Entgeltfortzahlung costs through the Ausgleichsverfahren U1 scheme, a reimbursement mechanism available to businesses with up to 30 employees.