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Cost & Conversion As of: 2026-05-07

How much does a sick day cost an employer in Germany?

A sick day costs an employer €250–400 on average.

The widely cited expert benchmark is around €250 of direct cost per sick day. Including indirect effects (productivity loss, replacement, quality issues) the multiplier is typically 1.5–2.0 — i.e. €375 to €500 per sick day on a full-cost basis.

250 €

Direct cost per sick day (BAuA)

250 €

Direct cost per sick day

375–500 €

Full cost per sick day (×1.5–2.0)

88 B €

Gross-value-added loss (BAuA 2023)

180 B €

Total economic damage

Direct vs indirect

Direct cost covers continued wage payment during illness (typically 6 weeks) plus social-security contributions. At a median gross income of around €4,300/month this works out to approx. €200–250 per sick day in direct outlay. Indirect cost arises from productivity loss, replacement, quality damage and morale — international research applies a multiplier of 1.5–2.0.

Estimated cost components per sick day (full-cost basis)
Wages + employer contributions250 €Productivity gap90 €Replacement / temp staff35 €Quality losses20 €Other indirect30 €
Datenquelle: Own calc based on BAuA, IW Köln, Destatis

Macroeconomic order of magnitude

BAuA estimates the annual gross-value-added loss from sickness absence in Germany at around €88bn. Including downstream costs (early retirement, mortality, health-fund expenses) IW Köln estimates put the total damage at ~€180bn per year.

Sources

  1. 1

    BAuA SuGA — Sicherheit und Gesundheit bei der Arbeit

    Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin, 2024

    Volkswirtschaftliche Bewertung von AU-Tagen — Bruttowertschöpfungsverlust je Tag.

    Quelle öffnen Abgerufen: 2026-05-07
  2. 2

    IW-Trends — Krankheitsbedingte Fehlzeiten

    Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, 2023

    Quelle öffnen Abgerufen: 2026-05-07
  3. 3

    Verdienste und Arbeitskosten — Bruttojahresverdienst

    Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis), 2024

    Quelle öffnen Abgerufen: 2026-05-07

We use deeplink-friendly originals. Charts are redrawn from the data — no 1:1 copies. For Statista data the underlying primary source (e.g. WIdO, AOK) is named explicitly.

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