Guide · 9 May 2026
The eAU Does Not Send the Message for You
Understand the separate roles of electronic incapacity data, your health insurer, and your own duty to notify a German employer.
Two separate steps
For many employees with statutory health insurance, the doctor sends incapacity data to the health insurer and the employer retrieves permitted information electronically. This eAU process replaces much of the paper exchange, but it does not usually replace the employee’s prompt message that they cannot work.
The employer does not receive the diagnosis through the standard retrieval. It receives limited information needed to establish the certified period and status.
Situations that need attention
Private insurance, treatment abroad, technical failure, rehabilitation, and certain other circumstances may follow a different proof route. Ask the medical practice what was transmitted and keep any document provided to you. If the employer says retrieval failed, respond promptly and contact the insurer or practice rather than assuming the issue will resolve itself.
Build a simple record
Keep the date and time of your employer notice, the consultation date, the certified dates, and any extension together. That record makes gaps or mismatched dates easier to identify.