Statutory accident insurance; registration of a company, self-employed or freelance activity
If you start a business, become self-employed or freelance, you usually have to register it with the accident insurance company.
Description
The statutory accident insurance insures your employees against the consequences of accidents at work and on the way to work as well as occupational diseases. Registration and payment of contributions are the responsibility of the employer. If you are self-employed or freelance, you can take out voluntary insurance.
To register, you must provide the relevant accident insurance institution with:
- the type and object of the business,
- the number of insured persons,
- the date of opening or the date of commencement of preparatory work for the enterprise, and
- in cases where the company does not have a fixed place of business in Germany, the name and place of residence or habitual abode of the authorized representative.
communicate.
If you register your business at the local trade office, you do not need to register separately for accident insurance. The business registration is automatically forwarded to the responsible accident insurance institution. As a rule, the commercial employers' liability insurance associations (gewerbliche Berufsgenossenschaften) are responsible for businesses, institutions and freelancers as insurance carriers, which are divided according to industry. For public institutions and public sector companies, the public sector insurance carriers (accident insurance funds) are responsible.
As an entrepreneur or freelancer, you are usually not automatically insured. However, you can voluntarily insure yourself against the consequences of accidents at work and on the way to and from work as well as occupational illnesses with your employers' liability insurance association.
Note: Only one accident insurance institution is responsible for your company, even if your company has components in different industries. The main focus of the company is decisive for this. There is no right of choice.
Prerequisites
There is an obligation to notify the competent body in case of:
- New establishment of a company
- Change in the form of business or activity
Procedure
Registration with your accident insurance institution is automatic for companies subject to notification under the Trade Regulation Act:
- The Trade Licensing Office forwards the data from the trade notification digitally to the responsible accident insurance institution.
- You will receive further information from your accident insurance institution.
- If necessary, you must provide the responsible accident insurance institution with further information about your company so that it can be included.
In all other cases, you can register online or in writing:
For online registration:
- Call up the service portal of the employers' liability insurance associations and accident insurance funds.
- Answer the questions posed in full to register your company, freelance or self-employed activity.
- Your registration will then be automatically forwarded to your accident insurance provider.
- Once the enrollment investigations have been completed, you will receive the enrollment documents and informational materials through your accident insurance carrier.
For written registration:
- Search the website of the German Social Accident Insurance for the accident insurance institution responsible for you.
- You can register your company informally with the selected accident insurance provider or download and print out a registration form from the accident insurance provider's website.
- Answer the questions asked in full to register your business, freelance or self-employed activity.
- Send the completed registration form to the relevant accident insurance carrier.
- Once the admission investigations have been completed, you will receive the admission documents and information material from your accident insurance institution.
Deadlines
- Registration of your company, self-employed or freelance activity: within one week from the start of the company/activity.
Remedy
Appeal
For detailed information on how to file an appeal, please refer to the decision of the accident insurance institution.
Links to more information
Status: 08.09.2022
Responsible for editing: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales
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