Dienstleistungsportal Bayern

Statutory pension insurance is a branch of social insurance. It covers almost all gainfully employed persons as compulsory insurance (for self-employed persons partly on application) or as voluntary insurance.

The pension insurance is financed by contributions of the insured and the employers as well as by federal subsidies.

Essentially, the following are insured:

• Employees working for pay as well as apprentices or those otherwise employed for their vocational training;
• Home-based workers, development workers, and persons doing military service or a voluntary social year or a voluntary ecological year or the Federal Volunteer Service;
• certain self-employed persons, e.g., teachers, educators, and persons engaged in nursing, maternity, infant, or child care who do not employ an insurable employee in connection with their self-employment, midwives and delivery nurses, and persons who do not regularly employ an insurable employee in connection with their self-employment and who work permanently and essentially for only one client;
• Persons who are to be qualified for gainful employment in youth welfare institutions or in vocational training centers or similar institutions for disabled persons;
• Persons during the period for which they are receiving sickness benefit, injury benefit, care sickness benefit, transitional benefit, unemployment benefit or unemployment benefit II;
• Persons for whom child-raising periods are to be credited;
• Persons who do not professionally care for a person in need of care with at least care level 2, who is entitled to benefits from social or private care insurance, for at least 10 hours a week in his or her home environment;
• self-employed artists and publicists.

In the case of marginal employment, exemption from compulsory insurance is possible. Certain groups of persons may be exempt from compulsory insurance. Those who are not compulsorily insured may take out voluntary insurance for periods after reaching the age of 16 Voluntary insurance.

Essentially, the following benefits are granted: Medical rehabilitation measures and benefits for participation in working life to maintain, improve and restore earning capacity, including economic assistance (e.g. transitional allowance, travel and transport costs, household assistance), pensions to insured persons and to surviving dependents, pension compensation and reimbursement of contributions, contributions for pensioners' health insurance.

The statutory pension insurance institutions provide information, advise, accept applications and grant the benefits provided for by law.
The insurance offices at the district offices and independent cities, the municipal administrations and the insurance advisors provide information, advise and accept applications.

You can obtain information by telephone on our free service number 0800 1000 4800.