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Social Security
A Brief Introduction
German “Sozialversicherung” (social security) is a statutory insurance system providing cover for potential risks such as illness, unemployment, old age, accidents at work and dependency on nursing care. It comprises five areas:
- Health insurance
- Pension scheme
- Unemployment insurance
- Accident insurance
- Nursing care insurance
Research visit based on a fellowship: Fellowships are usually exempt from statutory social security payments, with the exception of health insurance which even fellows are required to have (see chapter 8.2). Please note that you will not be insured through the university and are required to arrange all insurance matters yourself. Apart from health insurance which is essential, it is also recommendable to take out insurance against accidents and third-party liability claims.
The information on pension schemes, unemployment, accident and nursing care insurance contained in chapters 8.3 to 8.6 is essentially of importance to those employed by a university and not of relevance to fellows.
Insider Info: For detailed information on many different aspects of social security in Germany visit: www.deutsche-sozialversicherung.de/en
Research visit based on an employment contract: If you conduct your research in Germany on the basis of an employment contract you are required to pay fixed statutory social security contributions. The employer and the employee each pay half of the contributions (approximately 20% of your gross salary each). Accident insurance contributions are paid entirely by the employer. As soon as you take up your position, your host institution will take the steps necessary to register you for insurance. You will be registered with the “Krankenkasse” (health insurance provider) of your choice
which will then inform the other social security providers. Once registration has been completed you will receive a “Versicherungsnummer” (insurance number) and a “Versicherungsnachweisheft” (insurance booklet) from the pension scheme provider. The
employer is responsible for paying the contributions and will deduct the sum at source.
Transfer of rights:
Citizens of EU Member States, EEA States and Switzerland are covered by an EU regulation on the rights and transferability of social security entitlements within the European Union. The EEC regulations stipulate two basic principles:
- You are insured in the country you work in
- You are only subject to the legislation of one Member State
Health Insurance
In Germany “Krankenversicherung” (health insurance) is mandatory for all researchers and family members accompanying them. You will need proof that you are insured in order to obtain a residence permit and conclude an employment contract. The policy must at least cover medical treatment in the event of serious illness or accidents. It is advisable to make contact with the insurance provider of your choice before entering Germany so that any problems can be dealt with in advance, and you are covered by insurance from the very first day. It may be worth taking out travel insurance for the first few days in Germany, too. First of all, you should check whether your insurance at home covers medical and hospital costs incurred during your stay in Germany. If this insurance cover is not adequate you will have to take out an additional insurance policy.
If your stay in Germany is scheduled to last so long that you are required to become resident in Germany, please note the following: You are required to possess health insurance cover from an insurance provider licensed in Germany if you are not covered by statutory health insurance or entitled to allowances for members of the civil service. For the duration of your stay in Germany your foreign health insurance cover can be switched to the tariff for the qualifying period. There are two kinds of health insurance in Germany: statutory health insurance and private health insurance. Which one you can choose depends on whether you will be working in Germany on the basis of a fellowship or an employment contract. Philipps-Universität Marburg
Disclaimer: The insurance providers cited in this chapter are known to the Welcome Centre. However, the Welcome Centre can accept no responsibility for the quality or completeness of the information
Research visit based on a fellowship: If you stay in Germany privately or funded by a fellowship you have no alternative but to take out private health insurance cover.
Research visit based on an employment contract: If you work on the basis of an employment contract then as a matter of principle you are subject to statutory German health insurance.
However, where there is a “Sozialversicherungsabkommen” (Social Security Agreement) in place between Germany and your own country the health insurance regulations of that country may continue to be applicable. Your health insurance provider or social security authority at home will confirm this for you by issuing a form headed E 101. On the basis of Form E 101 you will continue to be subject to your national health insurance regulations and not to compulsory German health insurance.
As an employed person, if you do not possess Form E 101 then you will be subject to compulsory German health insurance. Your level of income will determine whether you must obtain private or statutory health insurance.
Up to a gross salary of 48,600 euro (upper income limit) you must be insured by statutory health insurance company. If your gross annual salary regularly exceeds 48,600 euro, you are free to choose between a statutory health insurance provider and a private health insurance company. This means that you may opt either for a statutory or for a private health scheme. You must inform your employer which health insurance company you have chosen. It is the employer’s task to register new employees with the health insurance company. The latter then forwards the registration to the other social security providers.
Statutory health insurance providers: The level of contributions to statutory health insurance providers has been standardised. The standard rate is 14.9 % (as of 01.07.2009), of which the employer pays 7% and the employee 7.9%. Contributions for health insurance cover are deducted from your gross salary at source.The benefits of statutory health insurance are, for the most part, also standardised. There are differences in customer service, additional benefits and optional premiums. You are free to choose your statutory health insurance company comparison of the different insurance benefits is therefore still worthwhile.
If your marital partner or children are accompanying you to Germany it may be possible under certain circumstances to insure them on the same policy at no additional cost (family insurance). In order to benefit from this offer, the family members must be registered in Germany as their main residence.
By contrast to private insurance companies, statutory insurance providers pay the costs to the doctor or hospital directly. You merely have to present your insurance card before treatment.
Travelling abroad in Europe if you are a statutory health insurance user: Every statutory health insurance provider is required to issue its members with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This facilitates your path to treatment during a temporary visit abroad in Europe.
Statutory health insurance users are entitled to medical treatment in case of injury or acute illness in the EU Member States as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. This means you have a right to the treatment that is medically necessary during your stay.You are entitled to the same medical treatment in the host country as the residents of that country themselves. The costs are covered by your statutory health insurance provider and will be paid at the same rate as they would if they had been incurred at home; any excess costs must be paid by you, the patient.
We therefore urgently recommend you, whether you are travelling privately or officially, always to take your European Health Insurance Card or a provisional insurance certificate with you when you travel to countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. It may be advisable to take out additional, private travel insurance to cover the costs of return transportation and potential price differences between the cost of treatment in the host country and in Germany.
Statutory Health Insurance Providers:
You are free to choose your own statutory health insurance provider, so it is worth comparing the benefits. The following statutory health insurance providers have branches in all larger towns:BARMER Ersatzkasse www.barmer.de
DAK - Deutsche Angestellten-Krankenkasse www.dak.de
Techniker Krankenkasse www.tk-online.de
For the addresses and contacts of local branches visit the website of the Welcome Centre.
A complete list of all the statutory health insurance providers can be found at: www.gkv-spitzenverband.de
>Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung >Alle gesetzlichen KrankenversicherungenPrivate Health Insurance: By contrast to statutory health insurance cover, private health insurance premiums are not income related but dependent on various criteria that influence the risk such as age, gender, profession, state of health and the particular kind of health insurance cover you want. The more comprehensive the package, the more expensive it becomes. Private patients receive personal invoices; you must pay them yourself and then submit them to your insurance company for refund.
If you are suffering from an illness or condition prior to coming to Germany you should stock up with the necessary medication in your own country because illnesses predating the visit to Germany are not usually covered by the German insurance company, and you would have to pay for any ensuing costs yourself. Pre-natal care and childbirth are also excluded from private health insurance policies if the expectant mother has become pregnant before entering Germany. Study the premiums and benefits carefully. If in doubt, speak to your insurance company before you start treatment, particularly if this involves a stay in hospital, to check exactly what costs will be refunded.
Private Health Insurance Companies: For a list of private insurance companies visit www.pkv.de/verband/mitgliedsunternehmen
Some companies offer special product packages for foreign researchers and fellows only staying in Germany for a certain period of time. You can usually purchase these packages online while you are still at home.EUlisses: EU Links and information on Social Security European Commission Internet Portal: http://ec.europa.eu/eulisses
Special Case: EU Citizens: The following information applies to citizens of EU States, as well as citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, who are spending time abroad.
Health insurance during short visits: If you are insured privately or are covered by statutory insurance you may make use of the health services in other EU States, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and have the costs reimbursed by your health insurance provider. In cases of out-patient treatment, you can choose whether you wish to be treated in Germany or in another Member State. If you consult a doctor or use other medical services within the European Union you will initially have to pay the costs of the treatment on the spot and then submit the receipts to your insurance provider in your own country. The costs will then be reimbursed at the same level as they would if they had been incurred for treatment at home; any excess costs must be borne by patients themselves.
In the case of hospital treatment in another Member State, the agreement of the health insurance scheme must be obtained in advance. This may only be refused, if you could obtain the same or equally effective treatment at the same general standard of medical knowledge in good time at a hospital in Germany.
Extended health insurance cover comes into force if you are covered by statutory health insurance and you and your family are only staying in another country on a temporary basis - on holiday or business. In case of illness you are eligible for services that are necessary medically, including hospital treatment.
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC): To facilitate treatment during temporary visits abroad, every health insurance scheme is obliged to issue its members with a European Health Insurance Card. In case of illness in another EU country, or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, medical services are provided according to the laws of the host country and reimbursed according to the charges applying there: by presenting the card, patients are eligible both for services which are free of charge in the host country as well as for free medical treatment. Costs for services which usually incur charges in the host country will be covered by the health insurance scheme on presentation of the insurance card.
However, the EHIC only has limited scope. It is valid:- for temporary visits abroad
- for necessary medical services
- not for trips abroad specifi cally for the purpose of treatment
- not for the costs incurred in transporting an invalid home
EU Citizens: extended visits abroad
An extended visit abroad is one that lasts longer than a holiday or business trip or attending a conference, such as a guest professorship or research visit for a semester or a year. If you are staying abroad within the European Union, or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, instead of the European Health Insurance Card, the following applies:If you are entitled to statutory health insurance at home, then your domestic health insurance provider will issue Form E106 on request. Form E106 entitles you and your family members to register with a German health insurance scheme. The German health insurance scheme will then provide all the services to which a German user would also be entitled. The German health insurance scheme will subsequently invoice your domestic health insurance provider for their costs.
If you are entitled to statutory health insurance in Germany and some members of your family have remained in your own country then the German health insurance provider will issue Form E109 on request. Form E109 allows those members of your family who have stayed at home to make use of the services of the statutory health insurance scheme without having to pay contributions. The domestic health insurance provider will subsequently invoice the German health insurance scheme for their costs.
Pension Scheme
Contributions to “Rentenversicherung”, the German pension scheme, are part of the statutory social security payments. The scheme protects those insured and their families if their employment capacity is endangered or reduced and when it ends due to age or death. It covers medical rehabilitation measures, professional rehabilitation, pensions due to diminished employment capacity, old-age pensions, dependents’ pensions.
Contributions to the statutory pension scheme are deducted from salaries at source. You do not have to worry about them. As a rule, the employer is responsible for paying half of the contribution towards pensions, the employee the other half. The employer registers his employee with the respective health insurance provider who then automatically forwards the registration to all the other social security providers.
Recognition of pension rights: When examining the prerequisites for entitlement, Member States of the EU or Partners to the Agreement have to recognise periods during which pension rights have been accrued in Germany. Periods during which pension rights have been accrued in countries which do not have a “Sozialversicherungsabkommen” (social security agreement) with Germany may not be added to the German periods in order to fulfi l the prerequisites for entitlement. It is definitely worth informing yourself beforehand about the regulations valid in your country.
If you have been employed in different countries in the course of your working life and have paid contributions to the respective social security systems you should make enquiries about your entitlements with the social security providers in the individual countries well in advance.
On principle, it is not foreseen that a single pension, comprising all the periods covered, should be paid by any one country. There are just a few exceptions aimed at avoiding mini-pensions.
Your pension scheme contributions will remain valid in every country in which you have been covered and have paid contributions until you have reached pensionable age according to the laws of the respective country. All social security providers award pensionson the basis of their own national legislation. This could mean that you might receive various different pensions.
Pension contribution refunds: If you return to a country which does not have a social security agreement with Germany you can apply for a refund of the pension contributions you have paid in Germany. After a waiting period of two years, you may apply to the “Deutsche Rentenversicherung” (German statutory pension insurance scheme) for a refund. Visit their website for more information on which contributions can be refunded.
Occupational pensions: If you are classifi ed as a public service employee according to your employment contract you will usually be included in the statutory “Versorgungsanstalt des Bundes und der Länder” (Pension Institution of the Federal Republic and the Länder, VBL). VBL provides occupational pensions. The contributions to be paid by employees under the statutory scheme are fixed at a certain percentage. If you are employed at a university on a short-term academic contract you can be exempted from the VBL’s statutory insurance scheme. However, your employer will have to register you for the VBL’s voluntary insurance scheme. In this case, it is only the employer who pays into the scheme, at a reduced premium. You can apply for exemption at the Personnel Department within two months of starting work.
Advice on pension schemes
Statutory pension scheme: We urgently recommend you to contact the “Deutsche Rentenversicherung” for advice on the pension rights you have accrued in Germany and potential refunds of contributions before you leave Germany at the very latest. The Welcome Centre will be pleased to arrange an appointment for you with an adviser from the German statutory pension insurance scheme.
Deutsche Rentenversicherung
Softwarecenter 5a (ehemalige Jägerkaserne),
35037 Marburg
Tel.: 0 64 21 / 97 11 00
www.deutsche-rentenversicherunghessen.deOccupational pensions
VBL. Versorgungsanstalt des Bundes und der Länder
Hans-Thoma-Straße 19, 76133 Karlsruhe
Tel: 01 80 / 5 67 77 10
Email: kundenservice@vbl.de
www.vbl.deFor tailored information for academics on fixed term contracts visit:
www.vbl.de > English > Products > Download: VBL spezial for employees with a short-term scientific position in academia or researchAdvice for EU-citizens:
The Citizens’ Signpost Service (CSS) provides free legal advice for EU citizens on topics like resident law, social security, taxation etc.
http://ec.eurpoa.eu/citzensrightsUnemployment Insurance
Unemployment Insurance, called “Arbeitslosenversicherung” in German, is part of statutory social security. It provides insurance cover for jobless people to ensure that they have a secure income while they are searching for work.
If you were in work in Germany before becoming unemployed, were employed subject to statutory social security regulations on 360 days in the preceding three years, and are available for recruitment you will normally be entitled to German unemployment benefit. Periods of employment in other EU Member States/EEA States and Switzerland cannot be taken into account.
Unemployment Insurance is deducted from salaries at source. You do not have to worry about them. As a rule the contribution towards unemployment insurance, the employee the other half.The employer registers his employee with the respective health insurance provider who then automatically forwards the registration to all the other social security providers.
Fellowships are usually exempt from compulsory social security payments.
To what extent benefits accrued in Germany will be recognised by unemployment insurance providers in other countries must be ascertained in the respective country. If you are returning to a country which does not have a social security agreement with Germany it will not be possible to receive German unemployment benefit there.
The unemployment insurance provider in Germany is the “Bundesagentur für Arbeit” (German Federal Employment Agency), represented by its local employment agencies:
Accident Insurance
Another pillar of statutory social security is “Berufsunfallversicherung” (insurance against accidents at work). Every employed person is protected by statutory accident insurance. It covers accidents that happen at the workplace or on the way to and from the workplace. It also covers occupational illness. It does not cover private accidents.
If you do not have accident insurance and have an accident, the costs of treatment will be paid by the health insurance provider. However, after serious accidents the differences begin to emerge. Particularly if expensive rehabilitation measures are required, health insurance providers often refuse to cover the costs for these measures at all, or are only prepared to take on a percentage of the costs.
By contrast to the health insurance providers, the “Berufsgenossenschaften”, (professional or trade associations) which are the providers of statutory accident insurance, usually pay for all the treatment and rehabilitation measures, provided that they are medically necessary. In cases of invalidity or death, the accident insurance pays an invalidity pension or dependent’s pension.
Employees are entitled to statutory insurance provided by the relevant professional association; the contributions are paid by the employer in full.
Accidents at work
All accidents must be reported to the Personnel Department immediately. Accidents at work also refer to accidents that occur on the way to work and back. The necessary forms can be obtained from finance offices in the individual departments. Alternatively, you can turn to Vera Payer and Hans Bachmann in the Personnel Department.Vera Payer
Biegenstraße 10, Room 03032
Tel.: 0 64 21 / 28-2 61 36
Email: payer@verwaltung.uni-marburg.deHans Bachmann
Biegenstraße 10, Room 03029
Tel.: 0 64 21 / 28-2 61 15
Email: bachmaha@verwaltung.uni-marburg.deYou can also download the form from the Internet at:
www.unfallkasse-hessen.de > Service > Unfallanzeigen > „allgemeiner Unfall“Nursing Care Insurance
Another element of statutory social security is “Pflegeversicherung” (nursing care insurance). It is directly linked to health insurance cover and automatically taken out with it. Nursing care insurance is designed for people who are in need of care and dependent on the assistance of others. It provides for domestic and in-patient care.
Contributions to nursing care insurance are deducted at source from the employee’s gross salary. As a rule, the employer pays half the contributions, the employee the other half. Childless employees pay a surcharge of 0.25% of their gross salary on top of this. The employer registers his employee with the respective health insurance provider who then automatically forwards the registration to all the other social security providers.
Additional private insurance
Apart from statutory social security there are also numerous private insurances which you can take out to insure against all manner of risks. In Germany third-party liability insurance is very common because anyone can be held responsible for damage inflicted on others, and parents are responsible for damage caused by their children. Therefore it is usual to take out a private (family) third-party liability insurance policy to protect against claims for damage caused unintentionally. The number of additional insurances you consider necessary depends very much on your own attitude towards safety issues, your personal situation and the length of your visit. If you are moving to Germany for an extended period you may want to consult the “Verbraucherzentrale” (consumer advice centre) to enquire which insurances are usual in Germany and what you should look out for when making a decision.