Versorgungswerk and health insurance: what you should know

A professional Versorgungswerk (i) is a compulsory institution under public law for liberal professions organized in chambers. These include doctors, dentists and veterinarians, pharmacists, architects, engineers, notaries, lawyers, tax advisors, auditors and in some cases psychological psychotherapists. In Germany there are around 89 of these institutions, joined together in the Association of Professional Pension Schemes.

The Versorgungswerk (i) pays old-age, invalidity, occupational disability and survivors' pensions. Unlike the statutory pension insurance, it is a funded system. Contributions are invested and not passed on directly to today's pensioners. One practical advantage shows in occupational disability. There is no waiting period here, the full entitlement exists from the first day. In the statutory pension insurance, at least 36 compulsory contributions in the last five years are needed for this.

Self-employed chamber members are covered by their Versorgungswerk (i) on a compulsory basis. Employees in these professions are also compulsorily insured in the statutory pension insurance. So that nobody pays twice, they can be exempted from the statutory pension insurance under § 6 (1) SGB VI.

This exemption is narrow. It only applies to the specific job with the specific employer. If you change jobs, you have to apply again. There is also a new rule from July 1, 2026. Under § 6 (6) SGB VI, an exemption once granted can in future be revoked once. If you work as an employed psychological psychotherapist or engineer, you may not be able to get an exemption, depending on your situation, but voluntary membership in the Versorgungswerk (i) is open to you.

The Versorgungswerk (i) replaces the statutory pension, not health insurance. This is where many members are wrong at first. You take out your health insurance yourself, either voluntarily with a statutory health insurance fund or in private health insurance.

For most chamber professions, private health insurance is the obvious choice. Self-employed members of the liberal professions are outside compulsory insurance in statutory health insurance anyway. Employees with an income above the Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze of €77,400 can also switch. The premium then depends on entry age, state of health and the scope of benefits you want, not on your income.

In retirement, privately insured members continue to pay their regular plan premium from their Versorgungswerk (i) pension. This premium stays independent of income. Several items reduce it with age. From 60, the statutory premium surcharge ends, which was saved up in the years before. Krankentagegeld (i) ends when your pension starts, because there is no more earned income to lose. How your premium in old age develops depends on the plan and on the reserves built up.

In old age, a subsidy towards private health insurance only exists if you also have a statutory pension. Then the pension insurance provider pays, on application, 8.75 percent of the statutory gross pension, at most €508.59 per month and never more than half of the actual premium. On a pure Versorgungswerk (i) pension, this subsidy does not apply.

If you stay in statutory health insurance in old age, you should know the basis for contributions. What matters is whether you are a compulsory member of the Krankenversicherung der Rentner (i)KVdR · Krankenversicherung der RentnerStatutory health insurance for pensioners. Whether you qualify depends on how long you were in statutory insurance during your working life. or a voluntary member.

For the Krankenversicherung der Rentner (i), a prior insurance period applies under § 5 (1) no. 11 SGB V. In the second half of your working life, at least nine tenths of the time must be in statutory health insurance, and there must be an entitlement to a statutory pension. Members of a Versorgungswerk (i) often do not meet these conditions, because for years they paid into the Versorgungswerk instead of the statutory pension insurance. They then become voluntary members of statutory health insurance.

How different the contribution in old age then is, you can see in the comparison table further up on this page.

Yes, this is the usual case. Self-employed chamber members are not subject to compulsory insurance in statutory health insurance. Employees can only switch if their income is above the Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze (i)JAEG · JahresarbeitsentgeltgrenzeThe annual income threshold in Germany. Employees who earn more than this per year may leave statutory health insurance and switch to private health insurance.More about JAEG →.

Only if you also receive a statutory pension. Then the pension insurance provider pays 8.75 percent on your pension income, capped at the maximum subsidy. There is no subsidy on the Versorgungswerk (i) pension.

Usually not. The Krankenversicherung der Rentner (i) requires a long prior period in statutory insurance and an entitlement to a statutory pension. If you mainly paid into the Versorgungswerk (i), you usually become a voluntary member and pay contributions on all your income.