A professional pension scheme (Versorgungswerk) is the occupational old-age provision for members of certain chambered professions, such as doctors, pharmacists or lawyers. It is run by its own institution and applies to self-employed and employed members alike, as long as chamber membership is compulsory. For students, the term matters mainly when the intended profession has a chamber.
Short answer: A professional pension scheme is the old-age provision for members of chambered professions. Anyone who becomes a compulsory member can apply to be exempted from the statutory pension insurance (§ 6 SGB VI). The exemption takes effect from the start of the compulsory membership if the application is filed within three months. Last updated: October 2026.
The key points in brief
- A professional pension scheme is its own old-age provision for certain chambered professions.
- Membership follows from chamber membership, not from a free choice.
- An exemption from the statutory pension insurance is possible on application.
- The three-month deadline determines from when the exemption takes effect.
- Each scheme sets its contributions and benefits in its own statutes.
Which professions have a professional pension scheme?
Professional pension schemes are organised by profession and by federal state. A doctor in Hesse is therefore a member of a different scheme than a doctor in Bavaria. Typical schemes exist for doctors, dentists, pharmacists, lawyers and architects. If your profession has no chamber, there is no professional pension scheme for you. In that case, the statutory pension insurance usually applies, unless another obligation exists. How this works during your studies is explained in our guide to pension insurance for students.
How does the exemption work?
You apply for the exemption through the professional pension scheme, which forwards the application to the statutory pension insurance. The statutory pension insurance communicates its decision in text form. For the deadlines, the date on which the application is received by the professional pension scheme counts (§ 6 paras. 2 and 4 SGB VI). The effect depends on when you file the application.
| Timing of the application | Effect of the exemption |
|---|---|
| Within three months of the start of the compulsory membership | From the point at which the requirements were met |
| After the three-month deadline has passed | From the date the application is received by the professional pension scheme |
Assumption: your compulsory membership begins on 1 October. If you only file the application on 15 February of the following year, the three-month deadline has passed. The exemption then takes effect from 15 February.
What does this mean for your retirement provision?
With the exemption, your retirement provision is paid through the scheme rather than through the statutory pension insurance. This is neither generally better nor worse. It depends on your profession, your income and the statutes of the scheme. Always compare contribution levels, types of benefits and the rules on adjusting benefits using the documents of the specific scheme.
If you switch between employment and self-employment, clarify early which activity the exemption covers. It generally relates only to the specific employment or activity (§ 6 para. 5 SGB VI).
Which figures should you check?
Contribution rates, benefits and calculation bases are set out in the statutes and contribution regulations of the scheme. This glossary therefore does not list the values of individual schemes. For every figure, check the date of the last amendment, because statutes are updated regularly.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to join a professional pension scheme?
If you are subject to chamber membership, you become a compulsory member of the responsible scheme. Your chamber can confirm whether the obligation applies to you. Applying for the exemption from the statutory pension insurance is then the step you take actively.
Does the exemption also apply to a side job?
That depends on what you do on the side. The exemption relates to the activity for which it was granted. Extending it to another compulsory activity is only possible under narrow conditions, for example if that activity is limited in time from the outset (§ 6 para. 5 SGB VI). Clarify this with the scheme before you start the side job.
Is retirement provision through a scheme the same as the statutory pension?
No. The two systems follow their own rules. A scheme works under the statutes of its chamber, while the statutory pension is calculated using the pension formula with earning points. If you want to compare the two, you need information from both bodies. For the limits that apply within the statutory pension, see our guide to the contribution assessment base.
Does the professional pension scheme matter during my studies?
Usually not. During your studies you are generally not yet a member of a scheme. It becomes relevant when you enter a chambered profession. Until then, as a working student, you are insured in the statutory pension insurance.
Related reading
- Pension insurance for students in Germany: rules
- Contribution assessment base 2026: ceiling and floor
- Health insurance income limit 2026: what it means
- Retirement provision for students: starting early with small amounts
Sources: § 6 SGB VI: Exemption from compulsory insurance (accessed October 2026), Sixth Book of the Social Code (SGB VI) (last updated October 2026).
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
