The Ärzteversorgung Schleswig-Holstein (professional pension scheme for doctors in Schleswig-Holstein) covers physicians who are compulsory members of the Ärztekammer Schleswig-Holstein (state medical chamber). If you start as an employed doctor in a hospital, practice or other medical facility in the state, you must decide whether to apply for exemption from statutory pension insurance. This guide explains the rules, the deadline that matters and where to find your contribution details.
Short answer: Employed doctors who are compulsory members of the Ärztekammer Schleswig-Holstein can apply for exemption from statutory pension insurance. Their contributions then go to the Ärzteversorgung. The application should reach the scheme within three months of starting work (§ 6 para. 4 SGB VI, as of October 2026). The contribution level follows the scheme’s bylaws.
The most important points
- Membership in the Ärzteversorgung arises from chamber membership, not from your employment contract.
- The exemption under § 6 SGB VI replaces statutory pension contributions with contributions to the professional scheme.
- The three-month deadline determines when the exemption starts.
- The exemption applies to the specific job. If you change jobs, you generally need a new application.
- The chamber contribution of the Ärztekammer is a separate item from the contribution to the Ärzteversorgung. Check them separately.
Who has to pay into the Ärzteversorgung Schleswig-Holstein?
The exemption from statutory pension insurance follows § 6 paragraph 1 sentence 1 number 1 SGB VI. Employees and self-employed people can apply if three conditions are met together. The table explains what they mean for you. The statute is available at gesetze-im-internet.de (in German). For more on your career start and the insurance side, see Health Insurance After Graduation: Job Seeker Visa.
| Condition under § 6 SGB VI | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| For your profession, a statutory duty to join the chamber at your place of work must have existed before 1 January 1995. | The Ärzteversorgung can confirm on request whether this applies to you. |
| The bylaws provide for income-related contributions that are linked to the contribution assessment ceiling. | Your contribution depends on your income from medical work. The bylaws set the ceiling. |
| Contributions fund benefits for reduced earning capacity, old age and surviving dependants, which are provided and adjusted. | The scheme must guarantee these benefits. The bylaws define how they work in detail. |
When does the exemption start?
The deadline is the key date in your career start. If you apply within three months, the exemption takes effect from the point when the conditions are met (§ 6 para. 4 sentence 1 SGB VI). A later application takes effect only from the date it is received. What counts is the date of receipt at the pension scheme (§ 6 para. 2 sentence 5 SGB VI).
| Application | Effect |
|---|---|
| Within three months of the obligation starting | From the point when the conditions are met |
| After three months have passed | From the date the application is received by the Ärzteversorgung |
How do you apply?
You file the application yourself. For an exemption under § 6 paragraph 1 sentence 1 number 1 SGB VI, it must be submitted electronically through the pension scheme. The scheme forwards it to the statutory pension insurance provider, which notifies you in text form (§ 6 para. 2 SGB VI). Follow these steps:
- Note the start date of your employment and count three months from it.
- Submit the electronic application through the Ärzteversorgung Schleswig-Holstein as soon as your contract is signed.
- Tell your employer about the exemption so that contributions are reported correctly.
- Keep the decision notice and show it to your employer if required.
Chamber contribution and pension contribution compared
Early-career doctors often confuse the chamber contribution with the pension contribution. The contribution rules of the Ärztekammer Schleswig-Holstein, as amended by the chamber assembly on 24 November 2021, cover only the chamber contribution. They set a minimum contribution and a flat-rate contribution, which you can look up in the annex of the contribution statute (PDF, in German). Contributions to the Ärzteversorgung follow the scheme’s own bylaws, so you need both documents for your planning.
For your calculation, the Ärzteversorgung publishes its contribution rate and assessment ceiling on its website. Enter them in a table together with your expected income from medical work. If your income is above the ceiling, the bylaws define how the contribution is capped.
Which benefits do you receive?
According to an information portal for employers, professional pension schemes provide old-age, occupational disability and survivors’ benefits. They are funded solely by member contributions and receive no state subsidies (status: 20 June 2022). The same source states that members are generally not worse off than in statutory pension insurance. The exact scope of the Ärzteversorgung Schleswig-Holstein is set out in its bylaws. For health cover during the career start, see Medical student insurance: electives, practical year and cover.
Does the exemption suit your situation?
The exemption fits if you work as a doctor and the Ärzteversorgung is your scheme. It changes if you later move into work that is not medical in character. The pension insurance can then examine whether the work is specific to your profession. A 2019 case shows how this can end: an exemption was refused because the job was not profession-specific, as APOTHEKE ADHOC reported on 15 November 2019 (in German). The person affected was a dentist.
If you are unsure how a job change affects your exemption, you can get personal advice from Academycon.
Frequently asked questions
Am I automatically a member of the Ärzteversorgung when I start work?
If you are a compulsory member of the Ärztekammer, you belong to the scheme. Membership results from the chamber obligation, so you do not apply for it separately. The exemption from statutory pension insurance, however, is a separate application with a deadline.
What happens if the three months pass?
The exemption then takes effect only from the date your application is received. Until then, the duty to pay statutory pension insurance applies. In the 2019 case, the Landessozialgericht (state social court) decided that a late exemption does not apply retroactively, regardless of what the scheme had told the applicant.
Does my exemption continue after a job change?
Not automatically. Under § 6 paragraph 5 sentence 1 SGB VI, the exemption applies only to the specific employment or activity. With a new employer, file a new application within three months.
Who decides on the application?
In principle, the statutory pension insurance provider (§ 6 paragraph 3 sentence 1 SGB VI). The Ärzteversorgung receives the application and forwards it. Against a refusal, the legal remedies of Book X of the Social Code apply accordingly (§ 6 paragraph 3 sentence 4 SGB VI).
Do I pay the chamber contribution and the pension contribution separately?
Yes. These are two separate contributions with their own rules. The chamber contribution funds the work of the Ärztekammer. The pension contribution funds your old-age provision through the Ärzteversorgung.
What you should do now
- Check whether you are a compulsory member of the Ärztekammer Schleswig-Holstein.
- File the electronic exemption application within three months.
- Read the current contribution rules of the Ärzteversorgung and calculate your contribution.
- Agree with your employer how contributions and any subsidy are handled.
Related reading
- Ärzteversorgung Sachsen-Anhalt: Beitrag und Befreiung für Einsteiger
- Health Insurance After Graduation: Job Seeker Visa
- Medical student insurance: electives, practical year and cover
- Private Health Insurance for Working Students in Germany
Sources: § 6 SGB VI, exemption from compulsory insurance (gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved October 2026, in German); Contribution statute of the Ärztekammer Schleswig-Holstein, version of 24 November 2021 (in German); information portal for employers, „Berufsständische Versorgung“ (overview, status 20 June 2022, in German); APOTHEKE ADHOC case report, 15 November 2019 (in German).
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
