Whether you must pay into the statutory pension insurance (gesetzliche Rentenversicherung) during your PhD does not depend on your status as a doctoral candidate, but on how you finance your doctorate. With a position as a research associate or as an assistant, you are usually compulsorily insured. With a scholarship you usually pay no compulsory contributions, provided there is no employment.
This guide sorts out the typical situations, works through an example and shows what to do with a scholarship so that no gap appears in your insurance record.
In short: If you are employed during your PhD (position, assistant job), pension insurance is compulsory, the contribution rate in 2026 is 18.6 percent in total, of which you bear half. With a scholarship there is usually no obligation as long as there is no employment. Voluntary contributions under section 7 SGB VI are possible. Exemptions exist, for example for mini-jobs on request (last updated: November 2026).
Key points
- Position or assistant job: the employer pays the contributions, you bear half of 18.6 percent.
- Scholarship: usually no compulsory contributions, because there is no employment. Voluntary contributions are possible.
- Mini-job: exemption from compulsory insurance on request (section 6(1b) SGB VI). The marginal employment threshold is 603 euros in 2026 and 633 euros in 2027.
- Enrolment does not change compulsory pension insurance during employment.
- With a scholarship, check whether the minimum insurance period (qualifying period) is reached otherwise and whether gaps arise.
Do I have to pay pension contributions as a PhD candidate?
It depends on the funding. Compulsory pension insurance attaches to an insured employment, not to the doctorate itself. So there is no single answer for all doctoral candidates. The table shows the most common situations.
| Funding | Pension insurance | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Position as research associate | compulsory | contributions run automatically via the employer |
| Research assistant with an employment contract | compulsory | also when enrolled and part-time |
| Mini-job as assistant | compulsory, exemption on request | exemption under section 6(1b) SGB VI |
| PhD scholarship | usually not compulsory | voluntary contributions under section 7 SGB VI possible |
| Self-employed teaching assignment | compulsory in individual cases | teaching can make you insured under section 2 SGB VI |
| Own funds, career break | not compulsory | gap in the insurance record |
What applies with a position or as an assistant?
If you are employed as a research associate or assistant, you are usually compulsorily insured. Your employer registers you and pays the contributions. The contribution rate in 2026 is 18.6 percent according to the contribution rate notice. You and your employer each bear half, that is 9.3 percent.
Example with assumptions: you have a part-time position with monthly gross pay of 2,500 euros. Your share is 9.3 percent, which is 232.50 euros a month. Your employer pays the same amount. In total, 465 euros a month go into your pension account. The calculation shows only the pension contribution, not taxes or other social contributions. For a full net example, use the contribution calculator of the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF).
Enrolment as a doctoral student does not change compulsory pension insurance during employment. Students in an employment relationship in principle pay pension contributions. The working student privilege concerns other branches of social insurance and leaves pension insurance untouched. That is described in the guide Werkstudent: 20-Stunden-Regel, Rentenversicherung und Semesterferien (in German) and, for students, in Student Job 20-Hour Rule, Pension and Semester Breaks.
What applies with a PhD scholarship?
A scholarship is generally not employment and includes no wages. Therefore pension insurance is usually not compulsory, and no compulsory contributions are paid. What counts is how the scholarship is actually structured, and in case of doubt the German Pension Insurance clarifies the classification. Under section 7 SGB VI, people who are not compulsorily insured may insure themselves voluntarily from the age of 16. They can make sense to reach the minimum insurance period and to preserve acquired entitlements. For many types of pension a minimum insurance period (qualifying period) is required, whose length and countable periods follow sections 50 ff. SGB VI. Which periods count is explained in Rentenwartezeit von 5 Jahren (in German).
A special case concerns scholarships subject to instructions: if a scholarship is in practice handled like an employment relationship, a status determination can be requested from the German Pension Insurance Federation (Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund). There it is clarified whether employment exists. On tax and other branches of social insurance see Stipendium: Steuern und Sozialversicherung (in German). How doctoral candidates are health insured is described in Health Insurance for PhD Students in Germany.
Who is exempt from compulsory insurance?
The law provides exemptions that may concern you. Under section 6(1b) SGB VI, marginally employed persons are exempt from compulsory insurance on request. You submit the request in writing or electronically to your employer. With several marginal jobs, the request is only possible jointly and is binding. The threshold is 603 euros a month in 2026 and rises to 633 euros in 2027. Under section 6(1) no. 1 SGB VI, an exemption is also possible for compulsory members of professional pension schemes, for example licensed physicians who pay into a Versorgungswerk. The German Pension Insurance checks whether these conditions are met.
An exemption takes effect from the point the conditions are met if you apply within three months, otherwise only from receipt of the application. Think carefully about an exemption, because it means no pension entitlements arise from that activity.
What about teaching assignments and self-employment?
Doctoral candidates who also work self-employed are not automatically exempt. Under section 2 SGB VI, teachers and educators, among others, are compulsorily insured if they do not regularly employ an insured employee. The concept of teaching is understood broadly. If you take on a self-employed teaching assignment at a university, you should clarify with the German Pension Insurance whether compulsory insurance applies.
How do you avoid gaps in your insurance record?
A PhD funded by a scholarship can mean several years without compulsory contributions. Consider whether you want to pay voluntary contributions, and review your insurance account after the PhD. A phase without contributions is not a mistake, but it affects your pension entitlement. For the time before, during your studies, separate rules apply, described in Pension Insurance for Students in Germany: Rules. For the time afterwards, see Altersvorsorge 2027 (in German) and how you can fund your PhD.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay into pension insurance as a doctoral candidate?
With a position or as an assistant, yes, usually automatically through the employer. With a scholarship there is usually no obligation, but voluntary contributions are possible.
How high is the pension contribution in 2026?
The contribution rate to the statutory pension insurance is 18.6 percent in total in 2026. As an employee you bear half, 9.3 percent, and the employer pays the rest.
Do scholarship holders pay pension contributions?
Usually not as compulsory contributions, because there is no employment relationship. Voluntary contributions under section 7 SGB VI are possible and can make sense to meet qualifying periods and preserve entitlements.
Can I be exempted from pension insurance as an assistant?
With a mini-job, yes, on request to the employer (section 6(1b) SGB VI). With employment subject to social insurance contributions it is not possible, except for the statutory exemptions, for example for members of professional pension schemes.
What happens if the PhD runs for several years without contributions?
A gap arises in the insurance record that affects the later pension. You can pay voluntary contributions and check your pension statement to put the status in context.
What to do next
- Clarify how you fund your PhD: position, assistant job, scholarship or own funds.
- If employed, check on your payslip that the pension contribution is paid.
- With a scholarship, decide whether voluntary contributions make sense and get advice from the German Pension Insurance.
- Request a pension statement after the PhD and check for gaps. If you would like a personal assessment, you can get advice from Academycon (in German).
Related guides
- Pension Insurance for Students in Germany: Rules
- Stipendium steuerpflichtig? Steuern und Sozialversicherung im Überblick (in German)
- Health Insurance for PhD Students in Germany
- PhD Funding: Position, Scholarship or Own Savings
- Welche Zeiten zählen für die Rentenwartezeit von 5 Jahren?
Sources: Section 6 SGB VI, exemption from compulsory insurance, gesetze-im-internet.de (in German); Section 7 SGB VI, voluntary insurance, gesetze-im-internet.de (in German, retrieved 2 November 2026); Section 2 SGB VI, self-employed persons, gesetze-im-internet.de (in German); Contribution rate notice 2026, gesetze-im-internet.de (in German); GEW guide on insurance for doctoral candidates, April 2012, for general principles only (in German).
Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
