The Ärzteversorgung Sachsen-Anhalt (professional pension scheme for doctors in Saxony-Anhalt) is the statutory pension fund for physicians who are compulsory members of the Ärztekammer Sachsen-Anhalt (state medical chamber). If you start work as an employed doctor in a hospital, practice or other medical facility, you will soon face two questions: should you apply for exemption from the statutory pension insurance, and what will the contribution mean for you?
Short answer: If you are a compulsory member of the Ärztekammer in Saxony-Anhalt and work as an employee, you can apply for exemption from statutory pension insurance. You then pay into the Ärzteversorgung instead of the statutory pension insurance. Apply within three months of starting work (§ 6 para. 4 SGB VI, as of October 2026). The contribution rate is set by the scheme’s bylaws.
The most important points
- Membership in the Ärzteversorgung follows from membership in the Ärztekammer. Your employment contract alone is not decisive.
- An exemption under § 6 SGB VI replaces your statutory pension contributions with contributions to the professional scheme.
- The three-month deadline decides when the exemption takes effect.
- An exemption applies to the specific job. If you change employer, you generally need a new application.
- Contribution rates and benefits are set out in the scheme’s bylaws, which change over time, so check the current version.
Who has to pay into the Ärzteversorgung Sachsen-Anhalt?
The legal basis for the exemption is § 6 paragraph 1 sentence 1 number 1 of the German Social Code Book VI (SGB VI, statutory pension insurance). Employees and self-employed people can apply if three conditions are met. The table explains what each condition means in practice. The full wording 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 |
|---|---|
| A statutory duty to join the chamber at your place of work must have existed for your profession before 1 January 1995. | The Ärzteversorgung can confirm in your individual case whether this condition is met. You do not need to check it yourself. |
| The bylaws require income-related contributions, taking the contribution assessment ceiling into account. | Your contribution depends on your income from medical work. The bylaws set the upper limit. |
| Contributions fund benefits for reduced earning capacity, old age and surviving dependants, which are provided and adjusted. | The scheme must provide these benefits. The specific benefits are set out in its bylaws. |
When does the exemption take effect?
The deadline is the most important date. Under § 6 paragraph 4 sentence 1 SGB VI, the exemption takes effect from the point when the conditions are met, provided you apply within three months. If you apply later, it takes effect only from the date your application is received. For deadlines, the date of receipt by the pension fund counts (§ 6 para. 2 sentence 5 SGB VI).
| Timing of your application | Effect of the exemption |
|---|---|
| Within three months of the obligation starting | From the point when the conditions are met |
| After three months have passed | Only 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 fund. The Ärzteversorgung forwards it to the statutory pension insurance provider, which notifies you of the decision in text form (§ 6 para. 2 SGB VI). In practice, proceed in this order:
- Note the start date of your employment and count three months from that day.
- Submit the electronic exemption application through the Ärzteversorgung Sachsen-Anhalt as soon as your job is confirmed.
- Inform your employer about the exemption so that contributions are reported correctly and are not paid twice.
- Keep the decision notice and show it to your employer if asked.
What does the scheme cost? How to check your contribution
A fixed euro amount does not belong in a guide, because contribution rates and assessment ceilings change with the bylaws. You can still work out your personal figure with these steps:
- Find the current contribution rules and bylaws of the Ärzteversorgung Sachsen-Anhalt on its website and note the version date.
- Copy the contribution rate and the assessment ceiling into a simple table.
- Enter your expected annual income from medical work. If it is above the ceiling, the bylaws decide how the contribution is capped, so ask the scheme directly.
- Clarify with your employer whether it contributes to the payment and how this appears on your payslip.
The contribution to the Ärzteversorgung is not the same as the chamber membership fee. The Ärztekammer finances its tasks through a separate chamber contribution calculated under different rules. Keep the two items apart.
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 only by member contributions and receive no state subsidies (status: 20 June 2022). The same source says that members are generally not worse off in old-age provision than in the statutory pension insurance. A blanket comparison is still difficult, because it depends on your income, your age and the bylaws. For health cover during the career start, see Medical student insurance: electives, practical year and cover.
When does the exemption make sense, and when does it not?
If you meet the conditions, you can use the exemption. It fits especially well if you work as a doctor and the Ärzteversorgung is your pension scheme. If you later move into work outside medical practice, for example into a company, check again whether the exemption still applies. The pension insurance also considers whether the work is specific to your profession. In a 2019 case, the statutory pension insurance refused an exemption because the job was not profession-specific, as APOTHEKE ADHOC reported on 15 November 2019 (in German). That case concerned a dentist, but it shows the principle.
If you are unsure about your situation, you can get personal advice from Academycon.
Frequently asked questions
Do I become a member of the Ärzteversorgung automatically when I start work?
If you are a compulsory member of the Ärztekammer, you belong to the professional pension scheme for your profession. The obligation follows from chamber membership, not from an active registration by you. The exemption from statutory pension insurance, however, is a separate application that you must file on time.
What happens if I miss the three-month deadline?
The exemption then takes effect only from the date your application is received. Until then, the duty to pay statutory pension insurance continues. In the 2019 dentist case, the Landessozialgericht (state social court) confirmed that a later exemption does not apply retroactively. Incorrect advice from the pension scheme did not bind the statutory pension insurance either.
Does the exemption still apply when I change jobs?
Not automatically. Under § 6 paragraph 5 sentence 1 SGB VI, an exemption applies only to the specific employment or activity. When you change employer, submit a new application within three months.
Who decides on the exemption?
In principle, the statutory pension insurance provider decides (§ 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).
What is the difference between the chamber contribution and the pension contribution?
The chamber contribution funds the work of the Ärztekammer. The pension contribution goes into your old-age provision through the Ärzteversorgung. Both have their own assessment rules and bylaws, which is why they are easy to confuse.
What you should do now
- Check whether you are a compulsory member of the Ärztekammer Sachsen-Anhalt and note the start of your employment.
- Submit the electronic exemption application within three months through the Ärzteversorgung Sachsen-Anhalt.
- Read the current bylaws to classify your contribution and benefits.
- Agree with your employer how contributions and any subsidy are settled.
Related reading
- Health Insurance After Graduation: Job Seeker Visa
- Medical student insurance: electives, practical year and cover
- Private Health Insurance for Working Students in Germany
- Berufseinstieg nach dem Studium (in German)
Sources: § 6 SGB VI, exemption from compulsory insurance (gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved October 2026, in German); Informationsportal für Arbeitgeber, „Berufsständische Versorgung“ (overview, status 20 June 2022, in German), fact sheet; case report by APOTHEKE ADHOC, 15 November 2019, Befreiung vergessen (in German).
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
