The Ärzteversorgung Thüringen (professional pension scheme for doctors in Thuringia) covers physicians who are compulsory members of the Ärztekammer Thüringen (state medical chamber). In the first years of practice, doctors often rotate between wards, hospitals and training posts. For Thuringia, the question is therefore not only whether you qualify for an exemption, but also how each change of post affects it.
Short answer: If you are an employed doctor and a compulsory member of the Ärztekammer Thüringen, you can apply for exemption from statutory pension insurance. You then pay into the Ärzteversorgung. Apply within three months of starting work (§ 6 para. 4 SGB VI, as of October 2026). Contribution levels and benefits are set by the scheme’s bylaws.
The most important points
- The exemption is tied to chamber membership and to your activity, not to where you live.
- The application goes through the Ärzteversorgung. The statutory pension insurance provider makes the decision.
- An exemption applies to the specific job. Each new post may require a new application.
- Time-limited posts within the same professional framework can be covered under certain conditions (§ 6 para. 5 SGB VI).
- Your contribution depends on the bylaws and on your income from medical work.
Who is affected in Thuringia?
The exemption from statutory pension insurance rests on § 6 paragraph 1 sentence 1 number 1 SGB VI. It requires that you are a member of a chamber and of a professional pension scheme by statutory duty, which charges income-related contributions and provides benefits. 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 | What you should check |
|---|---|
| A statutory duty to join the chamber at your place of work, existing for your profession before 1 January 1995 | Ask the Ärzteversorgung Thüringen whether this applies to your profession and place of work. |
| Income-related contributions under the bylaws, subject to the contribution assessment ceiling | Read the contribution rules and note the rate and the ceiling. |
| Benefits for reduced earning capacity, old age and surviving dependants | Check in the bylaws which benefits apply to you and how they are adjusted. |
The deadline and its effect
If you apply within three months of the obligation starting, 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. For deadlines, the date of receipt at the pension scheme is decisive (§ 6 para. 2 sentence 5 SGB VI).
| Timing | Effect |
|---|---|
| Application within three months | From the point when the conditions are met |
| Application after three months | Only from the date the application is received |
Moving between hospitals and wards
During specialist training, you may change post within a short time or take a time-limited ward post at another institution. Under § 6 paragraph 5 SGB VI, the exemption generally applies only to the specific employment or activity. The law makes an exception if the other compulsory activity is time-limited from the outset and the scheme still guarantees entitlements. Check with the Ärzteversorgung before you start whether your post qualifies, because the exception applies only under those conditions.
In practice, enter every change of post in your calendar and decide for each new contract whether a new application is due. The three-month period also starts again from the beginning of each new employment.
How to 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 scheme. The scheme forwards it to the statutory pension insurance provider, which notifies you in text form (§ 6 para. 2 SGB VI).
- Note the start date of each employment and the date three months later.
- Submit the electronic application to the Ärzteversorgung Thüringen as soon as your contract is signed.
- Inform your employer so that contributions are reported correctly.
- Keep every decision notice, including those for earlier posts.
Contribution: what to clarify first
The scheme’s contribution rules set the contribution rate and the assessment basis. We do not give a euro figure here, because it changes with the bylaws. Calculate your contribution this way:
- Download the current contribution rules of the Ärzteversorgung Thüringen and note the version date.
- Enter the contribution rate and the assessment ceiling in a table.
- Enter your expected income from medical work and calculate separately for each post.
- Agree with your employer whether it contributes and how this is handled.
The chamber contribution and the pension contribution are two different items. The chamber contribution funds the Ärztekammer, the pension contribution funds your old-age provision. Mixing them up makes the monthly burden hard to estimate.
Which benefits are provided?
According to an information portal for employers, professional pension schemes provide old-age, occupational disability and survivors’ benefits. They are funded by member contributions and receive no state subsidies (status: 20 June 2022). The same source says members are generally not worse off than in statutory pension insurance. The exact benefits of the Ärzteversorgung Thüringen are set out in its bylaws. For health cover during the career start, see Medical student insurance: electives, practical year and cover.
When does the exemption fit, and when does it not?
The exemption fits if you stay in medical work and the Ärzteversorgung is your scheme. If you later move into non-medical work, the pension insurance can check whether the exemption still applies. A 2019 case shows this: 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.
For a personal check of your post plan, you can contact Academycon.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to register with the Ärzteversorgung Thüringen myself?
Compulsory members of the Ärztekammer belong to the scheme. Membership results from the chamber obligation. The exemption from statutory pension insurance, however, is an explicit application that you must file on time.
What if I do not report a change of post?
The exemption may then be missing for the new employment, and the duty to pay statutory pension insurance applies for that time. Under § 6 paragraph 4 SGB VI, a later exemption takes effect only from the receipt of the application, not retroactively.
Who decides on the exemption?
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.
What about marginal part-time work?
Marginal employment is a special case. Under § 6 paragraph 1b SGB VI, marginally employed people are exempted on application to their employer. Clarify in advance with the Ärzteversorgung Thüringen and your employer whether and how this applies to a medical side job.
Is the chamber contribution part of the pension contribution?
No. The chamber contribution goes to the Ärztekammer, the pension contribution to the scheme. Both have their own rules and deadlines for payment and changes.
What you should do now
- Check your chamber membership with the Ärztekammer Thüringen and note the start of each employment.
- File the electronic exemption application within three months, including for every change of post.
- Read the current contribution rules and calculate your contribution for each post.
- Agree with your employer how contributions and any subsidy are settled.
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
- Rentenversicherung im Studium: Pflicht, Befreiung und Rentenpunkte (in German)
Sources: § 6 SGB VI, exemption from compulsory insurance (gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved October 2026, 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.
