Tradespeople who are entered in the register of tradespeople are subject to pension insurance.

You are entered in the Register of Craftsmen if you

• are self-employed and
• exercise a craft requiring a license in Annex A of the Crafts Code as a standing trade, i.e. not as a market or itinerant trade.

The Register of Craftsmen is a directory kept by the Chamber of Crafts. It lists the owners of businesses in their district that require a license as well as their trade.

Entry in the register of skilled trades requires, among other things, a certain certificate of competence. This can be a master craftsman's examination, for example.

In principle, you can only be subject to compulsory insurance in the statutory pension insurance scheme if you

• have the certificate of qualification or
• personally fulfill the requirements for entry in the register of craftsmen.

The competent Chamber of Skilled Crafts will check and decide whether you meet the requirements for entry in the Register of Skilled Crafts. The pension insurance fund is bound by the decision of the Chamber of Skilled Crafts.

The Chamber of Skilled Crafts will immediately notify the pension insurance company of any entries, changes and deletions in the register of skilled craftsmen that are relevant for checking the insurance obligation.

Only in exceptional cases are you obliged to report directly to the pension insurance provider: This is the case if you

• as the owner of a business, you only fulfill the requirements for entry in the register of skilled craftsmen at a later date or
• continue a craft business as your main business that was previously run as a secondary business within the meaning of the Crafts Code.

Upon receipt of a corresponding notification, the pension insurance checks whether there is an obligation to pay insurance and contributions.

If you are marginally self-employed, you are exempt from statutory pension insurance. If your income from self-employment regularly exceeds the marginal earnings threshold, you can choose between these options:

• half the standard contribution:
  The contribution assessment basis is half the reference value. This is the average earnings of all insured persons. The payment is limited in time.
• Standard contribution:
  The contribution assessment basis is the reference value.
• Income-related contribution:
  The contribution assessment basis is the last income tax assessment notice containing income from self-employment.

If you do not make an election, you must pay half the standard contribution in the first 3 calendar years after the year in which you became self-employed. After that, you must pay the standard contribution.

By paying compulsory contributions, you benefit from the full package of benefits provided by statutory pension insurance.

The insurance ends when you are deleted from the Register of Craftsmen. It also ends at your request if you have completed a certain minimum period of insurance in the statutory pension insurance scheme.

Exemption from compulsory pension insurance is possible if

• you are subject to compulsory insurance as a tradesperson in a craft business,
• you have paid compulsory contributions for at least 216 months and you submit an application.

Please note
If you practise a craft that does not require a license or a trade similar to a craft in accordance with Annex B of the Crafts Code, there is no pension insurance obligation for tradespeople in craft businesses. However, the pension insurance obligation may arise due to other regulations, for example as a self-employed person with clients.