Membership basics

Insured under the Artists’ Social Insurance Fund as an artist

Membership basics

Artists’ Social Insurance Fund members are entitled to all benefits of health care and nursing care insurance companies, such as

  • Insuring children and spouses with no own income
  • Sick pay as of the 7th week of inability to work
  • Maternity pay and care allowances

Members also accumulate pension claims from the German Pension Insurance [Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV)]. 

Persons with statutory health insurance require proof of insurance from their insurance company to join the Artists’ Social Insurance Fund. The Artists’ Social Insurance Fund will collect the share of the member’s contribution, add its share and pay the total to the insurance company.
Persons with private health insurance may have the Artists’ Social Insurance Fund pay the share of their contributions directly to them, but must transfer them to their private health insurance company.

Overview of income and expenses of the Artists' Social Insurance Fund. Income: federal subsidies, contributions of distributors, contributions of members. Expenses: health insurance, care insurance, pension insurance.
© Graphic: Panatom

Contributions

Like for employees, contributions are split: 50% of contributions are paid by the self-employed artists themselves, the other half is paid by the Artists’ Social Insurance Fund.

Contributions are determined by the member’s estimated income, not the profit on the member’s tax returns. Members must report their estimated annual income from self-employed artistic work when joining the Artists’ Social Insurance Fund and every year thereafter.
Unlike for other self-employed persons with statutory health insurance, tax returns are not checked by the Artists’ Social Insurance Fund.

Example
Projected annual income from self-employed artistic work EUR 12,000
Monthly health insurance, nursing care insurance, pension insurance social security contributions EUR 370
Monthly contributions of the member EUR 185