What is the Pharmacists' Pension Fund of Berlin?

Anybody who is a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Berlin or Brandenburg State and is under 67 years of age at commencement of membership and not unfit for work within the meaning of the Articles of Incorporation of the Pharmacists' Pension Fund of Berlin is a mandatory member of the Pharmacists' Pension Fund of Berlin. The obligation to participate is binding by act of law.

Employed pharmacists are subject to participation in the Pharmacists' Pension Fund of Berlin irrespective of the obligation to be insured in the statutory retirement pension plan. Membership in the Pharmacists' Pension Fund of Berlin entitles you to be granted exemption from the statutory retirement pension plan according to § 6 Para. 1 No. 1 SGB [German Social Code] VI. Exemption becomes effective from the start of your employment if the application is submitted within three months of taking up your employment. For each change of employment, a new application for exemption needs to be made.

The group of people to whom mandatory insurance applies also includes the self-employed in the pharmaceutical field working in their own pharmacy and those who work on a fee basis.

Employed pharmacists who are exempted from the statutory retirement pension plan due to participation in the Pharmacists' Pension Fund of Berlin pay pension contributions in the amount of the statutory retirement pension contributions. The employer is legally obliged to pay half of the contribution amount to the pension scheme.

Employed pharmacists who are not exempted from the statutory retirement pension plan have to pay – in addition to the statutory retirement pension contributions – pension contributions to the Pharmacists' Pension Fund of Berlin to the amount of 2/10 of the maximum contribution rate of the statutory retirement pension. To avoid this double burden, we recommend that you apply without delay for exemption from the statutory retirement pension plan via the Pharmacists' Pension Fund of Berlin.

Self-employed pharmacists  are also obliged to pay pension contributions. In principle, the highest compulsory contribution (= 1.0-fold of the general pension contribution) has to be paid, corresponding to the maximum contribution of the statutory retirement pension. Upon application and proof of income, a partial waiver of contributions may be granted. If you are granted a partial waiver of contributions, your pension contribution will amount to 18.6% of all revenues of the respective year from your activity in the pharmaceutical field (for the purposes of the income tax law).  

To increase your pension entitlements, you can, if you wish, pay more than the 1.0-fold general pension contribution, for example, 1.1-, 1.3-, 1.5-, or 1.8-fold of the general pension contribution. Higher payments are also recommended for tax benefit reasons (pension contributions can be deducted as special expenses).

It commences after reaching 67 years of age. The start of the pension can also be brought forward by up to 60 months, with fixed monthly deductions. This earlier commencing old-age pension can also be used as partial pension of 30%, 50%, or 70%. Moreover, the old-age pension can also be deferred upon written application by a maximum of 36 months beyond the regular start of old-age pension. For each month of deferred pension, the pension increases by a cumulative supplement.

The widow’s or widower’s pension amounts to 51% of the notional old-age pension entitlement existing at the time of death or 60% of the old-age pension received by the deceased member. The orphan’s allowance amounts to 25.5% of the notional old-age entitlement existing at the time of death. If the deceased was already in receipt of the old-age pension at the time of death, then the orphan’s allowance amounts to 30% of that pension. The half-orphan’s allowance amounts to 12.75% of the notional old-age entitlement existing at the time of death. If the deceased was already in receipt of old-age pension at the time of death, then the half-orphan’s allowance amounts to 15% of that pension.

Pension for occupational invalidity is granted upon the occurrence of a qualifying event, provided that at least 1 contribution had been made before that point in time. Contribution periods previously completed with a different professional pension insurance carrier in Germany will also be taken into account. 

Upon application, financial assistance for medical rehabilitation measures can be granted if curative treatment or follow-up treatment following major surgery is urgently required to prevent occupational invalidity.

A key benefit of the Pharmacists' Pension Fund of Berlin versus the statutory retirement pension plan is, amongst other things, that you gain protection against occupational invalidity after only one single contribution payment. However, the requirements for admission to the occupational invalidity pension are met only if the pharmaceutical profession can no longer be practised completely. There is no protection against occupational invalidity for the most recent role or position held as a pharmacist, meaning that the protection is intended to apply when any professional activity within the entire spectrum of activities of pharmacists is made impossible on medical and/or invalidity grounds. There is no reference to activities outside the profession. If this protection is not enough for you, then you should consider taking out a private pension for occupational invalidity.

The membership obligation ends upon appointment as a civil servant or soldier; upon transfer of professional activity to another association; or, upon leaving the Pharmaceutical Society of Berlin or Brandenburg State.

Once you register as a member with the Pharmaceutical Society of Berlin or Brandenburg State, the Pharmacists' Pension Fund of Berlin will receive a notification. To register with the pension fund, please contact us directly to request the necessary documents for membership from the Pharmaceutical Society of Berlin.