Information on self-employment provision
Since January 1, 2008, it has been possible for independent professional contractors (e.g., physicians, veterinary surgeons, pharmacists, attorneys-at-law, patent attorneys, business trustees, notaries) or agriculture and forestry personnel to opt into a self-employment provision fund and to pay contributions.
You can register with APK Vorsorgekasse AG within 12 months of the start of your activities as an independent professional contractor. Please make sure you do not miss this deadline. After that period you will have no more option to benefit from the advantages offered by a self-employment provision fund. Once you have undertaken to pay contributions, it will not be possible for you to stop or suspend them before termination of your professional activities.
Contributions
Monthly contributions to the self-employment provision fund amount to 1.53% of the contribution base for contributions to your health or retirement pension scheme (with the maximum contribution base constituting the upper limit, dependent on the respective line of business).
Contributions to the self-employment provision fund are collected by the Social Insurance Institution for the Self-employed (SVS), together with the contributions to your retirement pension scheme (with notaries this is done by the Notary Insurance Authority) and forwarded to APK Vorsorgekasse AG for investment and administration.
All relevant data (e.g., amount of contributions) are forwarded to us by the Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions (DVSV).
Once a year, generally during the first quarter, APK Vorsorgekasse AG will send you detailed information, such as a statement of account, on your self-employment provision for the previous calendar year.