Social security

If your annual income exceeds the income threshold for statutory health insurance, you will be notified by the Landesamt für Besoldung und Versorgung (LBV) and by your health insurance provider that, starting on the date stated in the letter, you are voluntarily insured. This means that you can now choose to remain with your statutory health insurance provider or opt for private health insurance instead.

If you do not wish to accept voluntary statutory health insurance cover because you prefer to take out private health insurance, you can declare your intent to do so by filing an objection within one month of receiving your statutory health insurance provider’s notification.
Unfortunately, due to the huge variety of services provided by both private and statutory health insurers, and taking your personal preferences into account, we cannot help you select an appropriate insurance provider. What we can do is tell you that:

• Private health insurance can be extremely advantageous financially especially for male employees who do not expect to claim extensive benefits (female employees, however, may be charged higher contributions from the start due to a range of gender-specific preventative measures)
• Although voluntary statutory health insurers charge higher monthly fees than private ones, you will have access to a broader and well-rounded spectrum of services. Under certain conditions, they also offer health insurance for your family members free of extra charges.

If you are interested in more information about the pros and cons of statutory and private health insurance, we recommend that you visit one of the following websites:

www.Krankenversicherung.net (in German)
www.expatica.com/Germany/Healthcare (in English)
www.howtogermany.com/pages/insurance.html

If you exceed the maximum annual income threshold and, as a consequence, have either voluntary statutory or private health insurance, you are responsible for paying your health and nursing care insurance contributions to your statutory or private health insurance provider yourself. The LBV will no longer automatically deduct the due amount from your salary! You may request that the LBV reimburse the employer's share of your health and nursing care insurance in the form of a subsidy (when paying out your salary).

The LBV will reimburse the maximum rates calculated from the relevant income thresholds, rather than 50% of your health and nursing care insurance contributions. Please note that the LBV will continue to calculate your pension and unemployment insurance contributions, paying them to the relevant social insurance provider on your behalf. Further information about this is available on the SSV pages under “Miscellaneous” / “Social security contribution rates and components”.

For several years, statutory German health insurance providers have charged a so-called “individueller Krankenkassenbeitragssatz” (individual health insurance contribution) in addition to the regular health insurance contributions. As an employee, you must pay this individual contribution yourself, even if you have statutory health insurance. The individual contribution is listed as a “Zusatzbeitrag” (additional contribution) in your health insurance provider’s correspondence. This additional contribution is also payable if you have voluntary statutory health insurance.

You can request a reimbursement of the employer’s share of your health and nursing care insurance from the LBV (https://lbv.landbw.de/) by using one of the forms listed below.

Under “Templates”, you will find the following forms for privately insured (PKV) persons:

• 497.pdf (LBV 497 – 12/17) für den Zuschuss zur Krankenversicherung (health insurance subsidy)
  LBV 497 English Declaration regarding the Contribution to Private Health Insurance according to Section 257 of the Fifth Social Code
  <link https: lbv.landbw.de>499.pdf (LBV 499 – 12/17) für den Zuschuss zur Pflegeversicherung (nursing care insurance subsidy)

• the following forms for persons with statutory health insurance (GKV):
  496.pdf (LBV 496 – 01/10) für den Zuschuss zur Krankenversicherung (health insurance subsidy)
  499a.pdf (LBV 499a – 01/10) für den Zuschuss zur Pflegeversicherung (nursing care insurance subsidy)

Please only complete the relevant form for your type of health insurance. Sign and submit it to the LBV along with a copy of your insurance confirmation and an overview of paid contributions stating the start date of your voluntary insurance. After reviewing your documents, the LBV will see to it that the employer’s share of your health and nursing care insurance is paid out to you with the next possible salary payment.

Please note that, if you receive a subsidy for your voluntary statutory or private health insurance from the LBV, you are required to inform them of every change to your health and nursing care insurance arrangements, for example, if you change providers or your insurance cover scheme.

Please remember to submit a confirmation letter from your private health insurance company to the LBV at the beginning of each year stating the total amount of health and/or nursing care insurance contributions you paid in the previous year. This confirmation will be sent to you by your private health insurance company at the beginning of the calendar year.

Many employment relationships today are based on fixed-term part-time contracts. At the University of Konstanz, this is mainly due to limited project and external funds that make it impossible to award permanent contracts. Both researchers and academic support staff at the University of Konstanz are likely to sign a fixed-term contract when they start working here.

Along with your employment documents, you also received an information sheet that is of particular importance to fixed-term employees:

Hinweisblatt SGB III - German

<link file:285762>Information sheet SGB III - English

You signed this sheet and submitted it to Human Resources along with other staff hire forms. You should have been handed a copy for your files.

If your contract with the University of Konstanz is about to end, you have not been given an extension, signed another employment contract with another employer or are going abroad, then you must observe the following:

You are required to register as a job-seeker at least three months prior to your employment relationship ending. You must register with the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (federal job agency) in person. If you learned about the termination of your contract later than this (i.e. less than three months before your contract ends), you must register with the federal job agency immediately, i.e. three days within learning of the termination of your contract.

Please make sure to remember your registration deadline. Not registering in time will incur a blocking period during which you will not receive unemployment benefits.

Have you registered as a job-seeker already but have been informed that your contract has since been extended? No problem. Simply contact the job agency to let them know so they can update their records.

You are entitled to receive unemployment benefits under the following conditions:

1. You must be unemployed. You are considered unemployed if you work less than 15 hours per week.
2. You must have been subject to compulsory insurance when you were last employed and have paid a sufficient amount of money towards unemployment insurance (a minimum of twelve months out of the past two years. Alternative requirements may apply). The job agency recognizes periods of military service, motherhood and child rearing as well as periods during which you received sick benefits.
3. You must have registered as a job-seeker in person.

For more information, please visit: Unemployment - first steps (in German)

Information sheet for the unemployed (in German)

Is your employment relationship with the University of Konstanz about to end and you have not signed a new employment contract yet? Then we recommend that you register as a job-seeker at least three months before your employment relationship ends.

To do so, simply visit your local branch of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (federal job agency) and register at the information counter. You can also register online.

The Agentur für Arbeit Konstanz-Ravensburg is responsible for the Konstanz area.

You can register online by following this link:

register as a job-seeker

On this page, you will also receive additional information about filing for unemployment.

Please note that you must file for unemployment in person on the first day of your unemployment (to do so, you must have registered as a job-seeker first).

You can file your claim for unemployment benefits online or in person at the Agentur für Arbeit.

The job agency’s calculator can determine how much you are likely to receive in unemployment benefits. Start looking for new options! Your job agency will be happy to help you find a new job. Please contact your local branch for further information.

After you have filed for unemployment, you will be invited to attend one (or several) consultations at the Agentur für Arbeit (federal job agency) to discuss your job search and unemployment benefits. Please take these appointments seriously and make sure that you attend. You will only receive unemployment benefits from the Agentur für Arbeit if you are willing to work and are committed to finding a new job.

If your German isn’t that good or you don't speak German at all, it would be best if you could get a person of trust (family member, friend, colleague) who speaks the language well to accompany you. Some job agency staff members do speak English. But in order to avoid misunderstandings, you should take a translator with you who is able to explain your previous professional experience and current situation.

If neither family members, friends nor colleagues can accompany you to your interview at the job agency, we will be happy to help out, if possible. Please get in touch as early as possible if you need help.