The University of Konstanz’s Tax and Social Security Services (SSV) were established in the context of the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal and State Governments in the autumn of 2008. The fact that such key services are offered at a German university makes us quite unique. With our expertise in social security, the supplementary pension scheme, Kindergeld (child benefit), Elterngeld (parental leave allowance) and taxes, we complement the university’s Human Resources division. The growing internationalisation of academia, including the mobility of researchers, has lead to a growing need for our services. Over the years, the SSV has grown rapidly in popularity among both German and international employees.
Its main task is to liaise with the Landesamt für Besoldung und Versorgung (LBV) as well as the external authorities and social security providers and to provide support to university employees from abroad whose communications and interactions are hampered by the language barrier.
The year the SSV was established, we conducted a total of 173 consultations. In 2013, we recorded 824 consultations. In 2017, almost 1,250 consultations took place.
The SSV staff is composed of two part-time advisors splitting a full-time position. Our mission is to minimise the administrative burden that comes with complex research activities by providing the best possible service and by helping you take care of the formalities.
