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Agricultural health insurance, long-term care insurance and old-age insurance; registration of agricultural enterprises

Has your agricultural business exceeded the minimum size for compulsory insurance with the agricultural health insurance fund or nursing care insurance fund and old-age insurance fund? Then these funds will approach you to clarify the further requirements for insurance.

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Sozialversicherung für Landwirtschaft, Forsten und Gartenbau

Street address

Weißensteinstraße 70 - 72
34131 Kassel

Postal address

Weißensteinstraße 70 - 72

34131 Kassel

Website

www.svlfg.de

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Procedure details

As a farmer, you must insure yourself with the Agricultural Health Insurance Fund (LKK) or the Nursing Care Insurance Fund and the Agricultural Old Age Insurance Fund (LAK).

Farmers are entrepreneurs in the fields of:

  • Agriculture and forestry
  • Gardening and viticulture
  • Fish farming and
  • pond farming

The enterprises must be based on land cultivation and reach a set minimum size.

In addition, the following sectors are included:

  • Inland fishing
  • beekeeping and
  • transhumance

The legal obligation to insure occurs as soon as you operate such an enterprise. The LAK also sets a limit for the minimum size. This limit also applies to the agricultural health insurance fund or the nursing care insurance fund.

The Agricultural Health Insurance Fund or Nursing Care Insurance Fund, as well as the Old Age Insurance Fund, are automatically informed by the Agricultural Employer's Liability Insurance Association (LBG) whether your company meets the minimum size. The cadastre (directory) of the LBG lists all agricultural enterprises and their entrepreneurs. It also includes the type and size of the farmed areas. If your business exceeds the specified minimum size, the LBG will notify the Agricultural Health Insurance Fund and Old Age Insurance Fund.

You do not have to initiate the registration. To clarify the conditions of insurance, you will receive a letter from the funds.

You are required by law to be insured if you are an agricultural entrepreneur. This means,

  • you carry out your professional activity independently and
  • Your business has or exceeds the minimum size set by the insurance funds.

The insurance also exists if you run an agricultural business jointly with several persons (heirs, co-entrepreneurs - for example, civil law partnership).

There are further provisions if

  • a commercial partnership, for example:
    • general partnership
    • limited partnership
  • a legal entity, for example:
    • limited liability company
    • joint-stock company
    • registered cooperative

operates the agricultural enterprise. In these cases, the following applies:

  • The partner with unlimited liability of a commercial partnership is a farmer,
  • the limited partners of commercial partnerships and members of legal entities are farmers only if.
    • they work full-time in the business and
    • are not insured in the German pension insurance because of this activity.

For the compulsory insurance with the old-age pension fund, it does not matter whether you operate agriculture exclusively or whether you additionally work outside agriculture (exception are partners with limited liability). Therefore, for example

  • Employees,
  • civil servants and
  • self-employed persons and freelancers

agricultural entrepreneurs if their agricultural enterprise reaches the minimum size.

In such cases, the agricultural health insurance fund or nursing care insurance fund checks which of the funds will provide health and nursing care insurance (so-called priority insurance).

  • Required Documents
    • Questionnaire for verification of compulsory insurance
    • if necessary, further written evidence such as shareholder agreements. You can find out which documents are required in your case on the application form.
    • in case of reply by other persons:
      • Power of attorney or
      • Order of the court

The agricultural health insurance fund, nursing care insurance fund and old-age insurance fund will check the requirements for compulsory insurance on their own initiative.

  • The insurance companies will contact you in writing. The letter includes information for you and a questionnaire. Alternatively, you can download the questionnaire from the SVLFG website.
  • Fill out the questionnaire.
  • Submit the questionnaire online, in writing, or in person.

Online via the SVLFG service portal:

  • If necessary, register on the service portal of the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture. When you register, you will receive your personal access data by mail.
  • Log in to the service portal with your access data.
  • Fill out the web form and upload the necessary evidence via the mailbox function. After confirming your details, your data will be transmitted online to the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture.

In writing:

  • You will receive a letter from the Agricultural Health Insurance Fund or Nursing Care Insurance Fund and the Agricultural Old Age Insurance Fund, respectively, to which the questionnaire is attached, or
  • Fill out the questionnaire from the letter completely and compile the required evidence.
  • Send the completed and signed questionnaire with the required documents by mail to the return address provided.

In person at the counseling interview:

  • Compile the required documents and make an appointment with
    • the Agricultural Health Insurance Fund,
    • the Agricultural Old Age Insurance Fund or
    • an advisory office of the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture.
  • At the respective office, you will fill out the questionnaire together with a staff member.

Telephone consultation:

  • Call the service number of the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture and ask to be connected to the person in charge of your case. They will answer your questions and send you the questionnaire.

At the end of the procedure, you will receive a notice of compulsory insurance.

Do you assume that you are subject to compulsory insurance? Then you can fill in and sign the questionnaire and send it to the insurance companies before they contact you.

Note: The required information can also be provided by a person you trust. To do this, submit a corresponding power of attorney to your agricultural health insurance fund or old-age insurance fund. As long as the power of attorney is valid, your Landwirtschaftliche Krankenkasse or Alterskasse will only contact your authorized person.

There are no fees for registration.

There are no deadlines. The insurance obligation arises when all requirements are met.

on presentation of all the necessary documents (2 Wochen)

There are no clues or specifics.

  • An appeal against the decision on compulsory insurance can be lodged within one month (3 months abroad) of its notification.
  • If the objection is unsuccessful, there is the possibility of an action before the social court.

Status: 11.02.2024
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales
Source: Federal Portal