responsibility finder
Schleswig-Holstein

Registration of entrepreneurs with the agricultural health insurance fund or long-term care fund and the agricultural pension fund

Source: Zuständigkeitsfinder Schleswig-Holstein (Linie6Plus)

Service Description

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

As a farmer, you must be insured with the Agricultural Health Insurance Fund (LKK) or the Long-Term Care Insurance Fund and the Agricultural Old-Age Insurance Fund (LAK).

Farmers are entrepreneurs in the following sectors:

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

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

The following areas are also included:

  • Inland fishing
  • beekeeping and
  • transhumance

The statutory insurance obligation applies as soon as you operate such a business. The LAK also sets a threshold value for the minimum size. This limit also applies to the agricultural health insurance fund or long-term care insurance fund.

The agricultural health insurance fund or long-term care insurance fund and the old-age insurance fund are automatically informed by the Landwirtschaftliche Berufsgenossenschaft (LBG) whether your company reaches the minimum size. The register (directory) of the LBG lists all agricultural enterprises and their entrepreneurs. It also includes the type and size of the farmed land. If your company exceeds the specified minimum size, the employers' liability insurance association will inform the agricultural health insurance fund and old-age insurance fund.

You do not have to initiate the registration process. You will receive a letter from the funds to clarify the insurance requirements.


Process flow

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

  • The funds will contact you in writing. Information for you and a questionnaire are enclosed with the letter. Alternatively, you can download the questionnaire from the SVLFG website.
  • Complete 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 post.
  • Log in to the service portal with your access data.
  • Fill in the web form and upload the necessary documents via the mailbox function. Once your details have been confirmed, 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 long-term care insurance fund and the agricultural old-age insurance fund with the questionnaire attached or
  • Complete the questionnaire from the letter in full and compile the required supporting documents.
  • Send the completed and signed questionnaire with the required documents by post to the return address provided.

In person during the consultation:

  • Compile the required documents and make an appointment with
    • the agricultural health insurance fund,
    • the agricultural pension fund or
    • an advice center of the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture.
  • You fill out the questionnaire together with a member of staff at the respective office.

Telephone advice:

  • Call the service number of the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture and ask to be put through to the person responsible for you. 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 complete and sign the questionnaire and send it to the health insurance funds before they contact you.

Note: A person you trust can also provide the necessary information for you. To do this, submit a power of attorney to your agricultural health insurance fund or pension fund. As long as the power of attorney is valid, your agricultural health insurance fund or old-age insurance fund will only contact your authorized person.

Requirements

You are legally obliged to insure yourself if you are an agricultural entrepreneur. This means that

  • you carry out your professional activity independently and
  • your business is of or exceeds the minimum size stipulated by the health insurance funds.

You are also insured if you run an agricultural business jointly with several people (heirs, co-entrepreneurs - for example a 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
    • public limited company
    • registered cooperative

operates the agricultural enterprise. The following applies in these cases:

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

For compulsory insurance with the pension fund, it does not matter whether you operate the farm exclusively or whether you also work outside the farm (with the exception of partners with limited liability). Therefore, for example

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

agricultural entrepreneurs if their agricultural enterprise reaches the minimum size.

In such cases, the agricultural health insurance fund or long-term care insurance fund checks which of the funds provides health and long-term care insurance (so-called priority insurance).

Which documents are required?
  • Questionnaire for checking insurance obligation
  • If necessary, further written evidence such as partnership agreements. Please refer to the application form to find out which documents are required in your case.
  • in the case of answers from other persons:
    • Power of attorney or
    • Order of the court
What are the fees?

There are no fees for registration.

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

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

Processing duration

Processing time: 2 Weeks
if all the necessary documents are available

Legal basis
Appeal
  • An objection to the decision on compulsory insurance can be lodged within one month (3 months abroad) of notification.
  • If the appeal is unsuccessful, there is the option of taking legal action before the social court.
Applications / forms

Forms available: Yes

Written form required: Yes

Informal application possible: No

Personal appearance necessary: No

Online services available: Yes

What else should I know?

There are no indications or special features.

Author
Forwarding service: Deep link to the original portal

Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (SVLFG)

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Teaser

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

Process flow

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

  • The funds will contact you in writing. Information for you and a questionnaire are enclosed with the letter. Alternatively, you can download the questionnaire from the SVLFG website.
  • Complete 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 post.
  • Log in to the service portal with your access data.
  • Fill in the web form and upload the necessary documents via the mailbox function. Once your details have been confirmed, 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 long-term care insurance fund and the agricultural old-age insurance fund with the questionnaire attached or
  • Complete the questionnaire from the letter in full and compile the required supporting documents.
  • Send the completed and signed questionnaire with the required documents by post to the return address provided.

In person during the consultation:

  • Compile the required documents and make an appointment with
    • the agricultural health insurance fund,
    • the agricultural pension fund or
    • an advice center of the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture.
  • You fill out the questionnaire together with a member of staff at the respective office.

Telephone advice:

  • Call the service number of the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture and ask to be put through to the person responsible for you. 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 complete and sign the questionnaire and send it to the health insurance funds before they contact you.

Note: A person you trust can also provide the necessary information for you. To do this, submit a power of attorney to your agricultural health insurance fund or pension fund. As long as the power of attorney is valid, your agricultural health insurance fund or old-age insurance fund will only contact your authorized person.

Requirements

You are legally obliged to insure yourself if you are an agricultural entrepreneur. This means that

  • you carry out your professional activity independently and
  • your business is of or exceeds the minimum size stipulated by the health insurance funds.

You are also insured if you run an agricultural business jointly with several people (heirs, co-entrepreneurs - for example a 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
    • public limited company
    • registered cooperative

operates the agricultural enterprise. The following applies in these cases:

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

For compulsory insurance with the pension fund, it does not matter whether you operate the farm exclusively or whether you also work outside the farm (with the exception of partners with limited liability). Therefore, for example

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

agricultural entrepreneurs if their agricultural enterprise reaches the minimum size.

In such cases, the agricultural health insurance fund or long-term care insurance fund checks which of the funds provides health and long-term care insurance (so-called priority insurance).

Which documents are required?

  • Questionnaire for checking insurance obligation
  • If necessary, further written evidence such as partnership agreements. Please refer to the application form to find out which documents are required in your case.
  • in the case of answers from other persons:
    • Power of attorney or
    • Order of the court

What are the fees?

There are no fees for registration.

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

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

Processing duration

Processing time: 2 Weeks
if all the necessary documents are available

Legal basis

Appeal

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

Applications / forms

Forms available: Yes

Written form required: Yes

Informal application possible: No

Personal appearance necessary: No

Online services available: Yes

What else should I know?

There are no indications or special features.

Author

Forwarding service: Deep link to the original portal

Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (SVLFG)

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

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