Exemption from German pension insurance for single-client self-employed — form V0050

Anyone who works with no employee subject to insurance, permanently and essentially for only ONE client, is compulsorily insured in the German statutory pension scheme by law (§ 2 sentence 1 no. 9 SGB VI) — but can apply for exemption with form V0050 in exactly two cases: for three years after FIRST taking up such an activity (business founders), or after reaching age 58 if, following an earlier self-employed activity, they become insured in this way for the first time (§ 6(1a) sentence 1 SGB VI). Exemption is only granted on application (§ 6(2) sentence 1 SGB VI). The deadline is what matters: applied for within THREE MONTHS, it takes effect from when the conditions are met — later, only from receipt of the application (§ 6(4) sentence 1 SGB VI), and contributions remain due for the period in between.

Up to date for 2025 — verified on September 23, 2026Official formGuide: about 35 min

This content is part of the path: Social security cover as a self-employed person· Step 6 of 7· Next step: Opting into German statutory pension insurance as a self-employed person

Deadlines

Exemption application: within three months, so it takes effect from the start: § 6(4) sentence 1 SGB VI — otherwise the exemption only takes effect from receipt of the application
Reporting the insurance obligation: within three months of starting the activity: § 190a(1) sentence 1 SGB VI — a separate duty of group no. 9, alongside the exemption application
Founder exemption: ends three years after first taking up the activity: § 6(1a) sentence 1 no. 1 SGB VI — the exemption under no. 2 (from 58) states no such period
Afterwards: half contribution base until the end of three calendar years after the starting year: § 165(1) sentence 2 SGB VI — this runs in calendar years, the exemption in years from the start date; months at the half base may lie in between

Documents to prepare

Pension insurance number (Rentenversicherungsnummer)
Date you started the self-employed activity and trade registration or equivalent proof
Contracts with the client (framework, project, service or work contract)
Short description of the activity and how you act as an entrepreneur (capital invested, costing, pricing, advertising, turning down work)
Details of any employees and apprentices
For a company or partnership: the partnership or articles agreement
Decisions on any start-up grant (Gründungszuschuss) or bridging allowance received, and any earlier status decision
For the exemption from age 58: evidence of the earlier self-employed activity

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Type of application, insurance number and reference

Application for exemption(optional)

Pension insurance number (Versicherungsnummer)(optional)

Reference (Kennzeichen), if known(optional)

1 Personal details

Surname(optional)

First name(optional)

Name suffix (e.g. Freifrau, Graf)(optional)

Name prefix (e.g. von, van, de)(optional)

Title (e.g. Prof. Dr. med.)(optional)

Birth name(optional)

Previous names(optional)

Name suffix of birth name(optional)

Name prefix of birth name(optional)

Date of birth (DD.MM.YYYY)(optional)

DD.MM.YYYY

Sex(optional)

Nationality (and former nationality with end date, if any)(optional)

Place of birth(optional)

Country of birth(optional)

Street and house number(optional)

Address supplement(optional)

Postcode(optional)

5 digits

Town(optional)

Telephone(optional)

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

Fax(optional)

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

2.1 Self-employed activity

2.1 Type of activity (enclose documents, e.g. trade registration)(optional)

2.1 Self-employed in Germany since (DD.MM.YYYY)(optional)

DD.MM.YYYY

2.1.1 Business address or place of activity(optional)

2.1.1 Telephone, fax (optional)(optional)

2.1.2 Short description of the activity — line 1(optional)

2.1.2 Description — line 2(optional)

2.1.2 Description — line 3(optional)

2.1.3 Are/were you entered in the Handwerksrolle for this activity and do/did you personally meet the entry requirements?(optional)

2.1.3 If yes: from – to(optional)

2.1.3 If yes: chamber of crafts(optional)

2.1.4 Besides your activity in Germany, are you self-employed or employed in another EU/EEA state or Switzerland?(optional)

2.2 Marginal self-employed activity

2.2.1 Activity started on or after 1.1.2026: does your estimated monthly earned income regularly exceed the marginal-employment threshold?(optional)

2.2.2 Activity started before 1.1.2026 — period 1 (from – to)(optional)

2.2.2 Period 1: applicable marginal-employment threshold(optional)

2.2.2 Period 2 (from – to)(optional)

2.2.2 Period 2: applicable marginal-employment threshold(optional)

2.2.2 Period 3 (from – to)(optional)

2.2.2 Period 3: applicable marginal-employment threshold(optional)

2.3 to 2.6 Employees, clients, company, pension provision

2.3 Do you regularly employ at least one employee / apprentice?(optional)

2.4 Which client(s) do you work for? (enclose contracts) — line 1(optional)

2.4 Clients — line 2(optional)

2.4.1 If several clients: are they group or affiliated companies?(optional)

2.4.2 If several unaffiliated clients: do you permanently receive at least 5/6 of your business income from one of them?(optional)

2.5 Is your business run as a company or partnership?(optional)

2.5 If yes: name of the company(optional)

2.5 If yes: legal form (enclose partnership/articles agreement)(optional)

2.5 For shared offices or practices: number of partners(optional)

1 to 3 digits

2.6 Do you receive a pension (civil-service, church or professional scheme) because you reached the age limit?(optional)

2.6 If yes: since when? (DD.MM.YYYY)(optional)

DD.MM.YYYY

2.6 If yes: from which institution?(optional)

3 Further details of the activity

3.1 Has it already been established (health fund, pension insurer, artists' social fund) that you are not in dependent employment?(optional)

3.2 Do/did you receive a bridging allowance or start-up grant for this activity?(optional)

3.3 Did you previously work as an employee for your client / one of your clients?(optional)

3.4 Do you work at your client's premises?(optional)

3.5 Do you have to keep regular working and attendance hours?(optional)

3.5 If yes: number of hours(optional)

Up to 2 decimals, separated by a comma

3.5 If yes: hours per(optional)

3.6 Are you given instructions on how to carry out your work?(optional)

3.7 Can your client change your area of work without your consent?(optional)

3.8 Does taking on substitutes or assistants depend on your client's consent?(optional)

3.9 How you act as an entrepreneur (capital, costing, pricing, advertising, turning down work) — line 1(optional)

3.9 Entrepreneurial conduct — line 2(optional)

3.9 Entrepreneurial conduct — line 3(optional)

3.9 Entrepreneurial conduct — line 4(optional)

4 Exemption for business founders

4.1 Did you previously take up self-employed activities essentially for one client with no employee subject to insurance?(optional)

4.1 If yes: date(s) started(optional)

4.1 If yes: type of activity/activities(optional)

4.2 Should the exemption end before three years after the start?(optional)

4.2 If yes: end of exemption (DD.MM.YYYY)(optional)

DD.MM.YYYY

5 Accessible documents, 6 Declaration and 7 Attachments

5 Documents also in an accessible format (only in case of disability)(optional)

6 Place, date(optional)

7 Attachment: contracts with the client

7 Attachment: other documents

7 Other documents — which?(optional)

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Who this applies to

Self-employed people who regularly employ no employee subject to insurance in connection with their activity AND work permanently and essentially for only one client (§ 2 sentence 1 no. 9 SGB VI) — only this group can apply (§ 6(1a) sentence 1 SGB VI)
Founders taking up such an activity for the FIRST time: exemption for three years (§ 6(1a) sentence 1 no. 1 SGB VI) — likewise when taking up a SECOND activity of this kind (sentence 2)
Anyone who, after reaching age 58 and following an earlier self-employed activity, becomes insured under no. 9 for the first time (§ 6(1a) sentence 1 no. 2 SGB VI)
Partners: the company's clients count as their clients, and the company's employees count as their employees (§ 2 sentence 1 no. 9 and sentence 2 no. 3 SGB VI)
NOT anyone working for several clients or employing an employee subject to insurance — then there is no obligation under no. 9 in the first place, and nothing to be exempted from. Apprentices count as employees here; marginal (mini-job) employees do not (§ 2 sentence 2 nos. 1 and 2 SGB VI)
NOT teachers, educators, carers, midwives or tradespeople: the exemption under § 6(1a) SGB VI only applies to group no. 9
NOT anyone who merely renames their existing business or does not substantially change its purpose — that is not a new start (§ 6(1a) sentence 3 SGB VI)
NOT the right route if you in fact work like an employee: that is a question of employment status, not of exemption

Worked example

Nina Albers goes freelance as a database developer with one main client

Nina was previously employed and works freelance from 1 March 2026, with no staff of her own and essentially for only one software company. That makes her compulsorily insured by law under § 2 sentence 1 no. 9 SGB VI. As it is her first activity of this kind, she can be exempted for three years (§ 6(1a) sentence 1 no. 1 SGB VI). She reports and files form V0050 on 20 April 2026, within three months: the exemption therefore takes effect from when the conditions were met, from 1 March 2026 (§ 6(4) sentence 1 SGB VI). Had she waited until July, she would only have been exempt from receipt of the application, and contributions for the months before would have remained due. The exemption ends three years after she started, at the end of February 2029. If Nina is still working essentially for that one client, she becomes compulsorily insured from March 2029 — and because § 165(1) sentence 2 SGB VI counts until the end of three calendar years after the starting year, i.e. until the end of 2029, earned income equal to 50 per cent of the reference amount (Bezugsgröße) applies for March to December 2029, or the full reference amount on her application. From 2030 the base is the reference amount or her proven earned income (sentence 1 no. 1). The exemption only covers this activity (§ 6(5) sentence 1 SGB VI).

How to fill it in, step by step

Check whether you are insured under § 2 sentence 1 no. 9 SGB VI at all: no employee subject to insurance (apprentices count, mini-jobbers do not) and permanently essentially one client.
Identify your ground for exemption: first (or second) start of such an activity, or reaching age 58 after an earlier self-employed activity (§ 6(1a) sentences 1 and 2 SGB VI).
Check that this is a genuine new start and not a business that has merely been renamed or whose purpose has barely changed (§ 6(1a) sentence 3 SGB VI).
Open application form V0050 at the Deutsche Rentenversicherung — online via eAntrag or as a PDF; according to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, your pension insurance number is all you need to start the online form.
Enclose your contracts with the client and describe your activity and how you act as an entrepreneur, so the insurance institution can decide (§ 6(3) sentence 1 SGB VI).
File the application within three months so that the exemption takes effect from the start (§ 6(4) sentence 1 SGB VI), and report within the same period (§ 190a(1) sentence 1 SGB VI).
Note when the exemption ends (three years after you started) and then check whether the conditions of no. 9 still apply — with a half contribution base until the end of the third calendar year after the starting year (§ 165(1) sentence 2 SGB VI).

Good to know

Exemption presupposes an existing insurance obligation: anyone with several clients or an employee subject to insurance is not insured under no. 9 at all.
The exemption is limited to the self-employed activity concerned (§ 6(5) sentence 1 SGB VI) — it does not extend to another activity subject to insurance.
The pension insurance institution decides on the exemption (§ 6(3) sentence 1 SGB VI); the insured person's application is a precondition (§ 6(2) sentence 1 SGB VI).
The founder exemption applies correspondingly when taking up a SECOND activity of this kind (§ 6(1a) sentence 2 SGB VI) — the wording mentions no third.
The exemption from 58 requires an EARLIER self-employed activity (§ 6(1a) sentence 1 no. 2 SGB VI). Anyone who becomes insured under no. 9 for the first time straight from employment relies on the founder exemption under no. 1, which has no age condition.
According to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, compulsorily insured people must report within three months of starting; missing the deadline risks back-payment of contributions and, in some cases, fines.
For its duration, the exemption means no protection built on compulsory contributions. According to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, a reduced earning capacity pension generally requires three years of compulsory contributions in the five years before the loss of earning capacity — a long exemption can cost that protection.

Common mistakes

Applying after more than three months and expecting exemption from day one. It then only takes effect from receipt of the application (§ 6(4) sentence 1 SGB VI).
Applying for exemption despite having several clients. Then there is no insurance obligation under § 2 sentence 1 no. 9 SGB VI in the first place.
Assuming the founder exemption as a teacher, carer or tradesperson. § 6(1a) SGB VI only applies to group no. 9.
Presenting a change of company name as a new start. A business merely renamed or whose purpose has not substantially changed is not a new start (§ 6(1a) sentence 3 SGB VI).
Hiring a mini-jobber to escape no. 9. Marginal employees do not count as employees for this provision (§ 2 sentence 2 no. 2 SGB VI).
Forgetting to report because you want to be exempted anyway. § 190a(1) sentence 1 SGB VI requires group no. 9 to report within three months.
Confusing the end of the exemption with the end of the half contribution base. The exemption counts three years from the start, the half base three calendar years after the starting year (§ 165(1) sentence 2 SGB VI).

Frequently asked questions

I work almost entirely for one client. Do I have to pay pension contributions?

If you also regularly employ no employee subject to insurance, you are compulsorily insured by law under § 2 sentence 1 no. 9 SGB VI. As a founder, you can be exempted for three years after first taking up the activity (§ 6(1a) sentence 1 no. 1 SGB VI).

From when does the exemption apply?

From when the conditions for exemption are met, if you apply within three months; otherwise from receipt of the application (§ 6(4) sentence 1 SGB VI).

What happens after the three years?

The founder exemption ends. If you still work with no employee subject to insurance, essentially for one client, you are compulsorily insured — until the end of three calendar years after the starting year on a base of 50 per cent of the reference amount, or the full amount on application (§ 165(1) sentence 2 SGB VI).

I am 60 and have always been employed. Does the exemption from 58 apply to me?

No: § 6(1a) sentence 1 no. 2 SGB VI requires an earlier self-employed activity. If this is your first activity under no. 9, however, the three-year founder exemption under no. 1, which has no age condition, may apply.

I am starting a business for the second time. Do I get another three years?

Yes, § 6(1a) sentence 2 SGB VI applies the founder exemption correspondingly to taking up a second activity of this kind — but not if the existing business was merely renamed or its purpose not substantially changed (sentence 3).

Does the exemption also cover a side activity?

No. It is limited to the self-employed activity concerned (§ 6(5) sentence 1 SGB VI).

Go further

Related forms

Official sources

§ 6 SGB VI — Exemption from compulsory insurance (subs. 1a, 2 to 5; Gesetze im Internet, Federal Ministry of Justice) — September 23, 2026
§ 2 SGB VI — Self-employed persons (sentence 1 no. 9 and sentence 2) — September 23, 2026
§ 190a SGB VI — Reporting obligation of insured self-employed persons — September 23, 2026
§ 165 SGB VI — Contributory income of self-employed persons — September 23, 2026
Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Self-employed persons (single-client self-employed, reporting, reduced earning capacity) — September 23, 2026
Deutsche Rentenversicherung — V0050 form page (version 17, as of 20.11.2025) — September 23, 2026

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