Pensioners' health insurance notification (KVdR, form R0810)
Anyone applying for a German statutory pension must file, together with the application, a notification for the competent health insurance fund (§ 201(1) sentence 1 SGB V) — this is form R0810 of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, which passes it on to the fund without delay (sentence 2). The fund uses it to decide on compulsory membership in the pensioners' health insurance (Krankenversicherung der Rentner, KVdR). Membership applies if, from first taking up gainful work until the pension application, you were a member or family-insured for at least nine tenths of the SECOND HALF of that period (§ 5(1) no. 11 SGB V); three years are credited for each child, stepchild or foster child (§ 5(2) sentence 3). The KVdR is COMPULSORY INSURANCE, not a claim for money: anyone who does not qualify and stays voluntarily or privately insured applies instead for the subsidy under § 106 SGB VI.
Up to date for 2024 — verified on September 23, 2026Official formGuide: about 30 min
This content is part of the path: Retiring· Step 10 of 11· Next step: Applying for the pensioners' health insurance subsidy (form R0820)
Deadlines
- With the pension application
- § 201(1) sentence 1 SGB V — the notification is filed with the application; the pension insurer forwards it to the competent fund without delay (sentence 2)
- Membership starts on the day the pension application is filed
- § 186(9) SGB V — membership of compulsorily insured pensioners begins on the day the pension application is made, not when the pension starts
- Exemption: within three months of compulsory insurance starting
- § 8(1) sentence 1 no. 4 and (2) sentence 1 SGB V — anyone who becomes compulsorily insured through the pension application may apply to the fund for exemption; it cannot be revoked (subsection 2 sentence 3) and takes effect only if other cover in case of illness is proven (sentence 4)
Documents to prepare
- Pension insurance number and health insurance number (Krankenversichertennummer)
- Personal details: name, date of birth, nationality, marital status, date of marriage, address
- Current employment, self-employment, exemption from insurance, release from compulsory insurance or family insurance
- Other pensions (including foreign pensions and farmers' old-age pensions) and occupational benefits with paying office and reference
- Date you first took up gainful work, including abroad
- Past health insurance with periods, names and addresses of funds or insurers
- Children, stepchildren and foster children with date of birth and relationship
- For a survivor's pension: details and health insurance of the deceased
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Who this applies to
- Everyone applying for a German statutory pension — the notification is filed with the application (§ 201(1) sentence 1 SGB V); according to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung the type of pension, old-age or reduced earning capacity, does not matter at this stage
- Also anyone privately insured for years: the duty to notify is triggered by the pension application alone (§ 201(1) sentence 1 SGB V), and according to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung it is the health insurance fund, not the applicant, that decides on the KVdR
- Survivors applying for a widow's, widower's or orphan's pension: for derived pensions the conditions count as met if the deceased met them (§ 5(2) sentence 2 SGB V) — which is why the form also asks about the deceased
- NOT into the KVdR if already compulsorily insured on another ground, for example as an employee paid a wage: § 5(8) sentence 1 SGB V excludes insurance under no. 11 for anyone insured under nos. 1 to 7 or 8
- NOT for a pensioner who only wants a SUBSIDY towards voluntary or private health insurance: that is a different application, to the pension insurer, under § 106 SGB VI
Worked example
Monika Albers applies for her pension at 66 after five years of private cover
Monika first took up work in September 1985 and applies for her old-age pension in September 2027: a working life of 42 years. The second half covers 21 years, and nine tenths of that is 18.9 years (§ 5(1) no. 11 SGB V). As a self-employed person she was privately insured from 2010 to 2014, so in the second half she has only 16 years of statutory cover — not enough. But she has two children, and three years are credited for each child (§ 5(2) sentence 3 SGB V): 22 years in total. The qualifying period is met. She files R0810 with her pension application, listing her funds and her private insurer with the periods, and her two children. Her fund decides; she is a KVdR member from the day of the pension application (§ 186(9) SGB V). She and the pension insurer each bear half of the contributions on her pension (§ 249a sentence 1 SGB V), and the pension insurer withholds her share when paying the pension (§ 255(1) SGB V). The figures are illustrative.
How to fill it in, step by step
- File your pension application and submit form R0810 with it — the notification is part of the application (§ 201(1) sentence 1 SGB V).
- Give your details, including pension insurance number and health insurance number, and state whether you are employed, self-employed, exempt from insurance, released from compulsory insurance or family-insured, and whether you receive other pensions or occupational benefits (Versorgungsbezüge).
- If you are applying for an orphan's pension, answer the questions on private insurance before the application and on the deceased.
- Enter the date you first took up gainful work and your past health insurance with periods — this is what the fund uses to measure the nine tenths of the second half (§ 5(1) no. 11 SGB V).
- List every child, stepchild and foster child with the relationship: each counts for three years (§ 5(2) sentence 3 SGB V).
- For a widow's, widower's or orphan's pension, give the details of the deceased and of their health insurance.
- If you are voluntarily or privately insured, also apply for the subsidy under § 106 SGB VI using form R0820.
- Date and sign the form; the signature is added by hand.
Good to know
- According to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, only the health insurance fund decides on compulsory KVdR membership; the pension insurer takes no decision on it.
- According to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung it does not matter for the nine tenths HOW you were insured in the statutory scheme: compulsory, voluntary and family insurance count alike — § 5(1) no. 11 SGB V requires having been a member or insured under § 10.
- Until 31 December 1988, time married to a member counts as membership time if the spouse was no more than marginally employed or self-employed (§ 5(2) sentence 1 SGB V).
- No three years are credited for an adopted child who had already reached the age limits of § 10(2) SGB V when the adoption took effect, nor for a stepchild who had reached them at the marriage or was never taken into the joint household (§ 5(2) sentence 4 SGB V) — which is why the form asks for the type of parent-child relationship.
- For compulsorily insured pensioners the general contribution rate under § 241 SGB V applies to the pension (§ 247 sentence 1 SGB V); the rate is given in the health insurance contribution calculator.
- If you do not qualify, the Deutsche Rentenversicherung lists three routes: voluntary statutory insurance, family insurance where income is low, or private health insurance.
Common mistakes
- Skipping R0810 because you are privately insured anyway. The notification is filed with EVERY pension application (§ 201(1) sentence 1 SGB V), and only the fund may decide.
- Leaving out children. Each child, stepchild or foster child adds three years to the qualifying period (§ 5(2) sentence 3 SGB V) — if not stated, they are not counted.
- Confusing the KVdR with the subsidy. The KVdR is compulsory insurance decided by the fund; the § 106 SGB VI subsidy is a cash benefit from the pension insurer for the voluntarily or privately insured, with its own application.
- Missing the exemption deadline, or applying for exemption lightly. It is only possible within three months and cannot be revoked (§ 8(2) SGB V).
- Dating the first job wrongly. The period runs from FIRST taking up gainful work to the pension application (§ 5(1) no. 11 SGB V); a later date shifts the second half.
Frequently asked questions
Do I really have to file R0810?
Yes: anyone applying for a German statutory pension must file a notification for the competent health insurance fund together with the application (§ 201(1) sentence 1 SGB V).
How is the qualifying period worked out?
From the day you first took up gainful work to the pension application; in the second half of that period you must have been a member or family-insured for at least nine tenths (§ 5(1) no. 11 SGB V). Three years are credited for each child, stepchild or foster child (§ 5(2) sentence 3).
When does KVdR cover start?
Membership of compulsorily insured pensioners begins on the day the pension application is made (§ 186(9) SGB V).
Who pays the contributions?
The pensioner and the pension insurer each bear half of the contributions assessed on the pension (§ 249a sentence 1 SGB V); contributions on foreign pensions are borne by the pensioner alone (sentence 3). The pension insurer withholds the pensioner's share when paying the pension (§ 255(1) SGB V).
Can I opt out?
Yes, by applying to the fund within three months of compulsory insurance starting (§ 8(1) sentence 1 no. 4 and (2) sentence 1 SGB V). The exemption is irrevocable and requires proof of other cover in case of illness.
What if I do not qualify?
You stay voluntarily insured in the statutory scheme, family-insured or privately insured. If voluntarily or privately insured, you can apply to the pension insurer for a subsidy under § 106 SGB VI — with form R0820.
Go further
Compute the related amounts
Official sources
- § 201 SGB V — Duties to notify on pension application and receipt (Gesetze im Internet) — September 23, 2026
- § 5 SGB V — Compulsory insurance (subsection 1 no. 11, subsections 2 and 8) — September 23, 2026
- § 186 SGB V — Start of membership of the compulsorily insured (subsection 9) — September 23, 2026
- § 8 SGB V — Exemption from compulsory insurance — September 23, 2026
- § 249a SGB V — Sharing contributions of compulsorily insured pensioners — September 23, 2026
- § 247 SGB V — Contribution rate on pensions — September 23, 2026
- § 255 SGB V — Payment of contributions from the pension — September 23, 2026
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Health and long-term care insurance of pensioners — September 23, 2026
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Form R0810, KVdR notification — September 23, 2026
Guide and document provided for information purposes only; they do not constitute personalised legal or tax advice. Check the recipient organisation's requirements and consult a professional if needed.