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Welcome 

on the sides of the pension scheme of lawyers in the state of Hesse.

On the following pages you will find information, help and links around the topic of pension schemes of the liberal professions for lawyers. The pension scheme of lawyers in the state of Hesse is based on the Law on the Hessian Lawyers’ Supply (Hess. RAVG) of 16.12.1987. Section 11 Hess. RAVG provides that the affairs of the utility will be regulated by the statutes.

If you also have questions about the pension scheme or your membership, you can contact the employees of the pension scheme. You can find your personal contact here. You can reach us via the contact form by e-mail. For security reasons we will not answer your questions by e-mail, but only by conventional means.

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Membership

According to § 8 of the statute compulsory members of the pension scheme are all lawyers and legal advisors who belong to the bar associations in the state of Hesse. Compulsory membership ends

• with the death of the member,
• the license to practice law has been returned,
• the license to the legal profession was granted in another federal state and compulsory membership in our pension scheme was not maintained.

When membership is terminated, a contribution-free entitlement remains, unless the member who has left has previously applied for a refund.

Voluntary membership

When compulsory membership ends, the former compulsory member can declare voluntary membership within a period of six months in accordance with § 11 of the statute. In this case, contributions are paid regardless of income. The declaration must be made in writing and takes effect at the time of departure. Voluntary membership ends

• if the requirements for compulsory membership are met (again),
• by written declaration from the voluntary member,
• with the death of the member,
• by written notice from the pension scheme. This is only permitted in the event of late payment of at least three monthly contributions. 

Exemption from compulsory membership

It is possible to be exempted from compulsory membership or to pay a lower contribution in the event of a partial exemption. An application from the member is required for this. The requirements for exemption are set out in § 9 of the statute. Upon request, the exemption from compulsory membership can also be revoked.

Full exemption is possible for:

• Members who are already members of another professional pension fund due to a legal obligation and maintain their membership there.
• Members who already receive an early retirement pension.
• Members who have already reached the retirement age limit.
• Members who are employed abroad subject to social insurance contributions and provide appropriate proof of this.

Partial exemption is possible for:

• Members who have obtained an exemption from membership in another professional pension scheme outside the state of Hesse and the circumstances that led to the exemption still exist.
• Members who work as lawyers and have not submitted an application for exemption from statutory pension insurance.
• Members who work independently as lawyers and are compulsorily insured in the statutory pension insurance upon application.

Members who are partially exempt pay a contribution of 2/10 of the maximum contribution. Upon request, they can also pay contributions amounting to 3/10 or 4/10 of the maximum contribution. A reduction to 1/10 is valid for members who are employed and have not applied for an exemption from compulsory insurance as long as the German pension insurance waiting period for old-age pension has not been reached and gross income does not exceed 130 % of the contribution assessment limit.

Contribution-free entitlement

If the compulsory membership or the voluntary membership ends, the non-contributory entitlement § 11a of the statute comes into effect. From this point on, contributions can no longer be paid to the pension scheme. The additional times are also omitted for the pension calculation.

Contributions

The amount of entitlement to old-age and occupational disability pensions and survivors' pensions depends on the contributions paid. The binding wording, including all procedural and special regulations for contributions, can be found in the statute.

Retirement pension

Each member shall be entitled to an retirement pension after payment of a monthly contribution from the age of 67. Members born before 01.01.1949 shall be entitled to an old-age pension at the age of 65. For members born after 31.12.1948, the age limit is as follows:

No contributions can be paid to the pension scheme from the start of the pension. Please note that no other income or pension benefits are taken into account when receiving an retirement pension against the retirement pension paid.

The old-age pension is paid at the beginning of the month. Payment begins with the month on which the claim arises and ends at the end of the month of death.

Deferred retirement pension

The pension scheme grants an invalidity pension to members who are incapable of working in accordance with § 16 of the statute. The decisive factor for this is whether a legal activity can still be exercised.

To determine the claim, a medical expert’s opinion is commissioned by the pension scheme.

For the purpose of granting the pension, it is also necessary for the legal profession to be terminated. The return of admission to the bar is not necessary during the receipt of an invalidity pension.