Team & Career · Topic 24 of 27
What is the Künstlersozialkasse?
Health insurance and pension at half price, if music is your profession (Germany).
As a self-employed musician in Germany you have to insure yourself: health, care and pension. That's expensive, because normally you pay everything alone. This is where the Künstlersozialkasse (artists' social insurance fund, KSK for short) helps.
The deal
With the KSK you only pay about half the contributions, like an employee. The rest is paid by the state and by companies that work with art, for example labels and promoters.
Who gets in
- You work self-employed and professionally as an artist, for example as a musician or songwriter.
- You usually earn at least 3,900 euros a year from art.
- Exception: this threshold doesn't apply in your first three years as a newcomer.
In your application you show that you really work artistically, for example with invoices, contracts and shows. Every year you estimate what you'll earn, and your contributions are based on that.
If you also have a regular job, it can get more complicated. Then get advice.
All figures are rough guidelines for beginners and focus on Germany. They are no substitute for legal or tax advice.
