Each year, employees receive from their employer a copy of the annual report they submitted to the pension fund the previous year. The document must be received no later than April. But what is an annual report? And for what purpose is it subject to verification?
An annual report is a notice from your employer to your pension fund telling you how long you have worked and how much you have earned. This data is necessary for the pension insurance fund to pay you the correct pension. As an employee, you receive a copy of this declaration every year, which you must check (see below).
Why consult the annual report?
The data in the annual report is important for the subsequent pension – for example, when updating the account, so its correctness must be checked. This is stated by the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund.
Incorrect information can negatively affect the amount of the pension and possible pension rights. Therefore, employees should always verify their name, insurance number, seniority and gross earnings.
How to consult the annual report?
You should focus on the following data:
- National insurance number: corresponds to the insurance number, also called pension insurance number, with the number of your social security card. Of course, your name must also be complete and correct.
- Health insurance: If you have changed health insurance, you must check whether your current health insurance is listed on your annual declaration. It is also important here to check that your health insurance information is correct: a numeric key of 0 means people with private insurance, 1 means those with compulsory health insurance.
- Employment information: In the annual report, you will only find a digital key, the so-called group of people key, which is necessary for better processing of machine data. The most common number keys are listed below:
101 – workers subject to social insurance contributions, without special characteristics;
102 – students;
103 – partial pension workers;
105 – trainees;
106 – working students;
107 – disabled people in recognized workshops;
108 – recipients of pre-retirement benefits;
109 – low-wage workers (Minijob);
110 temporary workers (Aushilfskraft).
Also check the information on multiple jobholding. For example, you must tell your employer if you have another job.
Particularly important is information about how long you have worked for this employer and how much you are paid. This information should be checked with the utmost care.
What should I do if I find an error?
If you find an error, you must contact your employer to correct it.
The annual report must be kept in a safe place. For example, if you want to request clarification of your insurance account, it can be used as a basis of evidence.
