Paying social security contributions for artists

• Registration and questionnaire form
• Copies of your entries in the trade, commercial or association register
• Articles of association

Forms? Yes.
Can I register online? In some instances (new registrations in writing, subsequent declarations online)
Do I need to register in writing? No.
Do I need to register in person? No.

• You belong to the group of "typical users" or
• commission work from self-employed artists or journalists more than occasionally for the purpose of self-promotion or profit
• Your registered office is in Germany

To register with the Artists’ Social Security Fund for the first time, please use the registration and questionnaire form:

• Download the registration and questionnaire form from the Artists’ Social Security Fund website,
• complete it and submit it to the Artists’ Social Security Fund,
• where available, enclose copies of your entries in the trade, commercial or association register and also, in the case of associations, your articles of association, with your registration and questionnaire form.

The Artists’ Social Security Fund will check whether you are liable to pay on the basis of these documents and inform you of the outcome in writing. 

If you are already registered with the Artists’ Social Security Fund as a taxable company and wish to declare your taxable fees:

• Please use the "declaration form" for the corresponding year, stating your tax number, or use the online form on the Artists’ Social Security Fund website. The Artists’ Social Security Fund will send you an authentication code every year.

• The total of all fees paid in a given year must be declared to the Artists’ Social Security Fund by 31 March of the subsequent year
• This annual declaration is followed by a settlement of the artists’ social security contributions for the preceding year.
• You must pay the monthly advance payments for artists’ social security contributions to the Artists’ Social Security Fund by the 10th of the following month.
• If the payments are not made on time, the Artists’ Social Security Fund will charge reminder fees and monthly late payment fines amounting to 1 percent of the arrears.

For 2019, the contribution amount is 4.2 percent.