The Baden-Württembergische Versorgungsanstalt für Ärzte, Zahnärzte und Tierärzte (BWVA) is the statutory pension insurance scheme in Baden-Württemberg for employed and practising doctors, dentists and veterinarians

• Doctors in private practice,
• Dentists and veterinarians
• Veterinarians.

The BWVA grants its participants and their surviving dependants the following benefits:

• Old-age pension as a full or partial pension
• early retirement pension as a full or partial pension
• deferred old-age pension as a full or partial pension
• Disability pension
• Survivors' pension (widow's, widower's and orphan's pension)
• Death benefit

As a member of the pension fund, you must pay pension contributions as long as you are not entitled to a pension. These determine the amount of subsequent pension benefits in each individual case.

The annual pension contribution is generally twelve per cent of the professional income of the year before last. It is limited by a minimum and a maximum contribution. The following also applies:

• In the first 24 months of initial establishment, you can only pay the minimum levy on application. This applies as long as you are exclusively self-employed.
• Civil servants and non-employed persons can, under certain conditions, apply for a reduction in the pension contribution or a suspension of the obligation to pay the contribution.
• On application, you can also pay additional contributions (co-payments) in addition to the compulsory contributions.

Tip: Further information on pension contributions can be found in the statutes of the pension fund for doctors, dentists and veterinarians.