V0050: Pension Insurance Exemption for Founders (DRV)

What is V0050 — Befreiung für Selbständige mit einem Auftraggeber?

Self-employed people who don't employ anyone subject to insurance and work permanently and essentially for only one client are compulsorily insured in the German pension scheme by law, the DRV's notes on form V0020 explain. Those notes also say: if you want to be exempted from that compulsory insurance, fill in only form V0050.

V0050 covers two exemptions under § 6 Absatz 1a SGB VI: a time-limited exemption for business founders (Existenzgründer), and an exemption for self-employed people who were already 58 when the compulsory insurance began. It asks for your details, your activity and business address, any Handwerksrolle entry and work in other EU countries, whether your profit exceeds the marginal-earnings limit (603 EUR a month from 2026), employees, clients, the company form and any old-age pension, the employment-status questions, and for founders any earlier one-client activity and whether the exemption should end before three years.

FileIt explains every question in English, follows the skips the form prints, prints your answers on the official PDF — names with Polish or Romanian letters included — and saves it in your vault. You sign it by hand and post it with your contracts.

Who fills it: A self-employed person with essentially one client who is compulsorily insured
Given to: Deutsche Rentenversicherung
Length: 6 pages
Signatures: The applicant's handwritten signature, with place and date
Edition: V0050-00, Version 27017

Who needs to fill out V0050 — Befreiung für Selbständige mit einem Auftraggeber?

Founders who work mainly for one client without insured employees and want the time-limited founder's exemption.
Self-employed people with one client who were 58 or older when their compulsory insurance began.
Not for a general status question — that is the Clearingstelle's form V0027 — and not for the questionnaire on compulsory insurance as a self-employed person, which is V0020.

When to use V0050 — Befreiung für Selbständige mit einem Auftraggeber

When you start a self-employed activity for essentially one client and want to be exempted from compulsory pension insurance.
When the Deutsche Rentenversicherung has found or is checking that you are compulsorily insured as a self-employed person with one client.

What you need before you start

Your pension insurance number, if you have one, and your personal details.
A description of your work, the business address and evidence such as your business registration (Gewerbeanmeldung).
The contracts with your client(s) — the form lists framework, project, service, work, commercial-agent and insurance-agent contracts.
Any decision from a health insurance fund, the Rentenversicherung or the Künstlersozialkasse that you are not employed by your client, and any decision on a bridging allowance or start-up grant.
For founders: dates and kinds of earlier one-client self-employment.

What’s on V0050 — Befreiung für Selbständige mit einem Auftraggeber

The 2026 edition has 6 pages. FileIt asks for it in 9 parts, and it is signed by Self-employed person (antragsteller/-in):

What you apply for (Antrag)Self-employed person (antragsteller/-in)
1 · About you (Angaben zur Person)Self-employed person (antragsteller/-in)
2.1 · Your self-employed activity (Angaben zur selbständigen Tätigkeit)Self-employed person (antragsteller/-in)
2.2 · Marginal self-employment (Angaben zur geringfügigen selbständigen Tätigkeit)Self-employed person (antragsteller/-in)
2.3–2.6 · Employees, clients and business formSelf-employed person (antragsteller/-in)
3 · More about your work (Weitere Angaben zur ausgeübten Tätigkeit)Self-employed person (antragsteller/-in)
4 · Exemption as a business founder (Angaben zur Befreiung wegen Existenzgründung)Self-employed person (antragsteller/-in)
5 · Documents for visually impaired people (Dokumentenzugang)Self-employed person (antragsteller/-in)
6–7 · Declaration and enclosures (Erklärung, Anlagen)Self-employed person (antragsteller/-in)

How to fill out V0050 — Befreiung für Selbständige mit einem Auftraggeber, step by step

1 Antrag

Tick the founder's exemption (fill in parts 1 to 4 and 6) or the exemption for people of 58 and over (parts 1 to 3 and 6).

2 1 Angaben zur Person

Names, name prefixes and titles, birth name, date and place of birth, sex, nationality, address and phone.

3 2.1 Selbständige Tätigkeit

The kind of activity and since when, the business address, a short description, any Handwerksrolle entry and whether you also work in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland.

4 2.2 Geringfügigkeit

Started from 1.1.2026: does your profit regularly exceed 603 EUR a month? Started before: for each period, whether the limit of that time (450, 520, 538, 556 or 603 EUR) was exceeded.

5 2.3 to 2.6

Employees, your client or clients (group companies, the 5/6 rule), a company or partnership, and any old-age pension under civil-service, church or professional-scheme rules.

6 3 Weitere Angaben

Only without employees: an earlier status decision, a start-up grant, earlier employment with the client, working at the client's premises, fixed hours, instructions, area of work, substitutes, and how you act as an entrepreneur.

7 4 Existenzgründung

For founders: earlier one-client self-employment, and whether the exemption should end before three years.

8 5 to 7

Optional accessible documents, the declaration with place, date and signature, and the enclosures.

Common mistakes to avoid

Using V0050 for a status question — the Clearingstelle's V0027 decides employment or self-employment.
Forgetting the contracts with your client, which the form lists as enclosures.
Answering part 3 although you employ an insured employee — the form says 3.1 to 3.9 then fall away.
Filling in part 4 for the exemption at 58 — it is only for founders.
Leaving part 9 on page 6 empty is right: it is filled in by the office.

After you fill it out

Print the form and sign it by hand on page 5.

Post it with copies of the contracts and evidence to your Deutsche Rentenversicherung. FileIt doesn't send it.

Keep the copy in your FileIt vault. If someone applies on your behalf, the form says a power of attorney is needed.

Fill out V0050 — Befreiung für Selbständige mit einem Auftraggeber online with FileIt

Pick the person. Choose someone from People and FileIt fills in their name, date of birth, address and other details it already knows.
Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 81 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real Deutsche Rentenversicherung form, and let FileIt do any worksheet arithmetic.
Generate the official PDF. FileIt prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault. Sign it, or send it for e-signature.

FileIt fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

Start V0050 — Befreiung für Selbständige mit einem Auftraggeber now — it’s free

V0050 — Befreiung für Selbständige mit einem Auftraggeber: frequently asked questions

Who is a 'self-employed person with one client'?

The DRV's notes describe someone who regularly employs no insured employee in connection with the self-employment and works permanently and essentially for only one client. Such people are compulsorily insured by law.

What is the difference from V0020?

V0020 establishes whether you are compulsorily insured as a self-employed person, or applies for insurance on request. V0050 applies to be exempted from that insurance as a self-employed person with one client.

Can the founder's exemption end earlier?

Yes. Question 4.2 asks whether the exemption should end before three years have passed since you started, and for the end date.

Does the 603 EUR limit matter?

Part 2.2 asks whether your monthly profit regularly exceeds the marginal-earnings limit. The form prints it as 603 EUR from 1.1.2026, with the earlier limits for activities begun before.

Who fills in part 9 on page 6?

Nobody on your side: the Bestätigungsvermerk is marked 'nicht vom Antragsteller auszufüllen'. The office confirms your personal details there from a birth certificate or ID card.

Official sources

Blank form (PDF), published by Deutsche Rentenversicherung: https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/SharedDocs/Formulare/DE/_pdf/V0050.pdf?__blob=publicationFile
Official instructions and guidance: https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/SharedDocs/Formulare/DE/_pdf/V0021.pdf?__blob=publicationFile
Edition shown on this page: V0050-00, Version 27017 (PDF of 23.10.2025) (checked 2026-10-25).

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Deutsche Rentenversicherung or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-10-25.