Inability to work
Professional insurance funds define inability to work differently to the statutory pension insurance scheme. The following applies to the Architects’ Pension Fund: A participant who is unable to work is a participant who, due to illness or other infirmity or loss of physical or mental capacity is no longer able, for an unforeseeable period of time, to pursue a professional activity as an architect or engineer with a certain regularity, or cannot earn more than only very little income from such activity.
The activities of an architect are outlined in § 1 of the Architects’ Act (Architektengesetz). In this Act, the tasks performed by architects are very wide ranging. Their tasks not only include the creative, technical and economic planning of buildings, but also the coordination and monitoring of planning and execution, consulting and support work and the representation of clients in all matters concerning the planning and execution of a project. Other examples include the preparation of urban development plans and expert reports. A participant is regarded as being able to work if they can still perform any such work in the field of architecture to an appreciable extent.
Generally speaking, the protection offered by the Architects’ Pension Fund should be completely sufficient if you are no longer able to work. Whether you feel that it is worth taking out – and paying for – private disability insurance is only something you can decide based on your personal need for security. (Legal basis: § 26 and 30 of our Statutes.)