Reference: Contribution ceilings
Contribution ceilings, compulsory insurance threshold and reference value per year, West and East.
The reference values (Rechengrößen) from the yearly Social Security Reference Values Ordinance: contribution ceilings (Beitragsbemessungsgrenzen) for health, long-term care, pension and unemployment insurance, the compulsory insurance threshold (Versicherungspflichtgrenze) and the reference value (Bezugsgröße). Separate for West and East until 2024, the same nationwide since 2025.
Endpoints and calls
#| Access | Call |
|---|---|
| REST API | GET /hr/rechengroessen |
| History | GET /hr/rechengroessen/verlauf |
| SDK JavaScript | qk.hr.rechengroessen(…) |
| SDK Python | qk.hr.rechengroessen(…) |
| CLI | qk rechengroessen --jahr 2026 |
| MCP tool | hr_rechengroessen |
Parameters
#| Name | Type | Required | Default | Allowed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
jahr | year | no | laufendes Jahr | 2015 to 2035 | Calendar year. Defaults to the current year. |
datum | date (YYYY-MM-DD) | no | Alternative to jahr: effective date in the format YYYY-MM-DD, the year is taken from it. |
The API rejects unknown parameters with unbekannter_parameter. In addition there are format and trennzeichen, see CSV.
Response fields
#| Field | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
datensatz | Text | Dataset id |
jahr | Integer | Calendar year |
gueltig_ab | Date | Start of validity of the value |
gueltig_bis | Date or null | End of validity, null until a successor is set |
bbg_rv_west_monat | Decimal | Contribution ceiling for pension and unemployment insurance, West, per month |
bbg_rv_west_jahr | Decimal | The same per year |
bbg_rv_ost_monat | Decimal | Contribution ceiling for pension and unemployment insurance, East, per month |
bbg_rv_ost_jahr | Decimal | The same per year |
bbg_knappschaft_west_monat | Decimal | Contribution ceiling for miners' pension insurance (knappschaftliche Rentenversicherung), West, per month |
bbg_knappschaft_west_jahr | Decimal | The same per year |
bbg_knappschaft_ost_monat | Decimal | Contribution ceiling for miners' pension insurance, East, per month |
bbg_knappschaft_ost_jahr | Decimal | The same per year |
bbg_kv_monat | Decimal | Contribution ceiling for health insurance per month, until 2026 also for long-term care insurance |
bbg_kv_jahr | Decimal | The same per year |
jaeg_allgemein_jahr | Decimal | General compulsory insurance threshold (Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze) |
jaeg_besonders_jahr | Decimal | Special compulsory insurance threshold for people who had private health insurance on December 31, 2002 |
bezugsgroesse_west_monat | Decimal | Reference value (Bezugsgröße), West, per month |
bezugsgroesse_west_jahr | Decimal | The same per year |
bezugsgroesse_ost_monat | Decimal | Reference value (Bezugsgröße), East, per month |
bezugsgroesse_ost_jahr | Decimal | The same per year |
bbg_pv_monat | Decimal | Contribution ceiling for long-term care insurance per month, until 2026 equal to bbg_kv_monat |
bbg_pv_jahr | Decimal | Contribution ceiling for long-term care insurance per year, until 2026 equal to bbg_kv_jahr |
rechtskreise_einheitlich | Boolean | true from 2025, when West and East values are the same |
rechtsgrundlage | Text | Law or ordinance |
quelle | Object | Title and URL of the source the value is based on |
lizenz | Text | Terms of use for the values |
stand | Date | Date of the last check against the source |
zitat | Text | Ready-made sentence for citing, with value, validity, legal basis and source |
datenstand | Text | Id of the data snapshot: date and sequence number of the last changelog entry (/v1/aenderungen) affecting this dataset. The same datenstand means unchanged content, useful for auditors and for comparing two requests |
Example
#Call with jahr = 2026. The response is generated by the same code that answers the API.
History
#Every level since 2015 in one call, as JSON or with format=csv as CSV. The last two levels:
Error cases
#| Status | Code | When |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | ungueltiger_parameter | wrong format or a value outside: jahr (2015 to 2035) |
| 400 | unbekannter_parameter | a parameter this dataset does not have |
| 404 | kein_wert | outside the coverage (from 2015) or the value for this period has not been promulgated yet |
| 401, 429 | see errors | all error codes |
Schema for MCP
#This is how the MCP server describes the arguments of the tool hr_rechengroessen:
Source and freshness
#| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Source | Social Security Reference Values Ordinances (Sozialversicherungsrechengrößen-Verordnungen) |
| License | Values from official works (§ 5 UrhG). Use of the compilation under the Quellenkontor terms of use. |
| Updates | yearly on January 1 |
| Coverage | Germany, from 2015 |
| Last checked | September 23, 2026 |
| Next expected change | ordinance for 2027 in fall 2026; from 2027 the compulsory insurance threshold plus €3,600 and separate ceilings for health and long-term care insurance (GKV-Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz) |
Something missing or unclear? Write to us and we will extend the docs.