What is the immediate notification (Sofortmeldung)?
The immediate notification under section 28a(4) SGB IV is an additional report to the data office of the pension insurance authority, which must be submitted by the time employment begins at the latest. It does not replace the regular registration for social security with the health insurance fund, but comes on top of it.
Sectors affected
- Construction industry
- Hospitality and accommodation sector
- Passenger transport sector
- Freight forwarding, transport and related logistics sector
- Fairground and travelling-show sector
- Forestry businesses
- Building cleaning sector
- Businesses involved in setting up and dismantling trade fairs and exhibitions
- Meat industry, as well as the prostitution sector and the security and guarding sector
What matters is the focus of the business's actual activity, not the entry in the commercial register.
Content and deadline
| Item | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Surname and first name | as shown on ID |
| Insurance number | alternatively date of birth, sex, place of birth |
| Employer's company number (Betriebsnummer) | issued by the Federal Employment Agency |
| Date employment begins | date of the first working day |
The notification is submitted electronically via a certified payroll accounting program or an input aid such as sv.net or the SV-Meldeportal — at the latest by the time employment begins, i.e. before the first working shift.
Obligation to carry ID
In sectors subject to the immediate notification requirement, employees must carry a valid form of identification while working. The employer must inform them of this in a demonstrable way and retain proof of that notice for the duration of the employment.
Sanctions
A missing, late or incorrect immediate notification is an administrative offence and can be penalised with a fine of up to €25,000. In checks carried out by customs (the Financial Control Unit for Undeclared Work, Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit), it is one of the first things examined, because it can be cross-checked immediately.
Practical checklist
- Is the company number available and up to date?
- Is the reporting software or portal access set up and tested?
- Are the employee's master data complete before the first working day?
- Is the transmission log saved?
- Has the notice about carrying ID been handed over in writing?
- Has the regular social security registration been completed within six weeks?
It is best to have the written notice on the obligation to carry ID countersigned — or send it formally, so that receipt is documented.