Q: How can a member of ProLitteris calculate whether there is a right to a retirement pension?

Whether you have a right to a The retirement pension is an annual social benefit for long-standing members of the ProLitteris cooperative who are of retirement age, have a low income and have reached a relevant royalty amount from the exploitation of rights. The conditions of the regulations of the welfare foundation apply. ">retirement pension depends on two key factors: your taxable income the total amount of your royalties from ProLitteris over the entire Affiliation of rightsholders with ProLitteris by concluding a rights administration agreement. As a rule, this is a condition for participating in distributions and receiving royalties. In addition, cooperative membership as a “plus” with further benefits is possible. ">membership For you, this means: All royalties that you have received over the years are decisive, regardless of the sector, for example from Print, Online, Broadcast, Audio, Art or international distributions. You can ask ProLitteris (Team Social) about the current status of these royalties. Important: You do not have to calculate the entitlement yourself or submit an active application. ProLitteris automatically checks the requirements and contacts you if a retirement pension is possible. The status as of 31.12 before the pension year is decisive in each case.

Q: How is the retirement pension calculated?

The The retirement pension is an annual social benefit for long-standing members of the ProLitteris cooperative who are of retirement age, have a low income and have reached a relevant royalty amount from the exploitation of rights. The conditions of the regulations of the welfare foundation apply. ">retirement pension is calculated annually by ProLitteris and only comes into existence with this calculation. Two factors are decisive for you: the total sum of your royalties from ProLitteris during your entire Affiliation of rightsholders with ProLitteris by concluding a rights administration agreement. As a rule, this is a condition for participating in distributions and receiving royalties. In addition, cooperative membership as a “plus” with further benefits is possible. ">membership your taxable income The relevant status is always as of 31. December before the pension year. The following applies as proof of your taxable income: you must submit it on time, at the latest by 31. December you submit it by email or by post the basis is the final and binding tax assessment ProLitteris generally informs you in good time if you are eligible for a retirement pension. However, it is your responsibility to comply with the deadline and the required form. The exact conditions and details are laid down in the regulations of the social welfare foundation.

Question 1

What benefits does the social welfare foundation of ProLitteris provide?

Accepted Answer

The social welfare foundation of ProLitteris provides you with financial support in certain life situations if you have cooperative membership.

It provides two key benefits:

Retirement pensions
Emergency aid

The retirement pension is based on fixed rules in accordance with the regulations of the social welfare foundation.

Emergency aid is assessed on an individual basis. Depending on your financial situation, the foundation board decides whether support is possible and to what extent.

Question 2

Who can receive benefits from the social welfare foundation of ProLitteris?

Accepted Answer

Only members of the cooperative can receive benefits from the social welfare foundation of ProLitteris.

For you, this means:

You must be an author and at the same time a cooperative member of ProLitteris. A management agreement is not sufficient.
After reaching retirement age, you can receive an old-age pension, provided that you can prove a low income.
You can submit an application for financial support at any time.

For emergency aid, the foundation reviews your application and decides on the support based on your personal financial situation.

Question 3

Is there a right to emergency aid from the social welfare foundation?

Accepted Answer

There is no right to emergency aid.

The foundation board decides on a case-by-case basis whether you receive support. The decision is based on your financial situation.

Please use the form for an application. Contact our Team Social.

Question 4

How can you submit an application to the social welfare foundation?

Accepted Answer

You can submit an application to the social welfare foundation by e-mail.

For you, this means:

You address your application to the social welfare foundation
on request, you receive a form from ProLitteris

The foundation board reviews applications at its meetings in the following months:

April
June
September
December

In urgent cases, immediate assistance can also be decided outside these dates.

Question 5

Who can submit an application for emergency aid?

Accepted Answer

You can submit an application for emergency aid if you are a member of ProLitteris and are in a serious financial emergency.

For you, this means:

You must be a cooperative member of ProLitteris
Your financial situation must make support necessary

Emergency aid is usually granted as a one-time contribution. It serves to cover specific costs and can amount to up to several thousand Swiss francs.

Question 6

What information do you need to provide to the social welfare foundation for an emergency aid application?

Accepted Answer

For an emergency aid application, you must present your financial situation transparently using the relevant form.

This includes in particular:

Your current financial hardship, for example with invoices or estimates
the reason for the situation, that is, cause and context
the specific impact on your financial situation today and in the near future

In addition, you provide information about your economic circumstances:

tax assessment
income and assets
budget and ongoing obligations
special circumstances such as health, age, or debts

The social welfare foundation can, if necessary, consult specialists to assess your situation more accurately.

Important for you: Emergency aid serves personal support and not the promotion of works, projects, or events.

Question 7

Under what conditions do you have a right to an old-age pension from the social welfare foundation?

Accepted Answer

You have a right to an old-age pension from the social welfare foundation if you meet several conditions.

The following applies to you:

You have reached the AHV reference age
You have been a member of the cooperative of ProLitteris without interruption for at least ten years
You became a member no later than at the age of 60

In addition, the following must apply:

Your royalties from ProLitteris reach a defined minimum amount
Your taxable income is below a defined upper limit

The supervisory board of the foundation sets the exact amounts. They are documented in the regulations of the social welfare foundation.

Question 8

How can a member of ProLitteris calculate whether there is a right to a retirement pension?

Accepted Answer

Whether you have a right to a retirement pension depends on two key factors:

your taxable income
the total amount of your royalties from ProLitteris over the entire membership

For you, this means: All royalties that you have received over the years are decisive, regardless of the sector, for example from Print, Online, Broadcast, Audio, Art or international distributions.

You can ask ProLitteris (Team Social) about the current status of these royalties.

Important: You do not have to calculate the entitlement yourself or submit an active application. ProLitteris automatically checks the requirements and contacts you if a retirement pension is possible.

The status as of 31.12 before the pension year is decisive in each case.

Question 9

How is the retirement pension calculated?

Accepted Answer

The retirement pension is calculated annually by ProLitteris and only comes into existence with this calculation.

Two factors are decisive for you:

the total sum of your royalties from ProLitteris during your entire membership
your taxable income

The relevant status is always as of 31. December before the pension year.

The following applies as proof of your taxable income:

you must submit it on time, at the latest by 31. December
you submit it by email or by post
the basis is the final and binding tax assessment

ProLitteris generally informs you in good time if you are eligible for a retirement pension. However, it is your responsibility to comply with the deadline and the required form.

The exact conditions and details are laid down in the regulations of the social welfare foundation.

Question 10

How is it determined whether there is an entitlement to an old-age pension?

Accepted Answer

ProLitteris actively checks for you whether there is an entitlement to an old-age pension.

For this purpose, you usually receive a request from Team Social in October. This is sent:

by email
or, in exceptional cases, by letter

to the contact address stored in the profile.

For you, this means that ProLitteris initiates the clarification and informs you in good time when a possible entitlement is being reviewed.

Question 11

How are members informed about a possible entitlement to an old-age pension?

Accepted Answer

ProLitteris actively informs you when there is a possible entitlement to an old-age pension.

As a rule, this happens in October. You are asked to submit your latest assessment of the direct federal tax.

The following applies to you:

You receive the notification by email or letter
You submit the tax document within the deadline

If you only reach the required minimum royalty at the end of the previous year, the information will not be sent until January. In this case, a shortened deadline applies for submitting your documents.

Question 12

By when must the tax certificate for the retirement pension be submitted?

Accepted Answer

You must submit your tax certificate no later than 31 December of the year before the pension year.

For you, this means: This deadline is binding. Documents submitted later can no longer be taken into account.

Question 13

What happens if a member does not submit the tax certificate on time?

Accepted Answer

If you do not submit the tax certificate on time, you lose your entitlement to the old-age pension for that pension year.

For you, this means: A subsequent submission will not be taken into account.

Question 14

Why are there strict deadlines for the tax certificate and the pension calculation?

Accepted Answer

The deadlines are set so that your retirement pension can be paid out as early as possible.

For you, this means that ProLitteris can already pay the pensions in January if all documents are submitted on time.

The deadlines are binding because:

they are set out in the regulations of the social welfare foundation
all members must be treated equally

Therefore, ProLitteris cannot make any exceptions if documents are submitted late or do not meet the requirements.

Question 15

When are retirement pensions from the social welfare foundation paid out?

Accepted Answer

Retirement pensions from the social welfare foundation are generally calculated in January of the pension year and then paid out.

For you this means: If you meet all the requirements and have submitted the documents within the deadline, you will receive your retirement pension at the beginning of the year.

Question 16

Which income is decisive for assessing the pension entitlement?

Accepted Answer

For assessing your entitlement to a retirement pension, your taxable income is decisive.

The last legally binding assessment of the direct federal tax is decisive:

For a person taxed individually, the income limit is CHF 50'000
For persons taxed jointly, it is CHF 66'667

If your taxable income exceeds this limit, there is no entitlement to a retirement pension.

Question 17

What are the conditions for the retirement pension in detail?

Accepted Answer

You are entitled to a retirement pension if you meet all four of the following conditions:

1. Age: In the pension year you reach the AHV reference age (currently 65 years for men, 64 years for women).

2. Cooperative membership: In the pension year you have been a member of ProLitteris without interruption for at least 10 years and you joined no later than in the year of your 60th birthday.

3. Minimum royalties: Your cumulative royalties from ProLitteris reach a defined minimum amount. As a rule, the relevant date is 30. September of the year preceding the pension year; in exceptional cases it is 31. December. The amount will increase step by step over the next few years:

2026: CHF 1'000
2027: CHF 1'500
2028: CHF 2'000
2029: CHF 2'500
2030: CHF 3'000
2031: CHF 3'500
from 2032: CHF 4'000

4. Income: Your taxable income may not exceed the following thresholds:

CHF 50'000 for individual taxation
CHF 66'667 for joint taxation

The basis is the last final assessment of the direct federal tax that you submit by 31. December of the preceding year at the latest. If this is not available, an equivalent document may exceptionally be accepted.

For you this means: Only if all conditions are met does an entitlement to a retirement pension arise.

CHF 1'000 and CHF 2'000 — "double" and 'single' — Backslash: C: emp

Question 18

When are government social services responsible?

Accepted Answer

Government social services are responsible for long-term or recurring financial support.

For you, this means:

The emergency aid provided by the social welfare foundation is intended only for individual, acute emergencies.
If you need permanent or regular financial assistance, contact the responsible social services.
The old-age pension from ProLitteris supplements your income in old age, but does not replace comprehensive social security.

This is how different support services interact depending on your personal situation.

Question 19

How is the social welfare foundation financed?

Accepted Answer

The social welfare foundation is financed through a share of ProLitteris revenues. 9% of the royalties collected in Switzerland and in the Principality of Liechtenstein flow into the foundation.

In addition, the social welfare foundation generates income from assets built up from earlier revenues that have not yet been distributed.

The social benefits provided by ProLitteris are based on Art. 48 para. 2 of the Swiss Copyright Act and are internationally common for collecting societies.

Question 20

How are the pension benefits of the social welfare foundation developing?

Accepted Answer

The pension benefits of the social welfare foundation are increasing because more members with higher individual royalty amounts are able to assert a claim.

The foundation board has the task of reviewing the income and the benefits annually. It is a responsibility to define the values for calculating retirement pensions in the appendix to the regulations of the social welfare foundation.

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