Question 1

What benefits does the ProLitteris Welfare Foundation provide?

Accepted Answer

The ProLitteris Welfare Foundation provides you with financial support in certain life situations if you are a cooperative member.

It provides two core benefits:

Retirement pensions
Emergency assistance

The retirement pension is based on fixed rules in accordance with the regulations of the Welfare Foundation.

Emergency assistance 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 ProLitteris Welfare Foundation?

Accepted Answer

Benefits from the ProLitteris Welfare Foundation can only be received by members of the cooperative.

For you, this means:

You must be a copyright holder and at the same time a cooperative member of ProLitteris. A rights administration agreement is not sufficient.
After reaching retirement age, you can receive an old-age pension, provided 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 assistance from the welfare foundation?

Accepted Answer

There is no right to emergency assistance.

Whether you receive support is decided by the foundation board on a case-by-case basis. The basis is your financial situation.

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

Question 4

How can you submit an application to the Welfare Foundation?

Accepted Answer

You can submit an application to the Welfare Foundation by email.

For you, this means:

You address your application to the Welfare Foundation
if you wish, you will 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 emergency aid request?

Accepted Answer

You can submit an emergency aid request 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 generally granted as a one-time contribution. It is intended 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 Welfare Foundation when applying for emergency aid?

Accepted Answer

To apply for emergency aid, 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 Welfare Foundation may, if necessary, consult specialists in order to assess your situation more accurately.

Important for you: Emergency aid serves to provide personal support and not to promote works, projects, or events.

Question 7

Under which conditions is there a right to an old-age pension from the Provident Foundation?

Accepted Answer

You have a right to an old-age pension from the Provident Foundation if you meet several conditions.

The following applies to you:

You have reached the AHV reference age
You have been a cooperative member 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 exact amounts are determined by the foundation board. They are documented in the regulations of the Provident 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 central factors:

Your taxable income
the sum of your royalties from ProLitteris over your entire membership

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

You can obtain the current status of these royalties from ProLitteris (Team Social).

Important: You do not have to calculate the entitlement yourself or actively apply for it. ProLitteris automatically checks the requirements and contacts you if a retirement pension is possible.

The status as of 31. December 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 arises with this calculation.

Two factors are decisive for you:

the total amount 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 this on time, at the latest by 31 December
submission is by email or by post
the basis is the legally 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 requirements and details are set out in the regulations of the Pension Fund.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

ProLitteris actively checks for you whether there is a right 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: ProLitteris initiates the clarification and informs you in good time when a possible entitlement is being checked.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

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

As a rule, this happens in October. You will be asked to submit your most recent 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 preceding 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 in time?

Accepted Answer

If you do not submit the tax certificate in time, you lose the entitlement to the retirement pension for this 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: ProLitteris can already pay out 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 pension foundation
all members must be treated equally

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

Question 15

When are retirement pensions from the Provident Fund paid out?

Accepted Answer

The retirement pensions from the Provident Fund are usually 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 on time, you will receive your retirement pension at the beginning of the year.

Question 16

Which income is decisive for reviewing the pension entitlement?

Accepted Answer

For reviewing your entitlement to an old-age pension, your taxable income is decisive.

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

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

If your taxable income exceeds this limit, there is no entitlement to an old-age 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 gradually 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 limits:

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

The basis is the most recent final assessment of the direct federal tax, which 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 a right to a retirement pension arise.

Question 18

When are state social authorities responsible?

Accepted Answer

State social authorities are responsible for long-term or recurring financial support.

For you, this means:

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

This is how different forms of support apply depending on your personal situation.

Question 19

How is the welfare foundation financed?

Accepted Answer

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

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

The social benefits of ProLitteris are based on Art. 48 para. 2 of the Swiss Copyright Act and are standard practice for collective management organizations internationally.

Question 20

How are the pension benefits of the Welfare Foundation developing?

Accepted Answer

The pension benefits of the 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 the retirement pensions in the appendix to the regulations of the Welfare Foundation.

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