Scenario.
You start your business in 2012-01-01. You apply for reduced tariff.
In 2013, You & your tax accountant do your tax computation ( “Steuererklärung” ) for your business as fast as you can, so that you receive your tax bill for your business ( “Steuerbescheid” ) of your tax authorities in 2013-05, hopefully. In case of freelancers and sole trader, there is just one tax computation both for private life and for business.
Now you have to pass your tax bill ( “Steuerbescheid” ) to your health insurance. The health insurance assesses the health insurance tariff for 2012, finally ( “Beitragsfestlegung” ).
If you earned less than 1277,50 EUR/month, nothing changes.
If you earned more than 1277,50 EUR/month but less than 1916,25 EUR/month, you have to pay the insurance fee based on the 1916,25 EUR/month tariff from now on.
If you earned more than 1916,25 EUR/month, you past and future insurance fee is even much higher.
For now, lets assume that you earned more than 1277,50 EUR/month but less than 1916,25 EUR/month.
You have to pay the insurance fee based on the 1916,25 EUR/month tariff for the time of self-employment in 2011, so the health insurance demands a supplementary compensation.
You have to pay the insurance fee based on the 1916,25 EUR/month tariff from now on, starting with next 1.st day of month.
In 2014, You & your tax accountant do your tax computation ( “Steuererklärung” ) for your business as fast as you can, so that you receive your tax bill for your business ( “Steuerbescheid” ) of your tax authorities in 2014-05, hopefully.
Now you have to pass your tax bill ( “Steuerbescheid” ) to your health insurance. The health insurance assesses the health insurance tariff for 2013, finally ( “Beitragsfestlegung” ).
What needs to happen so that you can apply for a reduced traffic again ? 2 conditions must be both true ( not alternatively )
You must earn less than 1277,50 EUR/month, according to your tax bill ( “Steuerbescheid” ).
Additionally you must be a hardship case ( “Sozialer Härtefall” ), as the tax authorities may expect that your future income will be 25% lower that your past income according to the text bill ( “Steuerbescheid” ). Your tax authorities have to state this in official letter about the payment in advance ( “Vorauszahlungsbescheid” ).