Does your statutory pension pay little? Then grants can help. Some of these you have to apply for explicitly, others come automatically.
Exactly how high the statutory pension is is an individual matter. This makes it all the more important that all relevant times are recorded for the calculation.
At the Clarification of the pension account You should therefore pay close attention to ensuring that nothing is left behind, because, for example, periods of child-rearing and periods of home care can also be counted towards the pension.
Second important point: The statutory pension is only one pillar in the pension system; other pillars should be private and company pension schemes. However, these two points are not mandatory, that’s why they are often neglected.
The digital pension overview gives you an overview of what pension payments you can receive from different sources.
Grant comes without application
Completely without an application you receive the so-called Basic pension supplementif you are entitled to do so. Here, the pension insurance automatically checks whether there is a claim and then pays out the supplement or adjusts the pension. Last year this affected around 1.4 million pensioners in Germany.
Anyone who has worked long hours, raised children or cared for relatives but earns below average is a candidate for the basic pension supplement. Colloquially it is often referred to as a basic pension, but it is not a new type of pension, but rather a bonus that is paid monthly in addition to the statutory pension.
Important: The basic pension supplement is not a flat rate, but is calculated individually for each pension. The basis for this is the respective insurance history.
The prerequisite is that insured persons have at least 33 years of so-called basic pension periods. This includes contribution periods with employment subject to compulsory insurance, Child-rearing times or periods of consideration due to home care.
Health insurance subsidy
Even those who are retired have to pay health insurance contributions. Most pensioners are compulsorily insured with statutory health insurance companies, but some can also choose freely and then be either statutory or privately insured.
- Statutory health insurance: For those with statutory health insurance, a uniform contribution rate of 14.6 percent applies. Here, the pension insurance covers half of the contributions. The pension insurance also pays half of the individual additional contribution.
- Private health insurance: The situation is different for those with private insurance. The contributions for this are independent of income. Pensioners then have to pay the full amount themselves, but can apply for a contribution subsidy. This is paid out together with the pension.
- Voluntary in the GKV: A special case is voluntary insurance in the statutory health insurance company. A subsidy is also possible for this, but it must be applied for.
Anyone who only receives a small pension should claim their own right Basic security in old ageoften also called basic pension, check. It is important to note that this is not really a pension payment, but rather a social assistance benefit that is financed through tax revenue.
Basic security in old age must be provided as a social benefit be actively applied for. In addition to compulsory contribution periods from employment, the basic pension periods also include periods of raising children up to the child’s 10th birthday, and if there are several children, usually until the youngest child turns ten.
This also includes times for caring for relatives as well as for illness or rehabilitation and substitute times.
The state supports low-income citizens by providing a subsidy towards their housing costs. This Housing benefit Pensioners with low incomes can also apply to their municipality.
On the one hand, it is possible Rent subsidywhich is also paid when subletting or staying in the home permanently. On the other hand, owners also receive support in the form of a so-called burden subsidy for owner-occupied living space.
The exact amount of housing benefit depends on the size of the household, total income and the amount of rent. However, people who already receive income-dependent transfer benefits (basic security in old age) are usually excluded from housing benefit
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