Unpleasant after-effects: Those who receive less pension from February onwards

At the beginning of the year, many health insurance companies increased their additional contributions. For employees, this has meant higher deductions from their gross salary since the beginning of the year and correspondingly less net. As the German pension insurance company reports, many pensioners are also affected, but there is a technical lag effect. That means:

If your health insurance company changes the additional contribution rate, this will only affect the amount of your additional pension contribution after two months.

So while employees will immediately feel the increase in additional contributions on January 1, 2026, the change in pensions will only take effect legally after a two-month delay.

Payments affected from the end of February

The German pension insurance will not implement health insurance contribution rate changes until the month after next (§ 247 SGB V). Since 42 of 93 statutory health insurance companies in Germany increased contributions to an average of 2.9 percent at the turn of the year, pensioners will only be billed for pension payments in March.

• Advance payment: Anyone who received their pension for the first time by March 2004 will receive their pension in advance, i.e. on the last banking day of the previous month. This means: The pension for March 2026 will be transferred on February 27, 2026.
• Late payment: However, anyone who received their pension for the first time from April 2004 will receive it in arrears, i.e. on the last banking day of the respective month. This means: The pension for March 2026 will not be transferred until March 31, 2026.

If your health insurance company has increased the additional contribution and you receive your pension in advance, it will be lower when you pay it at the end of February. If payment is made in arrears then only with the payment at the end of March 2026.

Special right of termination and pension increase

Pensioners can also change their health insurance company and if the additional contribution increases, they have a special right of termination. You can therefore cancel your existing health insurance until the end of January 2026.

Then there is usually a notice period of two months, so that you can be insured with a new health insurance company from April 2026. Anyone who switches to insurance with a lower additional contribution will then receive a correspondingly higher pension.

In addition, there will be a general pension increase again from July 2026. Exactly how high this will be is not yet clear, current calculations assume expected to be 3.7 percent plus at the pension.

• Tip: The pension insurance does not send any new notifications regarding increased health insurance contributions. Check your bank statement in February/March. If the additional contribution increases, you have a special right of termination and can switch to a cheaper health insurance company.