Hundreds of thousands of Germans are entitled to the basic pension. T-online explains what you should know about the surcharge on mini-pensions.
The pension may be safe, but it sometimes falls narrow. Even though many pensioners have worked long and hard. Since 2021, the basic pension surcharge has therefore increased small pensions- regardless of whether it is an age, surviving or disability pension. T-online explains to you when you are entitled to basic pension, whether you have to apply for you-and what else you should consider.
video | Money in old age is not enough: “We both go to work”
The surcharge for mini pensions is said to benefit all pensioners who worked and have paid contributions into pension insurance, but only earned below average. In order to be entitled to basic pension, you must therefore meet these two requirements:
- You have acquired at least 33 years at basic pension times.
- You achieved an average income of 30 to 80 percent of the general average earnings during your professional life. For, for example, this is at least around 1,262 euros and a maximum of around 3,366 euros gross per month.
If the average income of your entire professional life is more than 80 percent of the earnings that is determined as a national average for the respective years, the basic pension cannot be paid. Times with minor employment are not taken into account.
The following times are the basic pension times taken into account in German pension insurance:
- Mandatory contribution times from work or independence
- Mandatory contribution times for child rearing and care
- Times when you have received a service during illness or rehabilitation
- Consideration times due to child rearing and care
- Replacement times (for example, times of military service, captivity or political detention in the GDR)
Times are not among the basic pension times when they:
- Have paid voluntary contributions
- were unemployed
- Have received disability pension
- were in school training.
No. You do not have to make an application for the basic pension. The basic pension flows automatically – if you are entitled to it.
- Read too: Do I get basic pension when I retire with a tee?
The amount of the basic pension surcharge depends on two factors: the number of basic pension times and the amount of their taxable income. In order to be able to receive the basic pension in full, you must have at least 35 years at basic pension times. The surcharge is paid in staggered between 33 and 35 years – i.e. in a shortened form.
For this, the pension insurance uses the so -called boundary value. It is 0.4 earnings points at 33 years, i.e. 40 percent of the average earnings, and increases evenly to 0.8 earnings points, i.e. 80 percent of the average earnings, for 35 and more years. You can find a calculation example below.
Good to know: The submission of a voluntary tax return can help increase the claim or even justify it. If the tax authorities have no data from a tax return, the German pension insurance simply takes the data from the pension and care references, which it pays for itself as a basis for calculation.
However, it only withdraws the tax-free pension share, general allowances and the applicable advertising costs and special expenses. It therefore does not take any further expenses such as illness costs, exceptional burdens or craftsman costs, donations and church tax, which would further reduce their taxable income. The basic pension is then less than necessary or even completely eliminated.
This depends on how long you have worked as a mini -jobber – and whether you have earned more than the minimum limit of 30 percent of the average wage. If this was not the case, you are not entitled to the basic pension. A basic pension with mini jobs alone is not possible.
However, a mini job can ensure that you are entitled to the basic pension at all – if you have even years in which you have received at least 30 percent of the average earnings.
Because as a mini -jobber, they are usually subject to pension insurance – unless they can be released (read here what the disadvantages are). If you deposit into the pension insurance, you acquire a corresponding claim to the basic pension.
The basis for the calculation of the surcharge is the earnings points, also called pension points, which you have acquired based on your contributions to the pension insurance. An exception applies to the widow’s or widow’s pension: Since it is calculated from the insurance period of the deceased, it depends on the late points of the deceased. Read more about the basic pension surcharge on the widow’s pension here.
