According to the new coalition agreement, the early start pension should come. DGB board member Anja Piel is critical of-and is not alone.
Berlin-With the planned introduction of the so-called early start pension on January 1, 2026, the grand coalition of the CDU/CSU and SPD sparked a debate. While the government parties praise the measure as part of a comprehensive retirement strategy, Anja Piel, board member of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB), sees this plan critically. Also from another side There is criticism of the project and the underlying financing plans.
Federal government is planning early start pension from 2026-the government needs billions
Loud Coalition agreement A privately organized, capital-covered retirement pot for every child who visits an educational institution in Germany is to be created at the early start pension. The state plans to pay ten euros per month from the sixth to the age of 18 – a total of 1,440 euros per child. The capital saved can continue to be privately paid after the age of majority and finally paid out tax -free after reaching the standard age limit. It is particularly emphasized in the contract that the savings capital is “protected against state access”. So it should be tax -free.
But the criticism is not long in coming. Anja Piel, DGB board member, expresses significant doubts about the benefits of the new pensioner. Opposite Ippen.media She explained: “The effect is very modest due to the size of the individual savings amount for insured persons. With a monthly contribution of EUR 10, a pension of around 30 euros gross, even with 60 years of saving.”
The opposite is the considerable costs that would be necessary for the implementation. Piel calculates: “It costs around 1 billion euros per year for the next 60 years – which is of private insurance groups, but does not really help anyone else.”
DGB chairwoman speaks of “dishonorable arithmetic trick”
Yasmin Fahimi, chair of the DGB, also accuses the Union of artificially calculating the level of pension with statistical manipulations. “The pensions then look stable on the paper, but the appearance is deceptive. Pension cuts are socially unjust and not a field for consolidating state budgets,” said Fahimi according to one DGB press release cited. She also urges the long -term consequences.
There is also criticism of the planned change in the calculation basis for the so -called standard pension. The reference period used so far should be increased from 45 years to 47 years. The DGB chairman sees this critically. She refers to it as “dishonest arithmetic”that serves to disguise an actual pension cut. Fahimi continues: “Anyone who finds heartbreaking words for the recognition of the achievements of all mothers should not at the same time suggest a pension cut for all future pensioners”.
DGB also sees the coupling of pension to economic growth critically
Another point of dispute is the coupling of pension stability to economic growth. For Fahimi, this is socially risky and constitutionally questionable. She explains: “The stabilization of the pension must not be made dependent on economic growth – the Union has also been open to this back door in the exploratory agreement.”
The DGB positively rated that the retirement age should not be increased, as well as the announced stabilization of the pension level. Nevertheless, the trade union association remains skeptical, because according to the DGB, this is only possible if structural measures such as collective bargaining, immigration and training -off -do -it -yourself are promoted more.
In a further statement From March 2025, Piel also warns of possible financial misconceptions in the early start pension and emphasizes: “With the so-called active pension, in the early start pension of the Union as well as additional financial incentives for longer work, it must be ensured that they actually use and not just reduce the income of social security.” (LS)
