Nursing increases the pension entitlement

Increased pension for care of relatives

08/11/2014

Caring for relatives is often an enormous challenge, which takes a lot of time and often makes normal nursing work impossible. Those affected have to reduce their weekly working hours, resulting in not only direct income losses, but also reduced contributions to the pension fund.

To compensate disadvantages for the future pension of the nurses, the care fund pays contributions to the statutory pension insurance, reports the German pension insurance association. Prerequisite is a time required for the care of at least 14 hours per week. When caring for more than one person, the individual care periods can be added together, the message continues. However, the supplementary pension is only paid if the professional activity carried out does not take up more than 30 hours per week.

Disadvantages for the pension are compensated
The care of relatives at home has high social value, but often the „own professional activity are exercised by the associated time expenditure only limited“, explains the German pension insurance. In order to compensate for the associated disadvantage for future pension payments, the nursing care fund may pay additional contributions to the pension insurance. Here, according to official information „Depending on the duration of the weekly care and depending on the degree of dependency paid contributions between 118 and 418 euros a month“ become. In this way, the monthly pension entitlement after one year of care increased by seven to 22 euros. Whether a claim to the pension additional payment exists or whether the prerequisites are fulfilled, is checked by the nursing care insurance, with the necessary information being requested from the caregiver.

More detailed information on the requirements of the carers can be found in the brochure „Pension for caregivers: It's worth your while“, which Deutsche Rentenversicherung provides free of charge on the internet at www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de. The brochure can also be ordered via the toll-free service telephone of the German Pension Insurance on 0800 1000 4800. (Fp)

Picture: Helene Souza