Voluntary contributions
Voluntary contributions are contributions to the German statutory pension insurance that are not made as compulsory contributions ( Section 55 (1) sentence 1 SGB VI ). According to paragraph 1 of § 7 SGB VI, the following requirements must be met for voluntary insurance in the German pension insurance:
People who want to take out voluntary insurance may not already be subject to compulsory insurance in the German pension scheme and they must have reached the age of 16. The payment of voluntary contributions for a period is possible until March of the following year ( Section 197 (2) SGB VI), in special cases (e.g. for periods of training that cannot be taken into account ) significantly longer.
Persons who are or are exempt from insurance had to have fulfilled the general waiting period of five years at the start of voluntary insurance under Section 50 (1) SGB VI by 2010 . Since 2010, these requirements for contribution periods from 2010 no longer apply. Recipients of a full retirement pension are excluded from voluntary insurance.
In 2017, the minimum amount for voluntary insurance is € 84.15 per month and the maximum amount is € 1,187.45 per month.
history
| year | monthly contribution amount |
resulting earnings points |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 0.26 - 1.98 | |
| 1959 | 14 DEM - 112 DEM | |
| 2001 | 120.33 DM - 1,661.70 DM | |
| 2010 | EUR 79.60 - EUR 1,094.50 | 0.15-2.06 |
The voluntary contributions were paid until 1976 by buying contribution stamps for the statutory pension insurance from the post office and sticking these into your insurance card.
There were eight contribution payment classes between which the insured could choose. If in 1957 a premium stamp of the lowest class was stuck for each month, this resulted in 0.26 earnings points for that year; if a pension stamp in the highest class was stuck in each month, this resulted in 1.98 earnings points for that year.
In 1959, between 14 DM and 112 DM could be paid monthly as a voluntary contribution. The change in the pension formula in 1959 resulted in peculiarities for some insured persons. For example, high voluntary contributions could reduce the pension, but lower ones could not reduce it.
In 2001 the minimum contribution was DM 120.33 and the maximum contribution DM 1,661.70 for voluntary insurance, which corresponds to € 61.52 and € 849.61, respectively.
Calculation quantities 2017
The contribution to the pension insurance can be freely chosen between the maximum contribution and the minimum contribution. The minimum contribution corresponds to the product of the current contribution rate (18.7 percent 2017) and 450 EUR, i.e. 84.15 EUR per month. The maximum contribution corresponds to the product of the contribution rate (18.7 percent) and the contribution assessment ceiling (6350 EUR), i.e. 1,187.45 EUR per month. Paying the minimum contribution over a year results in around 0.15 earnings points, and paying the maximum contribution around 2 earnings points. The corresponding values for 2017 are:
- Contribution rate: 18.7 percent
- Limit for the minimum contribution: 450 EUR
- Assessment ceiling: EUR 6,350
and thus
- Minimum contribution: 84.15 EUR
- Maximum contribution: EUR 1,187.45
See also
- Pension law times
- Compulsory contribution period
- Consideration time
- Child-rearing time
- Accounting time
- Replacement time
- Credit time
References and comments
- ↑ Exemption from insurance is based on § 5 SGB VI . Civil servants , judges and soldiers ( professional and temporary soldiers ) are exempt from insurance .
- ↑ Being exempt from insurance means that someone is basically obliged to take out insurance, but has been exempted upon application.
- ↑ The general waiting period is 5 years (60 calendar months). Compulsory contribution times and substitute times are counted towards this time .
- ↑ Pay attention to the "limit value"! . In: Die Zeit , No. 16/1957
- ↑ SOCIAL PENSIONS - Tips for Volunteers . In: Der Spiegel . No. 14 , 1959 ( online ).
- ↑ Employees must now calculate sharply . In: Die Zeit , No. 16/1957
- ↑ Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Pension: this is how it is calculated - old federal states PDF ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Page 14, minimum contribution 0.15 EP, maximum contribution 2.0623 EP
