Pension paradise Austria: Seniors collect hundreds of euros more than Germans

Compared to Germany, the Alpine republic is a paradise for seniors.

Because in Austria retirees receive significantly more from the state, as a recent study showed.

Work for a lifetime and end up being a pensioner in poverty?

For many people in Germany, this is a bitter reality.

A

the Scientific Service of the Bundestag on behalf of the Left shows: There is another way!

In

,

receive

significantly more from the state, an average male earner there comes to

more than here.

Do we need a pension turnaround in Germany based on the Austrian example?

We show where the differences lie in the systems of the two countries.

Also read:

Pension: How much money do senior citizens get in Austria?

The average annual gross

pension

in

is 26,577 euros - i.e. 2,214.73 euros, which are paid out in 14 installments, because in Austria there is a 100 percent

and a 100 percent

.

In

, the standard pensioner only comes to EUR 17,026 after 45 years of contributions, or EUR 1,418.80, around EUR 800 less per month.

Even with the

, the Austrians are better off: After 30 years of contributions, there is a basic pension of 1,114 euros.

In Germany, a basic pension of around 880 euros has been decided after 33 years of contributions, but has not yet come into force.

Read here

Pension in Germany and Austria: Why are the differences so big?

In

, almost all employed persons are included in the

- including civil servants.

The

inclusion of civil servants in the pension system, which has been discussed

in

for decades, was decided in Austria in 2004 - with long transition periods until 2040. The self-employed have also been included in Austria's pension system since 1958.

And: The extra sausages for politicians in Austria were canceled without replacement as early as 1997 - since then MPs have also paid their pensions quite normally. 

The second important point is that employers in

pay 2.3 percent more contributions than employees.

The contribution rate in Austria is higher than in Germany (currently 18.6 percent): employees pay 22.8 percent of their income subject to social insurance up to the maximum contribution limit of currently 5,370 euros per month.

The employer has to pay 12.55 percent and the employee 10.25 percent.

The contribution rate has remained unchanged since 1990.

You can also find out:

You should save this much money for old age - otherwise there is a risk of nasty surprises when you retire

At what age do senior citizens from Austria retire?

In

, no pension is planned at 67: the

age is still 65 for men and 60 for women.

For women born after June 1968, the entry age will be gradually raised to 65.

With deductions, men can retire at the age of 62 if they have at least 40 years of contributions.

The actual average retirement age in 2018 was 63.2 years for Austrian men and 60.4 for women.

In

, the retirement age was 64.0 for men and 64.1 for women - due to the retirement age at 67, which will be gradually introduced until 2029, the actual retirement age will continue to diverge in the coming years.

Also read

How high is the pension level?

The pension level (after 45 years of contributions) is

80 percent

in

and

48.2 percent

in

- with us often adding private Riester pensions and company pensions, both of which hardly exist in Austria.

The pensions are adjusted annually according to the inflation rate - without the dampening factors usual in Germany.

Find out more

What can we learn from Austria?

"We need a major

in Germany that is oriented towards Austria," demands left parliamentary group leader Dietmar Bartsch.

The number of letters that Bartsch has received since the study was published showed how great popular support is for this demand, a spokesman for the Left told the print edition of tz.

Also interesting:

Tax return: You can deduct moving costs and get a lot of money back.

Cheap paradises: Those who live here never have to go to work again

Cheap paradises: Those who live here never have to go to work again