The basic pension is intended to top up low pensions.
An experiment should show whether this works.
This caused "a lot of panic" for the test person.
Munich - After the basic pension came into force on January 1, 2021, many pensioners are waiting for their notices, which will be sent from July.
Then you will find out how much money you will receive each month in addition to your normal pension.
According to estimates by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS), of the total of 21 million pensioners in Germany, around 1.3 million are entitled to the basic pension.
The basic pension is intended to compensate for people who have worked long but still only receive a very low pension.
Pensioners who have paid pension contributions for at least 33 years, whether through contribution payments, bringing up children or care activities, are entitled to a relationship.
The second requirement is that the average annual salary was 30 to 80 percent of the average wage.
Experiment with basic pension: In the end, there are three euros left
The TV broadcaster
RTL
wanted to conduct an experiment to determine whether the pension increased by the basic pension is enough to live on.
The focus is on the 48-year-old saleswoman Sabrina, who has been working part-time since the birth of her child.
Although she has already paid into the pension fund for 31 years, according to the current pension decision, she can only expect a pension of 482 euros.
The following calculation is made in the experiment.
Including the basic pension, Sabina's pension would rise to 850 euros gross.
Of this, 700 euros would remain net.
The following expenses are deducted from this:
rental fee |
362 euros |
Electricity, gas and internet |
60 euro |
Telephone (smartphone and landline) |
25 euros |
Property insurance |
20 Euros |
public transportation |
51 euros |
Account management fees |
10 Euro |
This leaves Sabrina 172 euros a month to live with.
For the two-week experiment, RTL gives you 86 euros.
Her first course takes her to a discounter, where she pays just over 29 euros for groceries.
This does not include drinks or toiletries.
At the end of the two weeks, Sabrina still has three euros left.
Experiment with the basic pension: giving up free time was the worst
For her, giving up free time was the worst, Sabrina said after the experiment.
The saleswoman continues: “There was a doubt that in the end I would stand there with nothing and say: Now you have spent too much.” What should she do in the other days or weeks that may still be ahead of her?
"I was in a lot of panic, I'll be honest with you," says Sabrina about her inner life.
Sabrina is an example of a part of the population that is most frequently affected by poverty in old age.
These are women who earn less because of childcare or part-time work and thus pay less pension contributions.
You also don't have the option to save money for old age.
The basic pension is intended to help them cope better with their retirement.
But one result of the
RTL
experiment is that this is not enough.
Hartz IV recipients too often make ends meet rather poorly.
This is shown by a report on the TV channel
RTL2
, in which 14-year-old Florentine gives terrifying insights into the world of child poverty.
List of rubric lists: © Christian Ohde via www.imago-images.de
