Spahn, Seehofer and Scheuer - that's how much the former ministers get
Created: 12/22/2021 Updated: 12/22/2021, 8:05 PM
By: Patricia Huber
After their time as Prime Minister, Horst Seehofer, Andreas Scheuer and Jens Spahn don't have to worry about finances.
© Kay Nietfeld / dpa
What does a minister actually get after his term of office?
And how much pension can he look forward to?
An overview of how much Scheuer, Spahn, Seehofer and Co. received.
Berlin - Angela Merkel * has ruled as Federal Chancellor with a total of 14 ministers.
14 people who had to give up their position in the course of the change of government.
But financially, that shouldn't be a problem for most of them.
After all, anyone who has once been a minister will not be financially let down by the state even after his term in office.
Anyone who has been Federal Minister for at least four years receives a pension of 4,560 euros.
For each additional year in office, the monthly retirement pension, as it is known, increases by 393 euros.
However, there is also an upper limit.
Former ministers can receive a maximum pension of 11,796 euros per month.
Pension: Pension entitlements for politicians are accumulated
Politicians such as the former health minister * Jens Spahn and the former transport minister * Andreas Scheuer had already acquired pension entitlements as state secretaries.
These are then paid in addition to the pension entitlements from the ministerial period.
Former Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is now retiring.
In the course of his political career, the 72-year-old has amassed a considerable list of offices.
It was Minister of Health for six years (1992-1998).
For three years he was Minister for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in Germany (2005-2008) and, last but not least, Minister of the Interior for four years (2018-2021).
Seehofer has a term of office of around 13 years - as Federal Minister alone.
That would give him a pension of over 8,000 euros.
Then there are the pension entitlements from his time as State Secretary and Member of Parliament in Bavaria and in the federal government.
Transitional allowance: Ministers are paid at least six months after their term in office
“Anyone who leaves the federal government falls softly first,” writes
the taxpayers' association
on its website.
Because every minister still receives what is known as a transitional allowance.
Former members of the federal government can receive this transition allowance for a minimum of six months and a maximum of two years.
This is what it says in Section 14 of the Federal Ministers Act.
And how much money is it?
For the first three months, the former ministers receive their official salary and the local allowance in full.
For the remainder of the period of entitlement, it is then "only" half of the entitlement.
A federal minister receives around EUR 16,440 in office salaries during his term of office.
Transitional allowance: This is how the duration of the payment is determined
The term of office determines the duration of the transitional allowance.
The law says literally: "The transitional allowance is paid for the same number of months for which the person entitled has received official salaries as a member of the federal government without interruption, but at least for six months and at most for two years." Was a minister, but still receives the transitional allowance for at least six months.
But: From the second month, the transition allowance is offset against private income or diets.
So if someone stays in parliament, as is the case with Spahn or Scheuer, this will be taken into account.
The retirement pension also has an influence.
At Horst Seehofer, for example, the transitional allowance and retirement pension must be reduced.
Basically, the pension entitlements of the individual politicians are very individual.
They depend on many factors such as the various offices and also the terms of office, which is why it is not possible to make a generalized statement about the pension of politicians.
(ph)
