Pension abroad: Tölzer couple reports on life in paradise
Created: 05/08/2022 04:54
By: Wolfgang DePonte
Spend the old age in warm climes under the sun - that's what some pensioners dream of.
The Küblers have fulfilled their dream and report on their new life in Italy.
Munich/Po-Level - A life in the warm south - Petra (65) and Bernd Kübler (68) have fulfilled this dream in retirement.
In 2018 the couple moved from Bad Tölz to the Po Valley.
This is not new territory for the physiotherapist and the coachbuilder, the couple knows the area, they bought a house there in 2007.
But not just spending days and weeks in this beautiful spot – far away from the holiday regions – but immersing yourself in real life was something different.
Pension abroad: The Küblers had to overcome these hurdles
First of all: the Küblers have not regretted the step.
They love the warmth (“summer clothes can be worn even in March”), the countryside and the Italian way of life.
But to get started, there were a few bureaucratic hurdles to overcome.
"The first thing you need is an Italian health insurance card," says Petra Kübler.
And applying for one isn't easy, especially if you don't speak the language very well.
But thanks to the help of an Italian friend, that finally worked.
Happy pensioners in Italy since 2018: Petra and Bernd Kübler from Bad Tölz.
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The couple was also surprised that their pension had to be taxed in Italy.
In Germany they were below the tax-free allowance, in Italy ten percent of their gross pension is taxed.
Bernd Kübler: "If I understood that correctly, this differs from community to community."
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Pension abroad: No tax for house and property
After all, the Küblers no longer have to pay taxes on the house and the property.
This accrued as long as they had only registered a second home in their new home.
And what about the cost of living?
"They are a bit below those in Germany," says Petra Kübler.
Also because the fresh vegetables and fruit come from our own garden.
And the medical care?
"It's good," says Petra Kübler.
After falling from a ladder, she was treated for back injuries at a nearby hospital.
"That was great and absolutely free!"
In 2007 the Küblers fulfilled their dream of domicile in the Po Valley, now it is the center of their lives.
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Conclusion of the Küblers: "We really feel at home here." And the relatives?
"Visits more often than before," laughs Petra Kübler.
“We have two guest rooms and they are mostly occupied.” Many Germans spend their retirement years in the sun.
The German pension insurance transfers around 250,000 Germans their retirement benefits abroad.
(WDP)