As of: January 26, 2024, 10:43 a.m
By: Marvin K. Hoffmann
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The leap year means that the pension will be paid out later in February 2024.
Anyone who is currently short of money will have to bridge a longer period of time.
Hamm - It's not just the many pensioners in Germany who are familiar with the problem: at the end of the month, money could run out.
January is often particularly hard, as many bills come in that need to be paid.
So it's no wonder that many people are eagerly waiting for their pension to be paid out in February.
Ultimately, it brings fresh money into the account, which has often been drained.
But in 2024, pensioners who can expect a pension increase will have to be patient - the payment will take place later than in previous years.
Due to leap year: pension comes a little later in February 2024
The leap year is to blame.
Pensioners who now think they have to bridge a whole month can breathe a sigh of relief.
The payment of the pension in February 2024, which brings with it further changes, will only be delayed by one day.
The payment date due to the leap year is February 29th, a Thursday.
As pension consultant Peter Knöppel from
Rentenbescheid24.de
explains, this is the payday for these statutory pensions:
the pensions paid in arrears starting after April 2004 for the pension month of February 2024
the pensions paid in advance with retirement starting before April 2004 for the pension month March 2024
Knöppel also mentions another important note.
“The citizen’s benefit for the month of February 2024 will be paid on January 31, 2024, a Wednesday – because citizen’s benefit is paid in advance,” explains the lawyer.
Because of the leap year, the pension is paid one day later in February.
© Sina Schuldt/dpa
Every four years there is a leap year - and February 29th
The fact that there is another February 29th this year has a simple reason.
In the Gregorian calendar, which has been used almost worldwide since the 16th century, the year has 365 days, it consists of twelve months and there are four seasons.
So far clear.
But every four years the calendar gets out of rhythm.
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The system doesn't work completely - so there has to be a leap year.
The background: The Earth orbits constantly around the sun in our solar system.
It takes the Earth around 365 days to complete one complete orbit.
Strictly speaking, however - with some fluctuations in the orbital period - there is an average of 365.2422 days, i.e. around 5 hours and 49 minutes more than a calendar year.
This “excess” is absorbed by the extra day in a leap year - so pensioners can complain to the Earth that it does not revolve around the sun faster.