As of: March 19, 2024, 7:49 a.m
By: Amy Walker
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In the next few days, the federal government plans to announce this year's pension increase from July.
For some pensioners there will even be a double increase.
Berlin - The wait will soon be over for the 21 million pensioners in the country: Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) is expected to announce this year's pension increase in the next two weeks.
It is not yet known how high this will be - so far Heil has only said that he expects an increase "above inflation".
A pension insurance forecast from the end of 2023 assumed 3.5 percent more for old-age pensions.
However, in July 2024, not only old-age pensions will increase, but also disability pensions and pensions for survivors (widow's pensions and orphans' pensions).
How high these will rise is already clear: there will be between 4.5 and 7.5 percent more from summer.
Anyone who receives (or has received) both one and the other can look forward to a double increase.
7.5 percent more pension to iron out injustice
Every year on July 1st, the statutory pensions are adjusted, using the wage development in the rest of the population as a guideline.
Due to higher collective bargaining agreements in 2023, pensioners can look forward to a significant adjustment to their pensions.
Details will be announced at the end of March, probably before Easter.
However, a different law applies to disability pensions and survivors' pensions, which is intended to right an old injustice.
For new recipients of these pensions from 2019 and 2014 onwards, there has been a legal adjustment that has put them in a significantly better position than all their predecessors.
The legislature has recognized this as unfair - which is why the earlier years should now receive an increase.
Everyone who received an EM pension between January 2002 and June 2014 will receive 7.5 percent more from July 1, 2024.
However, if the pension started between July 2014 and December 2018, there is an increase of 4.5 percent.
For some pensioners, the increase in 2024 will be particularly good.
(Symbolic photo) © Jonas Walzberg/imago images
This increase also applies to those who are currently receiving an old-age pension but have received an employment reduction pension and/or a survivor's pension in the periods mentioned.
People who now receive a survivor's pension, but whose deceased husband/wife previously received an EM pension, now also receive a plus on the survivor's pension.
“Double payday”: Pensioners get extra money and a regular increase
But this also means that this group of pensioners is entitled to a double increase in the summer.
This is explained, among other things, by the German Social Association: “If you do this next year [2024, note d.
Red] receives a special increase, the 'usual' pension adjustment is added on top.
So double payday.” In concrete terms, for some people this means eleven percent more pension from July 1, 2024. For those who “only” receive 4.5 percent as a special increase, it is eight percent more pension.
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If the increase in old-age pensions turns out to be even higher than previously forecast, this will of course also be reflected in the EM/survivors' pensions.
So they could be even more significant, after all pension increases of six percent were currently being discussed.