German Pension Authority Denies Claims of 22 Million Incorrect Notices
The German Pension Insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung) has firmly denied recent media reports suggesting that 22 million pension notices were incorrectly calculated. According to a spokesperson for the agency, all calculations were carried out correctly and are in full compliance with the current legal regulations.
On Wednesday, the German tabloid Bild claimed that pensioners had been overcharged due to errors in calculating long-term care insurance contributions. The newspaper alleged that around €11 million had been collected in excess, negatively impacting retirees. However, the Pension Insurance strongly refuted these accusations.
“There is no calculation error. The 22 million pension notices are accurate,” said the spokesperson, speaking to the German press agency dpa.
Care Contribution Rate Adjustment Explained
The confusion appears to stem from a recent adjustment to the long-term care insurance contribution rate. Effective January 1, 2025, the rate increased by 0.2 percentage points, rising from 3.4% to 3.6%. The late implementation of this change was due to the official decision being made in December 2024—too late for immediate integration into the pension system.
To address this timing issue, the government included a simplified lump-sum back payment regulation in the 2025 Contribution Rate Adjustment Ordinance. This adjustment recently appeared on pensioners’ statements, leading to public misunderstandings.
Despite the media coverage, the Pension Insurance emphasizes that the process was handled according to regulations and no errors occurred.
