The focus on civil servants: big differences to the statutory pension

The focus on civil servants: big differences to the statutory pension

A current discussion about pension in Germany has received new impulses. Federal Minister of Labor Bärbel Bas (SPD) initiated the debate whether civil servants should pay into the statutory pension insurance (GRV). This question is gaining in importance, since more than 50 % of pensioners receive less than 1,500 euros net per month with at least 40 years of insurance, according to Ruhr24 . The civil servants are in a strong contrast, because around 88,820 federal pensions received more than 3,000 euros gross per month in January 2024.

The federal government, however, warns of direct comparisons between pension and the pension. Officials usually have a completed university degree or qualified training, which leads to these differences in the income situation. In addition, there is a contribution ceiling in the statutory pension insurance, over which no contributions and pension entitlements are credited. While civil servants are entitled to an appropriate livelihood in old age within the framework of the principle of alimentation, pension payments from employees are net values ​​after deduction of health and nursing insurance contributions.

The public perception of civil servants

The stimulus “civil servant pension” is often mentioned in the public discussion and often leads to demands for cuts in civil servants in order to make the pension system fairer. However, there is no uncertainty about why no reforms have been taking place in this area, although political influence is questioned, since many politicians are civil servants, reports Kapitalfuchs .

A survey shows that 81.4 % of the population supports the inclusion of newly employed state employees in statutory pension insurance. In this context, some parties, including the Greens and the SPD, have initiated reforms to strengthen social justice in the pension system. The Greens propose a gradual introduction of citizens' insurance in which all professional groups should deposit. At the same time, the SPD plans to increase the contribution obligations for top earners and introduce a minimum pension to promote equal treatment.

Reform options for civil servants

The Council of Experts To assess the overall economic development, has presented reform options for civil servants. These include the possibility of accepting newly employed civil servants in the statutory pension insurance and granting a company pension. The aim of these measures is long -term financial discharge and containing pension expenses, which could grow to 1.9 % of gross domestic product by 2040, such as Experten.de reported.

DIE LINKE calls for a uniform regulation for retirement services without special regulations for civil servants. Sahra Wagenknecht criticizes the existing pension regulations as a "unacceptable parallel society" and calls for their abolition. In contrast, FDP shows skepticism compared to the inclusion of civil servants in the GRV and supports a capital -covered model. The Union speaks against radical reforms and prioritizes selective adjustments, while the AfD makes suggestions to restrict civil servant status to sovereign tasks.