nursing increases pension entitlement
07.11.2014
Caring for relatives is often an enormous challenge, which takes a lot of time and often makes it impossible for nurses to work normally. Those affected have to reduce their weekly working hours, resulting not only in direct income losses, but also reduced contributions to the pension fund.
To compensate for disadvantages for the future pension of caregivers, the care fund pays contributions to the statutory pension insurance, reports the German pension insurance association. Prerequisite is a time required for the care of at least 14 hours per week. When caring for more than one person, the individual care periods can be added together, the message continues. However, the supplementary pension is only paid if the professional activity carried out does not take more than 30 hours per week.
Disadvantages for the pension are compensated
The care of relatives at home has high societal value, but often the "own professional activity can be exercised by the associated time expenditure only limited," explains the German pension insurance. To compensate for the associated disadvantage for future pension payments, pay the care fund, if necessary, additional contributions to the pension insurance. Here, according to official figures, "depending on the length of weekly care and depending on the level of care, contributions between 118 and 418 euros per month are paid".In this way, the monthly pension entitlement after one year of care increased by seven to 22 euros. Whether a claim to the pension additional payment exists or whether the prerequisites are met is checked by the nursing care insurance fund, with the necessary information being requested from the caregiver.
More detailed information on the needs of the caregivers can be found in the brochure "Pension for caregivers: their use is worthwhile," which provides the German pension insurance on the Internet under "deutsche-rentenversicherung.de" free of charge. The brochure can also be ordered via the toll-free service telephone of the German Pension Insurance on 0800 1000 4800.(fp)
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