Overview
- Official data show life expectancy for new retirees has barely moved while the statutory age for a full pension rose by more than a year, and the average retirement start also shifted later.
- From July 2026, statutory pensions rise 4.24 percent nationwide, which adds about €77.85 a month to a standard 45‑year pension, and recipients are urged to check adjustment letters quickly because appeals are time‑limited.
- A Cologne regional labor court ruled that anyone drawing a full old‑age pension loses entitlement to Krankengeld, which is the statutory wage‑replacement benefit during long illness, even if they keep working and paying health insurance.
- A health finance commission proposes ending Krankengeld for people who work and draw a high partial pension worth at least two thirds of a full pension, a change that is not yet law and is pitched to save about €36 million in 2027.
- More than 10 million pensioners receive under roughly €1,100 a month and price rises have cut recent income gains, a squeeze that welfare advocates say many could not offset with private or workplace pensions given high housing and living costs.