Overview
- The Rentenkommission handed its 33 recommendations to the government on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, proposing to tie the statutory retirement age to life expectancy and sharply limit early-retirement rules.
- The package would add a mandatory capital-funded pillar managed by a state fund with individual accounts financed by up to about 2% of gross wages.
- The commission also recommends broadening the contributor base by bringing many self-employed people, Minijob earners, MPs and corporate board members into compulsory contributions and reducing future civil-service exemptions.
- Trade unions, social groups and left-leaning politicians immediately criticised the measures for risking lower real pensions and greater hardship for workers with physically demanding jobs, while regional leaders warned that eastern Germany could face higher old-age poverty.
- Statutory health insurers have flagged an €18 billion shortfall and municipal associations estimate roughly €30 billion in annual deficits, and the government is circulating related fiscal cuts including a proposed €2 billion Wohngeld reduction as the package moves into cabinet and parliamentary negotiations.