Overview
- The government’s planned ‘Neue Grundsicherung’ began its first Bundestag reading in January and proposes a uniform 30% reduction for certain violations plus a “three times plus one” escalation that can suspend benefits for presumed non‑contact.
- Limits set by the Federal Constitutional Court’s 2019 ruling continue to apply, requiring proportionality, hardship consideration and the ability to end reductions once cooperation resumes.
- The Deutsche Rentenversicherung is expected in 2026 to intensify re‑examinations of Erwerbsminderungsrenten and emphasize rehabilitation, with standards for permanent awards guided by §102 SGB VI and a 2023 LSG Hamburg ruling on the nine‑year presumption.
- Advisers warn that delaying a pension application can cause irreversible losses because tax treatment, health‑insurance status and allowances are set by the documented start month rather than by retroactive payments.
- DRV guidance confirms that contributions paid while drawing an early pension are credited at regular pension age with automatic recalculation and a 0.5% monthly bonus thereafter, and Wohngeld will next be adjusted in January 2027 rather than in 2026.