Since January 1, 2020, contributions to the statutory health insurance plan have been reduced for pensioners through the introduction of an “allowance”. The allowance has amounted to EUR 169.75 since January 1, 2023. Due to its introduction, contributions are only levied on higher company pensions. Health insurance fund contributions must only be paid on the amount exceeding this allowance, at the contribution rate valid for the health insurance fund.

Yes, pensioners who receive a company pension from DHL Group and are covered by compulsory insurance in the statutory health insurance scheme for pensioners (KVdR) will benefit from this reduction.

When the allowance can be implemented depends on whether or not the pension recipient draws only one company pension or also additional company pensions.

In July or August, we will retroactively offset the excess health insurance fund contributions withheld in 2020 from those who receive only one company pension.

We must wait for notifications from the health insurance funds for pension recipients who draw more than one company pension. For this group of people, the health insurance funds will inform us if and in what amount the allowance is to be taken into account. The necessary notification procedure between the health insurance funds and Deutsche Post Renten Service has been adjusted for this purpose. It will go into effect in the new, modified form in October 2020. Not until then, as soon as we have the required notifications from the health insurance funds, can we perform retroactive accounting for 2020 and take the allowance into account for current company pension payments.

No, the allowance only applies to the health insurance contribution. The contribution to long-term care insurance will not change for pension recipients who are covered by compulsory insurance in the statutory health insurance scheme for pensioners (KVdR).

Since this is a key-date regulation, the allowance will be taken into account effective January 1, 2020. Prior timeframes will not be affected by the allowance.

No. The allowance is valid only for pensioners who are covered by compulsory insurance in the statutory health insurance scheme for pensioners (KVdR). The allowance cannot be applied to pensioners who are voluntary members of the statutory health insurance system.

Please note that the existing exemption limit for contribution to long-term care insurance will still be taken into account. The exemption limit remains unaffected by the new GKV-BRG provisions. It is applicable only to pension recipients who are covered by compulsory insurance in the statutory health insurance scheme for pensioners (KVdR).

The allowance will be deducted from the sum of monthly income from company pensions as of January 1, 2020. If several company pensions are drawn, the allowance will only to be taken into account once. The health insurance funds are responsible for determining which insurance carrier will take the allowance into account.

The pension receipt notification contains all the amounts relevant under tax law, such as the pension amount and the health and long-term care insurance contributions paid for the past calendar year.

This applies both to pensions paid on a long-term basis and to one-off lump-sum pension payments.

Every pension recipient who has received a taxable pension benefit within a calendar year is sent a pension receipt notification. 

More and more pensioners are required to submit a tax return. Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) will issue you with a pension receipt notification on request that will help you to complete the “Anlage R” and “Anlage Vorsorgeaufwand zur Steuererklärung” tax forms that make up part of German tax returns. 

The pension receipt notification contains all the amounts relevant under tax law, together with notes about the lines in the forms where you have to enter the figures.

Every pension recipient who has received a taxable pension benefit within a calendar year is sent a pension receipt notification. This applies both to pensions paid on a long-term basis and to one-off lump-sum pension payments.

The Pension Service of Deutsche Post issues a pension receipt notification once a year for the previous calendar year for company pension benefits paid by the Pension Service of Deutsche Post on behalf of your previous employer. You will be sent the pension receipt notification for company pensions automatically by mail by mid-March.

For information about the pension receipt notification for company pension benefits, please call our service line on +49 (0)711 54060 293.

The service line is open from Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and on Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

As the pension receipt notification for the previous calendar year is sent out by Mid-March, please do not ask questions before March 18.

If you have mislaid your pension receipt notification for the previous year or the year before that, please contact our service line. We will be happy to send you a copy of the missing pension receipt notification.