CDU/CSU on pensions

The CDU and the CSU want to leave the statutory retirement age and the pension after 45 insurance years unchanged. They rule out pension cuts; the pension level and contribution rates are to stay stable, which the program says economic growth should make possible.

The CDU and the CSU do not want to change the retirement age. Pensions should not go down. The payments into the pension system should also stay the same. Self-employed people should have to save for old age.

Anyone who has worked full-time for 45 years, raised children, or cared for relatives is to get a pension clearly above basic old-age support. Company and private pensions are to supplement the statutory pension; small and mid-sized employers are to get support with company pensions. For self-employed people without enough other coverage, the parties plan mandatory retirement provision. In the social insurance elections, online voting is to be possible, and elections without an actual vote, known as Friedenswahlen, are to be abolished.

The CDU and the CSU want to introduce an "Aktivrente" (active pension). People who voluntarily keep working after reaching retirement age are to keep part of their salary tax-free.

The CDU and the CSU want an "active pension." Some people keep working by choice after retirement age. They should pay less tax on their pay. Up to 2,000 euros a month should be tax-free.

A salary of up to 2,000 euros a month is to stay tax-free. The parties want this to make the move from work into retirement more flexible and working in old age more attractive. In addition, people receiving a widow's pension are to be allowed to earn considerably more on top of it.

The CDU and the CSU want to set up a personal retirement account for every child, with the government paying into it each month. This is meant to get young people started early on capital-funded retirement saving and to build awareness of it.

The CDU and the CSU want an early-start pension. The government pays in 10 euros each month for every child. The money is invested in the capital market, for example in stocks. Later, people can keep paying in themselves. They get the money only at retirement age.

The government is to pay in 10 euros a month for children between the ages of 6 and 18. The account is individual, run by private providers, and geared toward returns without guarantees. From age 18, holders can keep paying in themselves until retirement. Returns are to stay tax-free until retirement begins. The government may not touch the savings, and payouts start only at the standard retirement age.