Status: 10/20/2022 3:22 p.m
In December, pensioners receive a one-time payment of 300 euros to relieve them of energy and food costs. This was decided by the Bundestag with a large majority. Only the AfD did not vote for it.
The Bundestag has decided on the energy price flat rate of 300 euros for pensioners. The reason is the high energy prices. The one-off payment should be made by December 15th. Only AfD MPs abstained, all other factions voted in favour.
At the beginning of September, the traffic light coalition agreed on the lump sum for pensioners and pension recipients with its third relief package. In the previous packages, no relief was provided specifically for pensioners. Employed people had already received an energy price lump sum of 300 euros in September.
Implementation should be uncomplicated
The SPD politician Kerstin Griese spoke of a “quick, uncomplicated and comprehensive implementation” of the law. It is now about “targeted help”, since the high energy prices are threatening the existence of many people.
The CSU politician Max Straubinger welcomed the step in principle, because the government had previously “left out in the rain”. At the same time, he criticized the implementation of the measure – for example, accident victims and victims of violent crimes who received pensions were given just as little attention as freelancers.
Payment should be automatic
Around 20 million pensioners will now benefit from the cash injection. You do not have to do this yourself – the one-off payment is made automatically by the pension payment offices. Anyone who is entitled to an old-age, reduced earning capacity or survivor’s pension from the statutory pension insurance scheme as of December 1, 2022 will receive the flat-rate energy price.
People who receive pension payments under the Civil Servants Act or the Soldiers Pension Act also benefit from this. Residency in Germany is required. The lump sum is not taken into account for income-related social benefits and is also not subject to the obligation to contribute to social security. However, it should be subject to tax. The federal government’s costs for the package amount to 6.4 billion euros.