Germany's pension system: caregiver points and pension‑retirement gap

Caregivers of relatives with care level 3 in Germany can accrue pension points through the statutory pension scheme. Eligibility requires the care recipient to have at least care level 2, a minimum of ten hours of care per week at home, the caregiver to work no more than 30 hours per week elsewhere, and residence in Germany, the EEA or Switzerland. Since 1 January 2025 a uniform reference earnings level of €3,745 per month is used for calculation. For a caregiver providing a combination service the monthly assessment base is €1,368.80, which translates to roughly 0.3 pension points per year.

A Bundestag report shows a pronounced disparity between statutory old‑age pensions and civil‑service pensions. The average monthly statutory pension for about 20 million retirees was €1,154 in 2024, while the average public‑service pension for 1.4 million former officials was €3,416 in early 2025. About 60 % of former officials receive at least €3,000 per month, whereas roughly 37 % of statutory retirees receive under €900. The report notes that the two systems are financed differently and are not directly comparable, characterising the gap as a privilege for civil servants.