Germany's High Earners to Pay More for Pension, Health Insurance from 2026
Germany's high earners will face increased pension and health insurance contributions from 2026 onwards. This change, announced by Labour Minister Barbel Bas of the SPD, ties the increases to wage and salary growth, which stood at around five percent in 2024.
The new contributions will apply up to the contribution assessment ceiling. This move aims to strengthen the social security system, a commitment that Minister Bas has repeatedly emphasised.
Meanwhile, the CDU's proposed Chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, has publicly questioned the financial sustainability of the current social system. Despite this, the SPD's plans for increased contributions appear to be proceeding.
From 2026, high earners in Germany will contribute more to pension and health insurance. This change, linked to wage growth, is part of the SPD's commitment to the Social Security Code. The CDU's Chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, has expressed concerns about the current system's financial sustainability, but the SPD's plans remain unchanged.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
