Who is eligible for the Riester bonus?

Eligibility for government funding through a Riester contract is granted to all those who pay compulsory contributions into the statutory pension insurance. For married couples, it is sufficient if one spouse meets the requirements; the partner can then also secure the funding.

Compulsory members include:

• Employees in the private sector and public service,
• Civil servants, judges, and career soldiers,
• Apprentices,
• Mini-jobbers who waive exemption from pension insurance (from 2013),
• Unemployed individuals receiving unemployment benefit I or II,
• Mothers or fathers during the three-year parental leave,
• Students who are subject to pension insurance due to a job or internship,
• Individuals receiving a pension due to full reduction in earning capacity or benefits due to full incapacity for service,
• Individuals who care for a person in need of care for at least 14 hours a week at home and are not employed for more than 30 hours a week,
• Disabled employees in sheltered workshops and similar facilities,
• Self-employed individuals subject to pension insurance, e.g. educators and teachers, artists and publicists.

Not eligible for funding:

• Voluntary pension contributors,
• Self-employed individuals not subject to pension insurance,
• Mini-jobbers who have applied for exemption from pension insurance.

If only one partner in a married couple belongs to the eligible group, a special regulation applies. Both partners can take out their own contracts and receive the Riester funding. However, the spouse who is only "indirectly" eligible must pay the basic amount of 60 Euro.