(2022) What forms of Rürup pension are available?

The Rürup policy can be taken out as either a traditional or unit-linked life insurance. In both cases, the entitlement is a monthly pension payment, i.e., an annuity. Traditional life insurance invests the savings portion diversely in the capital market, mainly in bonds. The policyholder receives a profit share from the returns. The guaranteed interest rate for contracts concluded between 2012 and 2014 is 1.75 percent, for contracts concluded from 1 January 2015 only 1.25 percent, from 1 January 2017 the guaranteed interest rate has fallen to 0.9 percent and from 1 January 2022 it is only 0.25 percent.

With unit-linked life insurance, the savings amount is invested in investment funds. Therefore, there is no guaranteed interest rate as with the traditional policy. The risk is thus somewhat higher. However, an above-average return is also possible. The Rürup pension is also secure in the event of unemployment. Since no money may be paid out before the start of the pension, the savings are not considered disposable assets under the Social Security Code and cannot be seized during the accumulation phase.

The ongoing contributions and the accumulated capital are also not counted towards unemployment benefit II. In the pension phase, the payments - like all others - are then of course subject to seizure, at least above the non-seizable portion. Until then, periods during which no contributions are made for a longer period do not prevent tax incentives. However, the contract with the insurance company must also allow for a contribution pause.