FUTURA A to Z

When is the surviving spouse entitled to a spouse's pension by law?

Whether and to what extent a spouse's pension is insured is shown on the pension plan and certificate. The general eligibility requirements are defined in the pension fund regulations. In the case of extended cover, the entitlement arises solely as a result of the death of a married person.

Instead of a spouse's pension, payment of the lump sum can also be requested. The pension fund must be informed of this before the first pension payment is made.

The pension is paid out until the death of the surviving spouse, but can be reduced if there is a large age difference, for example.

If the eligibility requirements are not met, a one-off settlement equivalent to three years' spouse's pension will be paid. All claims are then deemed to have been settled.

The pension entitlement ceases if the beneficiary remarries or dies.

What is the independent lump-sum death benefit?

If your pension plan specifies an additional lump-sum death benefit (often a fixed percentage in relation to your salary), you are entitled to this in accordance with your pension certificate.

With the FUTURA Vorsorge , we guarantee buy-ins with reimbursement, depending on the pension plan. This means that the voluntary payments you have made into your pension fund will be paid out to your surviving dependants as a one-off payment in addition to any pension in the event of your death. The purchases you have made will therefore be reimbursed in any case. You can find out whether this benefit is insured in your pension plan. The beneficiary regulations can be found in the pension fund regulations or here: see "Beneficiary regulations". Further information and the relevant form can be found here:

TO THE PENSION FUND REGULATIONSTO THE FORM "Beneficiary lump-sum death benefit"

Can I improve my personal pension provision with voluntary contributions?

Your employer deducts the regular contributions from your salary each month. Additional purchases can be made from private funds on a voluntary basis under certain circumstances. In addition to increasing retirement benefits, personal contributions are attractive from a tax perspective because the amounts paid in can be deducted from income. A corresponding confirmation, which must be enclosed with the tax return, is issued by FUTURA after each purchase. It should be noted that funds in the 2nd pillar are tied up.

You can see how much you can pay into the pension fund as a provisional value on the pension certificate (see information sheet "Notes on the pension certificate"). A form must be completed and submitted before the first payment is made (see "Purchase calculation application" form).

If there is no longer any regular purchase potential (value 0 on the statement), it may be possible to buy out early retirement. In this case, please contact customer service.

Important: If you are planning to have your pension fund assets or part of them paid out as a lump sum, no more purchases should be made three years beforehand, as otherwise the tax advantage will lapse and the tax authorities will demand additional payments. This blocking period has no effect on pension withdrawals.

Purchases into the pension fund can now be made directly via myFUTURA. Further information on purchases can be found in the "Purchase" information sheet:

TO THE "PURCHASING" FACT SHEET

I have become incapacitated for work. What will I receive from my pension fund?

In the event of disability, the disability pension specified in the pension plan is paid out after the defined waiting period (or after the continued salary payment and daily allowance benefits have been exhausted). In the event of partial disability, the amount of the disability pension is paid out taking into account the degree of disability. The exact amount can be found on your pension certificate, which you can access at any time on our "myFUTURA" portal. Information on how to log in can be found in the description here:

TO THE "MYFUTURA" FACT SHEET