Honorary salary for a widow of the Federal President

The amount and receipt of the honorary salary

• The amount of the honorary salary is based on the remuneration that a Federal President receives in office. In 2012 that was € 199,000. In addition, an incumbent president receives an expense allowance of € 78,000 per year.
• The wife of a deceased president only receives this amount as a death benefit for the 3 months following the death. After this period, she is entitled to a widow's allowance, which is calculated on the basis of the honorary salary.
• In 2012, 5 former Federal Presidents received this allowance: Walter Scheel, Richard von Weizsäcker, Roman Herzog, Horst Köhler and Christian Wulff. Horst Köhler voluntarily waived the purchase.

Care for the widow of the Federal President

• As mentioned, strictly speaking, the widow never receives honorary pay, but for 3 months a death benefit in the amount of the pay and afterwards she is entitled to 55% of this amount according to the Civil Service Welfare Act if she has to look after children 60 %.
• In 2012 Veronica Carsten - widow of Carl Carsten - and Christina Rau - widow of Johannes Rau - received the widow's allowance. Veronica Carsten died in January 2012, the payment should have been made in 2011. It is not known whether the two women ever received the widow's allowance, but they did.


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Problem of remuneration after leaving office

• The first Federal President - Theodor Heuss - was already widowed when he left office at the age of 75. His successor - Heinrich Lübke - also left office at 75, his wife was already 84. So it was not to be expected that honorary pay or widow's allowance would have to be paid over a long period of time.
• Horst Köhler left office at 67, his wife was 63 at the time and Christian Wulff left office at 53, his wife was only 39 at the time. So it is to be expected according to human judgment that the honorary pay and later the widow's allowance for you long period of time, unless it comes to a divorce or a voluntary one Waiver. Divorce usually leads to the loss of entitlement to survivors' benefits.
• As the situation in 2012 showed, the honorary pay and provisions for the widows of federal presidents are a major financial burden. If you put it all together, the office of President of the Federal Republic in 2012 gave taxpayers almost 1.4 million. cost, 199,000 € + 78,000 € expense allowance for the incumbent president, 5 x 199,000 € for the 5 former presidents and 55% of 199,000 € for a widow of a president. (As of 05/2013)