Wegweiser Occupational disability · Pension & insurance Deutsch

📝 Reduced earning capacity pension: requirements, qualifying period and application

If you can no longer work at least six hours a day on the general labour market because of illness or disability, you may be eligible for a pension due to reduced earning capacity – provided the qualifying period and the insurance requirements are met.

§ 43 SGB VI Qualifying period Full reduced earning capacity Partial reduced earning capacity Pension application § 99 SGB VI § 102 SGB VI

In brief

Under § 43 SGB VI there are two levels: full reduced earning capacity applies if you can work less than three hours a day on the general labour market; partial reduced earning capacity if you can still work at least three but less than six hours. What matters is not your previous occupation but any work that the general labour market offers.

A further requirement is the general qualifying period of five years and – unlike with the old-age pension – a special insurance requirement: in the last five years before the reduced earning capacity began, there must be at least three years of compulsory contributions (§ 43 Abs. 1 Nr. 2, Abs. 4 SGB VI). Exceptions apply to people whose earning capacity is reduced shortly after the end of training or through an accident at work or an occupational disease.

Step by step

  1. Collect medical documentsMedical findings, rehabilitation discharge reports and specialist medical opinions document the limitation of your capacity to work.
  2. Submit the application to the Deutsche RentenversicherungInformally, online or via an advice centre – the application also triggers the "rehabilitation before pension" assessment.
  3. Go through the socio-medical assessmentAn assessor from the pension insurance evaluates your residual capacity to work on the general labour market.
  4. Check the notice of decisionReduced earning capacity pensions are usually granted for a limited period at first (§ 102 SGB VI) – check the time limit and the start of the pension carefully.
  5. Note the priority of rehabilitationThe pension insurance may first examine rehabilitation before it decides on the pension – see the separate topic page on this.

Deadlines

5 years
General qualifying period as a basic requirement.§ 50 SGB VI
3 of 5 years
Special insurance requirement: compulsory contributions in the last five years before the reduced earning capacity began.§ 43 Abs. 1 Nr. 2, Abs. 4 SGB VI
3 calendar months
If the pension application is submitted within this period after the end of the month in which the requirements are met, the pension starts retroactively – otherwise only from the month of application.§ 99 Abs. 1 SGB VI
Watch out – common mistakes
  • The statutory pension tests "in the abstract": what counts is whether you could do any work on the general labour market for at least six hours a day – not whether you can still do the occupation you trained for or last worked in.
  • If you become unable to work very early in your working life (e.g. shortly after the end of training through an accident), you often do not yet meet the five-year qualifying period – exceptions exist for accidents at work/occupational diseases and for certain people starting their careers.
  • Reduced earning capacity pensions are mostly time-limited and, because of the extended contribution period (Zurechnungszeit, § 59 SGB VI) and the pension formula, are often much lower than your previous net income.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Full and partial reduced earning capacity

§ 43 Abs. 1 and 2 SGB VI distinguish according to the remaining capacity to work: under three hours a day (full reduced earning capacity) or three to under six hours a day (partial reduced earning capacity), in each case in relation to the general labour market and regardless of the labour market situation.

Qualifying period and special insurance requirements

In addition to the general qualifying period of five years (§ 50 SGB VI), § 43 Abs. 1 Nr. 2, Abs. 4 SGB VI requires at least three years of compulsory contributions in the last five years before the reduced earning capacity began. § 53 SGB VI allows exceptions to this, including where reduced earning capacity results from an accident at work or an occupational disease.

Time limit

Under § 102 Abs. 2 SGB VI, pensions for reduced earning capacity are generally paid for a limited period if it is unlikely that the reduced earning capacity will remain permanent; an extension is possible, an unlimited pension is only considered after a longer period of receipt or where permanence is evident.

Start of the pension

§ 99 Abs. 1 SGB VI governs the start of the pension: if the application is made in time (within three calendar months after the end of the month in which the entitlement arose), the pension starts retroactively from the month the entitlement arose, otherwise only from the month of application.

Who is responsible
  • Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund or the responsible regional institution
Further reading
Rehabilitation before pensionObjection against the rejection notice for the reduced earning capacity pensionAdditional income with the reduced earning capacity pension

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Reduced earning capacity pension: requirements, qualifying period and application“?
If you can no longer work at least six hours a day on the general labour market because of illness or disability, you may be eligible for a pension due to reduced earning capacity – provided the qualifying period and the insurance requirements are met.
Which deadlines and figures matter?
  • 5 years: General qualifying period as a basic requirement.
  • 3 of 5 years: Special insurance requirement: compulsory contributions in the last five years before the reduced earning capacity began.
  • 3 calendar months: If the pension application is submitted within this period after the end of the month in which the requirements are met, the pension starts retroactively – otherwise only from the month of application.
What should I do first?
  • Collect medical documents: Medical findings, rehabilitation discharge reports and specialist medical opinions document the limitation of your capacity to work.
  • Submit the application to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Informally, online or via an advice centre – the application also triggers the "rehabilitation before pension" assessment.
  • Go through the socio-medical assessment: An assessor from the pension insurance evaluates your residual capacity to work on the general labour market.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • The statutory pension tests "in the abstract": what counts is whether you could do any work on the general labour market for at least six hours a day – not whether you can still do the occupation you trained for or last worked in.
  • If you become unable to work very early in your working life (e.g. shortly after the end of training through an accident), you often do not yet meet the five-year qualifying period – exceptions exist for accidents at work/occupational diseases and for certain people starting their careers.
  • Reduced earning capacity pensions are mostly time-limited and, because of the extended contribution period (Zurechnungszeit, § 59 SGB VI) and the pension formula, are often much lower than your previous net income.
Evidence
  • §§ 43, 50, 53, 59, 99, 102 SGB VI (gesetze-im-internet.de)
As of

September 2026 · Sources and method

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