📉 Reduced earning capacity in depression

If depression permanently and severely limits your ability to work, a reduced earning capacity pension (Erwerbsminderungsrente) may come into question – under the principle "rehabilitation before pension".

Reduced earning capacity pension (Erwerbsminderungsrente) § 43 SGB VI Rehabilitation before pension Qualifying period Full reduction in earning capacity Partial reduction in earning capacity

In brief

A reduced earning capacity pension comes into question if depression limits your ability to work under the usual conditions of the general labour market so severely that treatment and rehabilitation are foreseeably not enough. The Deutsche Rentenversicherung (German pension insurance) always first examines whether rehabilitation measures can restore earning capacity – only when that is (no longer) sufficient does the pension come into consideration.

Step by step

Apply for rehabilitation (principle "rehabilitation before pension")Before a reduced earning capacity pension is granted, the pension insurance generally requires proof that medical or vocational rehabilitation measures have been exhausted or tried without success.
Check the insurance-law requirementsYou need the general qualifying period of 5 years as well as at least 3 years of compulsory contributions in the last 5 years before the reduction in earning capacity began.
Submit an application to the Deutsche RentenversicherungThe application can be started informally and completed with the required documents (medical findings, rehabilitation discharge reports).
Undergo the socio-medical assessmentAn expert opinion (often based on the file or a personal examination) clarifies how many hours a day gainful employment on the general labour market is still possible.
Check the notice of decision and file an objection if necessaryIf the application is rejected or the time limit is too short, you can file an objection within one month; get expert advice when doing so.

Deadlines

5 years

General qualifying period (minimum insurance period) before the reduction in earning capacity begins§ 50 SGB VI

3 of 5 years

Compulsory contribution periods in the last 5 years before the reduction in earning capacity begins§ 43 para. 1 no. 2 SGB VI

generally 3 calendar months

If the pension application is filed by the end of the third calendar month after the month in which the requirements are met, the pension applies retroactively to that point; for a later application, only from the month of application§ 99 para. 1 SGB VI

1 month

Deadline for objection against the pension decision§ 84 SGG

Watch out – common mistakes

A pension application without a prior attempt at rehabilitation is often first reinterpreted as a rehabilitation application or rejected – this is not harassment but provided for by law (rehabilitation before pension).
Reduced earning capacity pensions are generally granted initially for a limited period, not permanently; an extension must be applied for again in good time.
What counts for the assessment is earning capacity on the general labour market, not only in the last occupation practised – comprehensive "occupational protection" has existed since the 2001 pension reform only in exceptional cases for people born before 1961.
Submit meaningful medical and psychotherapeutic documents early – unclear or incomplete findings are a frequent reason for rejection, especially in mental illness.

In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Partial and full reduction in earning capacity (§ 43 SGB VI)

A person is partially reduced in earning capacity if, because of illness or disability, they are unable for the foreseeable future to work at least 6 hours a day under the usual conditions of the general labour market; a person is fully reduced in earning capacity if they can only work less than 3 hours a day. In addition to the medical finding, the requirement is the general qualifying period of 5 years (§ 50 SGB VI) and at least 3 years of compulsory contributions in the last 5 years before the reduction in earning capacity began (§ 43 para. 1 no. 2 SGB VI); an exception to the 3/5 rule applies, among others, where earning capacity is reduced as a result of an accident at work or where a person was already fully reduced in earning capacity before the general qualifying period was met and has been continuously so since (then a qualifying period of 20 years, § 53 SGB VI).

Principle "rehabilitation before pension"

Under § 9 SGB VI, participation benefits (rehabilitation) take precedence over pension benefits if they can preserve, improve or restore earning capacity. Under § 116 para. 2 SGB VI, a rehabilitation application under certain conditions even counts as a pension application if no success can be expected from rehabilitation any more. In practice, pension insurance institutions often reject applications for a reduced earning capacity pension if no or only insufficient rehabilitation measures are proven – this applies in particular to mental illnesses such as depression, where rehabilitation success can often only be assessed over a longer period.

Time limit and amount of pension

Pensions for reduced earning capacity are, under § 102 para. 2 SGB VI, generally paid for a limited period if it is unlikely that the reduction in earning capacity can be remedied; an extension is possible, and after several years of uninterrupted granting the pension can also become unlimited. The amount depends on the individually acquired earnings points and the so-called additional credited period (Zurechnungszeit), which partly compensates for missing contribution years up to a certain age; the exact calculation is individual and is stated by the Deutsche Rentenversicherung in the pension decision.

Who is responsible

Deutsche Rentenversicherung

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Reduced earning capacity in depression“?

Which deadlines and figures matter?

5 years: General qualifying period (minimum insurance period) before the reduction in earning capacity begins (§ 50 SGB VI)
3 of 5 years: Compulsory contribution periods in the last 5 years before the reduction in earning capacity begins (§ 43 para. 1 no. 2 SGB VI)
generally 3 calendar months: If the pension application is filed by the end of the third calendar month after the month in which the requirements are met, the pension applies retroactively to that point; for a later application, only from the month of application (§ 99 para. 1 SGB VI)
1 month: Deadline for objection against the pension decision (§ 84 SGG)

What should I do first?

Apply for rehabilitation (principle "rehabilitation before pension"): Before a reduced earning capacity pension is granted, the pension insurance generally requires proof that medical or vocational rehabilitation measures have been exhausted or tried without success.
Check the insurance-law requirements: You need the general qualifying period of 5 years as well as at least 3 years of compulsory contributions in the last 5 years before the reduction in earning capacity began.
Submit an application to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung: The application can be started informally and completed with the required documents (medical findings, rehabilitation discharge reports).

What do I need to watch out for?

A pension application without a prior attempt at rehabilitation is often first reinterpreted as a rehabilitation application or rejected – this is not harassment but provided for by law (rehabilitation before pension).
Reduced earning capacity pensions are generally granted initially for a limited period, not permanently; an extension must be applied for again in good time.
What counts for the assessment is earning capacity on the general labour market, not only in the last occupation practised – comprehensive "occupational protection" has existed since the 2001 pension reform only in exceptional cases for people born before 1961.

Evidence

§§ 9, 43, 50, 53, 99, 102, 116 SGB VI (gesetze-im-internet.de)
§ 84 SGG (gesetze-im-internet.de)

As of

As of: September 2026 (National Care Guideline/S3 guideline Unipolar Depression, version 3.0, 2025). · Sources and method

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