💼 Working with a reduced earning capacity pension: additional income 2026 and trial work
In brief
You may earn additional income with a reduced earning capacity pension. If you exceed the additional income limit, the pension is reduced.
For 2026 the Deutsche Rentenversicherung gives: €20,763.75 a year for full reduction in earning capacity. For partial reduction in earning capacity it is €41,527.50 a year.
Important: you may only work within your established work capacity. Otherwise the pension entitlement can lapse, even if your earnings are below the limit.
If you want to test whether work is possible again, there is trial work (Arbeitserprobung). Talk to the pension insurance beforehand.
Step by step
- Report in advanceTell the pension insurance beforehand: working hours, type of work and expected earnings.
- Check the limitCompare your expected annual earnings with the limit for your type of pension.
- Respect your work capacityClarify whether the working hours fit your established work capacity.
- Report changesReport changes in working hours or earnings.
Deadlines
- You should report any gainful work to the pension insurance, even if your earnings are clearly below the limit.
- In case of partial reduction in earning capacity, sickness benefit, transitional allowance (Übergangsgeld) and other social benefits also count as additional income.
- The limit for partial reduction in earning capacity can be higher than the minimum amount, because it is tied to your earlier earnings.
- If the additional income to be deducted reaches the full amount of the pension, the pension is not paid (§ 96a Abs. 1a S. 3 SGB VI).
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals
Calculation of the limits (§ 96a SGB VI)
For full reduction in earning capacity, the limit under the wording of the law is three eighths of 14 times the monthly reference value (Bezugsgröße). For partial reduction in earning capacity it is 9.72 times the monthly reference value, multiplied by the earnings points of the calendar year with the highest earnings points in the last 15 calendar years, but at least 6/8 of 14 times that value. For 2026 the Deutsche Rentenversicherung gives €20,763.75 (full) and €41,527.50 (partial). The second figure is therefore the minimum value. One twelfth of the excess amount is deducted at 40 percent from the full pension.
Under § 96a Abs. 1a S. 3 SGB VI, the pension is not paid if the additional income to be deducted reaches the full amount of the pension.
What counts as additional income
Wages, self-employment income and comparable income. Certain care benefits and pay from sheltered workshops for disabled people are excluded. Calculation is based on the expected additional income, with later correction in case of a significant deviation.
Work capacity and trial work
The pension insurance points out that employment may only be carried out within the established work capacity. According to the DRV announcement of 22 January 2026, pension recipients have since 2024 been able to test for about six months whether gainful work is possible without jeopardising their pension entitlement. § 43 Abs. 7 SGB VI provides for a transitional period of regularly six months if the gainful work exceeds the work capacity. The exact arrangements were not checked against the full text.
Reference
Detailed explanations of the additional income limit: page in the group Berufsunfähigkeit.
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