🎂 Retirement age, types of old-age pension and deductions

When you can retire depends on your year of birth and your years of insurance. Retiring early permanently costs percentage points.

standard retirement age standard old-age pension old-age pension for long-term insured especially long-term insured deduction access factor retirement at 63

In brief

There are several old-age pensions. Each has an age and a number of insurance years (qualifying period, Wartezeit).

Standard old-age pension: at 67 years and a 5-year qualifying period.
For long-term insured: at 67 years and a 35-year qualifying period. Earlier from 63, then with a deduction.
For especially long-term insured: 45-year qualifying period. For those born in 1964 and later from 65.
For severely disabled people: 65 years and a 35-year qualifying period, earlier from 62 possible.

If you retire earlier, you get 0.3 percent less for every month, permanently. If you retire later, you get 0.5 percent more per month.

Transitional rules apply to those born before 1964. Your exact age is given in your pension statement or by the pension insurance.

Step by step

Clarify your year of birth and insurance yearsLook in your pension statement to see how many years count towards the qualifying period.
Find your possible start of pensionCheck which type of pension applies to you with which earliest age.
Have the deduction calculatedHave the pension amount calculated for different start dates.
Take up adviceThe Deutsche Rentenversicherung gives free advice on type of pension and start date.

Deadlines

67 years

Standard retirement age (born 1964 and later); qualifying period 5 years§ 35, § 235 SGB VI

63 years

Earliest start of the old-age pension for long-term insured (with deduction); qualifying period 35 years§ 36 SGB VI

0.3 % per month

Deduction per month of early pension receipt; 0.5 % supplement per month of later claiming§ 77 SGB VI

65 years / 45 years

Old-age pension for especially long-term insured (qualifying period 45 years)§ 38 SGB VI

Watch out – common mistakes

Deductions are permanent. They apply for life, including after later pension adjustments.
Once an old-age pension has been granted, a switch to another old-age pension is in principle excluded under § 34 Abs. 2 SGB VI (exception for pensions granted unlawfully: switch to the standard old-age pension).
A birth-year transition applies to those born before 1964. The table is in § 235 and § 236b SGB VI. Not checked against the full text: intermediate values for individual birth years.
Proposals to link the retirement age to life expectancy or to abolish the deduction-free pension after 45 years are recommendations, not current law.

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

Standard old-age pension, § 35 and § 235 SGB VI

Entitled is anyone who has reached the standard retirement age and met the general qualifying period. The standard retirement age is reached on completing the 67th year of age (§ 35 SGB VI). For those born before 1964, § 235 SGB VI applies: those born before 1 January 1947 reach the limit at 65; after that it rises in steps (according to the statutory text by 1 month for 1947 up to 22 months for 1963, each above 65).

Old-age pension for long-term insured, § 36 SGB VI

Requirement: 67th year of age completed and a qualifying period of 35 years. Early claiming is possible after completing the 63rd year of age.

Old-age pension for especially long-term insured, § 38 and § 236b SGB VI

For those born in 1964 or later: 65th year of age and 45 years of qualifying period (§ 38). For those born before 1964, § 236b applies: qualifying period 45 years; the age limit is 63 for those born before 1953 and rises according to the table to 63 years 2 months (born 1953) up to 64 years 10 months (born 1963).

Old-age pension for severely disabled people, § 37 SGB VI

65th year of age completed, recognised as severely disabled at the start of the pension (definition in SGB IX), qualifying period 35 years. Early after completing the 62nd year of age. From the 1964 birth year, the age limit 65 applies directly under § 37 SGB VI (early from 62); the table in § 236a SGB VI applies only to those born before 1964.

Access factor, § 77 SGB VI

If the pension starts at the standard retirement age, the access factor is 1.0. With early claiming it falls by 0.003 per calendar month, with later claiming it rises by 0.005 per calendar month. Calculation example: 48 months early correspond to 48 × 0.3 % = 14.4 % deduction (own calculation).

Not checked against the full text

The exact counting of qualifying periods (§§ 50, 51 SGB VI) and the rules on partial pensions were not checked against the full text.

Who is responsible

Deutsche Rentenversicherung (federal body or regional carrier)
Insurance advisers (Versichertenberater) and insurance elders (Versichertenälteste) of the pension insurance (whether and where they exist: ask the DRV)

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Retirement age, types of old-age pension and deductions“?

When you can retire depends on your year of birth and your years of insurance. Retiring early permanently costs percentage points.

Which deadlines and figures matter?

67 years: Standard retirement age (born 1964 and later); qualifying period 5 years (§ 35, § 235 SGB VI)
63 years: Earliest start of the old-age pension for long-term insured (with deduction); qualifying period 35 years (§ 36 SGB VI)
0.3 % per month: Deduction per month of early pension receipt; 0.5 % supplement per month of later claiming (§ 77 SGB VI)
65 years / 45 years: Old-age pension for especially long-term insured (qualifying period 45 years) (§ 38 SGB VI)

What should I do first?

Clarify your year of birth and insurance years: Look in your pension statement to see how many years count towards the qualifying period.
Find your possible start of pension: Check which type of pension applies to you with which earliest age.
Have the deduction calculated: Have the pension amount calculated for different start dates.

What do I need to watch out for?

Deductions are permanent. They apply for life, including after later pension adjustments.
Once an old-age pension has been granted, a switch to another old-age pension is in principle excluded under § 34 Abs. 2 SGB VI (exception for pensions granted unlawfully: switch to the standard old-age pension).
A birth-year transition applies to those born before 1964. The table is in § 235 and § 236b SGB VI. Not checked against the full text: intermediate values for individual birth years.

Evidence

§ 35 SGB VI, gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved 21 September 2026
§ 36 SGB VI, gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved 21 September 2026
§ 37, § 38 SGB VI, gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved 21 September 2026
§ 235, § 236b SGB VI, gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved 21 September 2026
§ 77, § 34 SGB VI, gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved 21 September 2026

As of

September 2026 · Sources and method

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