✍️ Pension application, deadlines and pension statement

No application, no pension. If you know the three-calendar-month deadline, you lose no money. The pension statement shows beforehand what you can expect.

pension application start of pension pension statement pension information account clarification insurance history § 99 SGB VI

In brief

The pension is not paid by itself. You must apply for it at the Deutsche Rentenversicherung.

If you apply late, money can be lost. The pension is paid retroactively from the month in which you meet the requirements if you apply by the end of the third calendar month after that.

From age 55 you receive a pension statement every three years. Check your periods there. If periods are missing, have your account clarified. It is best to do this early.

Step by step

Read the pension statementCheck employment periods, child-raising periods, training periods and the qualifying period.
Have your account clarifiedIf periods are missing, ask the pension insurance to clarify the insurance account and enclose proof.
Use adviceFree service of the pension insurance: 0800 1000 4800 (Mon–Thu 8:00–19:00, Fri 8:00–15:30).
Apply in good timeSubmit the application before you want to retire. How and where: ask the pension insurance.
Check the noticeCompare the notice with the pension statement and check it for errors.

Deadlines

3 calendar months

The pension is paid from the month in which the requirements are met if the application is submitted by the end of the third calendar month after that month ends; otherwise from the month of application§ 99 Abs. 1 SGB VI

every 3 years

Pension statement from age 55§ 109 SGB VI

Watch out – common mistakes

The pension information and the pension statement end when you start receiving a pension, at the latest on reaching the standard retirement age.
Account clarification is not a pension calculation: periods are only assessed when the benefit is determined (§ 149 SGB VI).
For data that goes back more than six years, a determination notice can be issued. Object if it is wrong (deadline of six calendar months: only from a summary of the statutory text, not checked against the full text).
Get advice before applying because of possible foreign or special cases.

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

Start of pension, § 99 Abs. 1 SGB VI

A pension from own insurance is paid from the calendar month at whose beginning the entitlement requirements are met, if the pension is applied for by the end of the third calendar month after the month in which the requirements are met. If the application is later, the pension starts with the month of application.

Pension information and pension statement, § 109 SGB VI

From the 27th year of age, pension information annually. From the 55th year of age it is replaced by a pension statement sent every three years. Content: pension-relevant periods, personal earnings points, pension amounts in case of full reduced earning capacity, death or reaching the standard retirement age, forecast of the old-age pension, notes on deductions and supplements.

Insurance account and account clarification, § 149 SGB VI

The carrier informs about the stored data (insurance history). After account clarification, or if no objection is made within six calendar months, the carrier issues a determination notice for data that goes back more than six years (para. 5; checked only as a summary).

Not checked against the full text

Forms, online application routes and the time for applying before the start of the pension were not checked against the full text. Ask the pension insurance.

Who is responsible

Deutsche Rentenversicherung (federal body or regional carrier)
Service telephone of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung: 0800 1000 4800

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Pension application, deadlines and pension statement“?

No application, no pension. If you know the three-calendar-month deadline, you lose no money. The pension statement shows beforehand what you can expect.

Which deadlines and figures matter?

3 calendar months: The pension is paid from the month in which the requirements are met if the application is submitted by the end of the third calendar month after that month ends; otherwise from the month of application (§ 99 Abs. 1 SGB VI)
every 3 years: Pension statement from age 55 (§ 109 SGB VI)

What should I do first?

Read the pension statement: Check employment periods, child-raising periods, training periods and the qualifying period.
Have your account clarified: If periods are missing, ask the pension insurance to clarify the insurance account and enclose proof.
Use advice: Free service of the pension insurance: 0800 1000 4800 (Mon–Thu 8:00–19:00, Fri 8:00–15:30).

What do I need to watch out for?

The pension information and the pension statement end when you start receiving a pension, at the latest on reaching the standard retirement age.
Account clarification is not a pension calculation: periods are only assessed when the benefit is determined (§ 149 SGB VI).
For data that goes back more than six years, a determination notice can be issued. Object if it is wrong (deadline of six calendar months: only from a summary of the statutory text, not checked against the full text).

Evidence

§ 99 Abs. 1 SGB VI, gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved 21 September 2026
§ 109 SGB VI, gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved 21 September 2026
§ 149 SGB VI, gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved 21 September 2026
Deutsche Rentenversicherung, Warnung vor Betrugsversuchen (hotline hours), retrieved 21 September 2026

As of

September 2026 · Sources and method

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