Question 1

How much is the German disability pension in 2026?

Accepted Answer

The amount depends on your earnings points, the credited period, the reduction and the type of reduced earning capacity. Example: with 30 earnings points and the onset of full reduced earning capacity at age 50, the credited period adds around 15 earnings points. After the 10.8% reduction, at a pension value of €42.52 this gives about €1,700 gross per month. A partial disability pension is half as much. The average disability pension is considerably lower because many people previously had gaps or low incomes.

Question 2

What is the difference between full and partial reduced earning capacity?

Accepted Answer

You have full reduced earning capacity if, due to illness or disability, you can work less than three hours a day on the general labour market for the foreseeable future. Partial reduced earning capacity means you can work three to under six hours (§ 43 SGB VI). The full pension has a pension type factor of 1.0, the partial one 0.5. If you have partial reduced earning capacity but no suitable part-time job, you can still receive the full pension — the so-called labour market pension.

Question 3

What is the credited period (Zurechnungszeit)?

Accepted Answer

The credited period treats you as if you had continued paying contributions after the onset of reduced earning capacity up to a certain age — at the average of your previous contributions. For pensions starting in 2026 it ends at 66 years and 3 months (§ 253a SGB VI). It rises gradually and reaches age 67 for pensions starting from 2031. The earlier the reduced earning capacity begins, the larger its share of the pension.

Question 4

How high is the reduction on the disability pension?

Accepted Answer

For each month the pension starts before your 65th birthday, the access factor drops by 0.3%. Because a pension starting before 62 is treated as if it started at 62, the reduction is at most 36 months × 0.3% = 10.8% (§ 77(2) no. 3 SGB VI). With 40 years of contribution and credit periods, the reduction only applies if the pension starts before 63 (§ 77(4)). The reduction also carries over to the later old-age pension as far as it is based on the same earnings points.

Question 5

How much can I earn on top of a disability pension?

Accepted Answer

In 2026 you may earn €20,763.75 per calendar year alongside a full disability pension (3/8 of 14 times the reference value of €3,955). For a partial disability pension the limit is at least €41,527.50 — or higher if you earned well in the last 15 years before the onset. If you exceed the limit, 40% of one twelfth of the excess is deducted from the monthly pension (§ 96a SGB VI). Note: with full reduced earning capacity your working time must still stay below three hours a day.

Question 6

Is the disability pension time-limited?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes. Disability pensions are granted for a maximum of three years and can be extended (§ 102(2) SGB VI). A time-limited pension is only paid from the seventh calendar month after the onset. It becomes permanent if improvement is unlikely — this is assumed after nine years of time-limited payments at the latest. The gap until the pension starts is often bridged by sickness benefit or unemployment benefit.

Question 7

What is left net from the disability pension?

Accepted Answer

Compulsorily insured pensioners pay 7.3% health insurance plus half of the additional rate and 3.6% care insurance (4.2% if childless) on the disability pension, just like old-age pensioners. For a €1,700 pension that is about €210 per month. The pension is also taxable at the taxable share of the start year — 84% in 2026. As long as the pension is your only income, little or no income tax is often due.

Question 8

What happens to the disability pension at the regular retirement age?

Accepted Answer

When you reach the regular retirement age, the disability pension ends. A regular old-age pension is then paid automatically, without a new application (§ 115(3) SGB VI). It is based on at least the previous personal earnings points (§ 88 SGB VI) — so the reduction of the disability pension remains, but so does the credited period. The earnings limits no longer apply once you receive the old-age pension.

Guide: Disability Pension Calculator

German Disability Pension 2026: Requirements, Calculation and Amount

Applying for a Disability Pension: Requirements, Medical Assessment and Time Limits

Earning Money on a Disability Pension in 2026: Limits and Offsetting

Credited Period and Reduction: Why the Disability Pension Is Higher Than Expected

Disability Pension Supplement: 7.5% or 4.5% for Existing Pensions

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