Birth year 2020: the first eligible cohort
Note: The Early-Start Pension is only planned so far (key points of 17 Dec 2025, intended start retroactive to 1 Jan 2026). No law has been passed yet; the following details may change.
If the Early-Start Pension arrives as planned, children born in 2020 are the first to benefit. They turn six in 2026 – exactly the age at which the state contribution of 10 euros a month is to begin. This gives them the chance at the full twelve years of funding up to their 18th birthday.
Parents of a child born in 2020 can use the Early-Start Pension calculator to estimate in seconds what this funding could grow into by retirement – and how much a later private top-up lifts the result.
How the rolling start works
Funding does not begin for all children at the same time. It is planned as a rolling process: each birth year starts in the year the children turn six.
- Born 2020: Start 2026, full twelve years of funding possible.
- Born 2021: Start 2027.
- Born 2022: Start 2028 – and so on.
For younger birth years, the matter is clear: they join automatically as soon as they turn six and then receive the full funding period. The calculator tells you the expected start year for each year of birth.
And children already older than 6 in 2026?
This is where it gets uncertain. For children who are already over six in 2026, the treatment in the final law is open. Two readings are conceivable:
- Strict reading: Only birth year 2020 and younger children are funded. Older children would then not be eligible.
- Catch-up reading: Older children are also included from 2026 and receive funding for the remaining years until 18.
Because it is not yet clear which variant will come, our calculator communicates both readings transparently. For older birth years it shows the catch-up reading as a model and at the same time points out that funding could, depending on the law, disappear entirely. Try different birth years in the calculator to see the difference.
What parents can do now
Concrete action is not yet possible, because the law is missing and the accounts do not yet exist. However, it makes sense to engage early with the topic of provision for your child. Anyone already considering an ETF savings plan in the child's name can later view the Early-Start Pension as a supplement – not a replacement.
Also keep an eye on the legislation: only with the adopted law will the details – investment form, top-up rules, taxation – really be fixed.