When you can retire depends on more than your age
"When can I retire?" is one of the most common questions put to the German statutory pension insurance. The short answer: without a deduction at the statutory retirement age, which is 67 for everyone born in 1964 or later. The long answer is more interesting, because there are four different old-age pensions, and two of them allow an earlier start. Which one applies to you depends on three things: your date of birth, the number of your insurance years and whether you are severely disabled.
This guide explains all four old-age pensions, shows how the exact start date is calculated and works out what a deduction costs. The retirement age calculator shows your personal pension start to the month.
The statutory retirement age: 67 for those born in 1964 or later
The statutory retirement age (Regelaltersgrenze) is the age from which anyone with at least 5 insurance years receives an old-age pension without a deduction (§ 35 SGB VI). For a long time it was 65. Since 2012 it has been rising step by step: first by one month per birth year, and from the 1959 cohort by two months per birth year (§ 235 SGB VI).
| Year of birth | Statutory retirement age |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 66 years |
| 1959 | 66 years 2 months |
| 1960 | 66 years 4 months |
| 1961 | 66 years 6 months |
| 1962 | 66 years 8 months |
| 1963 | 66 years 10 months |
| 1964 or later | 67 years |
Under current law, anyone born in 1964 or later therefore reaches the standard old-age pension at 67. A detailed overview including all pension types is in our retirement age table by birth year.
Pension at 63 after 35 years: possible, but with a deduction
The pension for long-term insured persons is the actual "pension at 63". It requires a qualifying period of 35 years (§ 36 SGB VI). Almost all periods recognised in pension law count: contribution years from work, child-raising periods, care periods, but also credited periods such as school from age 17, university, illness or unemployment.
This pension is only deduction-free at the statutory age. You can, however, draw it as soon as you have completed your 63rd year. The pension is then reduced by 0.3% for every month you retire before the statutory age (§ 77 SGB VI). For those born in 1964 or later that is 48 months, i.e. a 14.4% deduction. For older cohorts it is smaller, because their statutory age is lower: 12.0% for 1960, 13.2% for 1962 and 13.8% for 1963.
The deduction applies for life. It does not disappear when you later reach the statutory age, and it even carries over to a later survivor's pension. With an expected gross pension of €1,500, a 14.4% deduction costs €216 a month or €2,592 a year.
Pension after 45 years: no deduction, but no longer at 63
The pension for very long-term insured persons is often also called the "pension at 63". That is only still true for people born before 1953. Since then the age limit has risen by two months per birth year (§ 236b SGB VI): the 1960 cohort can go at 64 years and 4 months, the 1963 cohort at 64 years and 10 months, and from the 1964 cohort the limit is 65 (§ 38 SGB VI).
The big advantage: this pension never has a deduction. The drawback: it cannot be brought forward. Anyone with 45 years who still wants to stop at 63 has to take the pension for long-term insured persons and receives the full deduction up to the statutory age, i.e. 14.4% instead of 7.2% for those born in 1964 or later. That surprises many people. The rules on which periods count towards the 45 years are stricter than for the 35 years. Details are in our article on the pension without deductions after 45 years.
Pension with severe disability: up to five years earlier
If you are recognised as severely disabled at the start of your pension (degree of disability at least 50) and have 35 insurance years, you can draw the pension for severely disabled persons (§ 37 SGB VI). For those born in 1964 or later it is available at 65 without a deduction or from 62 with a deduction. The deduction is at most 36 months × 0.3% = 10.8%. Transitional values apply to those born 1952 to 1963 (§ 236a SGB VI), for example 64 years and 4 months for the 1960 cohort. More in our article on the pension with severe disability.
The exact start date: always the 1st of a month
The pension does not start on your birthday but on the 1st of the month at whose beginning all requirements are met (§ 99 SGB VI). In practice this means: on the 1st of the month after your birthday. Someone born on 15 March 1964 turns 67 on 15 March 2031. The standard old-age pension starts on 1 April 2031.
There is a special case for everyone born on the 1st of a month. Under the German Civil Code, you complete a year of life at the end of the day before your birthday (§ 187(2) and § 188(2) BGB). Someone born on 1 April 1964 therefore completes their 67th year on 31 March 2031. The requirement is met at the beginning of April, and the pension starts on 1 April 2031, one month earlier than for someone born on 2 April. The calculator takes this into account automatically.
The application matters too. It should reach the pension insurance about three months before the desired start. If you apply later than three calendar months after the month in which you met the requirements, the pension only starts in the month of application. The money for the missed months is lost.
Retiring later: 0.5% bonus per month
It also works the other way round. If you do not draw your pension after reaching the statutory age, it rises by 0.5% for every month, i.e. 6% a year (§ 77 SGB VI). If you keep working during this time, the earnings points from your wages are added. Since January 2026, wages up to €2,000 a month are also tax-free if you keep working past the statutory age. The active pension calculator works out what that means net.
Earning alongside an early pension
Since 1 January 2023 there has been no earnings limit for old-age pensions, not even before the statutory age. So you can draw the pension with a deduction at 63 and still keep working full time without your pension being cut. Until the statutory age you keep paying pension contributions from your wages, which raise your pension later. This only partly offsets the deduction, though.
Is the pension at 63 worth it?
That mainly depends on how long you draw the pension. A simple example for the 1964 cohort with a €1,500 pension: retiring at 63 means €1,284 a month, but for four more years, which adds up to €61,632 extra by the 67th birthday. From 67 onwards you are €216 short every month. The €61,632 head start is used up after about 285 months, i.e. at around age 90. If you live longer, you are better off starting later. This ignores the missing contribution years between 63 and 67, which lower the pension further, as well as tax and social security contributions.
The net pension calculator shows what remains of your gross pension after health and care insurance and tax. The pension calculator estimates how high your pension will be in the first place.
If you do not want to simply accept the deduction, you can offset it fully or partly with a special payment from age 50. How that works is explained in our article on offsetting pension deductions.
What the pension commission proposes
On 23 June 2026 the pension commission (Alterssicherungskommission) handed 33 recommendations to the federal government. Three are particularly relevant to the start of your pension: the deduction-free pension after 45 years is to be abolished and replaced by a protective pension for employees with health limitations. The earliest pension for long-term insured persons is to rise from 63 to 64. And the statutory age is to be linked to life expectancy from 2031, which would mean 67.5 in 2041 on current projections.
These are recommendations, not law. As of 24 September 2026 there is no draft bill; political consultations are due to start in the autumn. Under the proposals, people born in 1965 or later would probably be the first affected. Transitions and grandfathering are still open. Our calculator therefore uses current law and points out the plans.
Conclusion
Under current law you retire without a deduction at 67 (born 1964 or later), at 65 with 45 insurance years and also at 65 with a severe disability. Earlier is possible from 63 with 35 years or from 62 with a severe disability, but with a lifelong deduction of up to 14.4%. The pension always starts on the 1st of a month, and one month earlier if you were born on the 1st. Check your insurance record in good time and get advice from the pension insurance. Work out your own date in one minute with the retirement age calculator.