45 years, no deduction: the pension for very long-term insured persons
The pension for very long-term insured persons is the only way to retire before the statutory age without any deduction if you do not have a severe disability. It requires a qualifying period of 45 years (§ 38 SGB VI). For those born in 1964 or later this pension is available at 65, two years before the statutory age. For the 1953 to 1963 cohorts the limit lies between 63 years 2 months and 64 years 10 months (§ 236b SGB VI).
What counts towards the 45 years is decisive. Here the law is much stricter than for the 35-year qualifying period.
These periods count
- Compulsory contributions from employment or self-employment, including apprenticeships and mini-jobs subject to pension insurance
- Child-raising: credited periods until the child's 10th birthday
- Non-professional care for relatives with compulsory contributions
- Military and civilian service
- Sickness benefit, transitional allowance and rehabilitation benefits
- Unemployment benefit I, with one important exception (see below)
- Voluntary contributions, if at least 18 years of compulsory contributions exist
These periods do not count
- School, technical college and university periods
- Receipt of unemployment benefit II, citizen's income or the new basic income support
- Periods from pension rights adjustment after divorce or from pension splitting
- Supplementary periods for reduced earning capacity
For the 35-year qualifying period, on the other hand, almost all of these periods are counted. That is why many people easily reach 35 years but not 45.
The trap: unemployment shortly before retirement
Unemployment benefit I generally counts towards the 45 years, but not in the last two years before the pension starts. The legislator wants to prevent employees from switching to unemployment at 61 or 63 and then retiring without a deduction straight afterwards. Exception: the unemployment results from the employer's insolvency or complete closure of the business. Anyone signing a termination agreement should have this checked first, otherwise the 45 years may be narrowly missed.
Why you cannot bring this pension forward
Unlike the pension for long-term insured persons, the pension after 45 years cannot be brought forward with a deduction. The law simply does not provide for early claiming. If you have 45 years and still want to retire at 63, your only option is the pension for long-term insured persons. The deduction is then calculated up to the statutory age, not up to your 65th birthday.
An example for the 1964 cohort with 45 insurance years and an expected pension of €1,600:
| Pension start at | Pension type | Deduction | Pension |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | long-term insured | 14.4% | €1,369.60 |
| 64 | long-term insured | 10.8% | €1,427.20 |
| 65 | very long-term insured | 0% | €1,600.00 |
Waiting two years brings €230.40 more every month here, for life. On top come the contribution years still collected between 63 and 65.
How to check your 45 years
Request an up-to-date insurance record from the pension insurance and clarify gaps early, such as missing apprenticeship or child-raising periods. From age 55 the pension insurance sends a pension information statement every three years, which also lists the qualifying periods you have met. If you are just short of 45 years, you may be able to close the gap with voluntary contributions, provided you have 18 years of compulsory contributions.
What could change
In June 2026 the pension commission recommended abolishing the deduction-free pension after 45 years and replacing it with a protective pension for employees who can no longer work for health reasons. There is no law on this yet (as of 24 September 2026). Under the proposals, people born in 1965 or later would probably be affected.
The retirement age calculator shows when you can retire with your insurance years. An overview of all pension types is in the guide Pension at 63 and retirement age in Germany.