Retirement age: all birth years at a glance
"When does my birth year retire?" The answer depends not only on your year of birth but also on which old-age pension you use. The following table shows current German law (as of September 2026) for the four old-age pensions and the cohorts from 1958 onwards. Older cohorts have already reached their statutory retirement age.
| Year of birth | Standard pension | 35 years: earliest / deduction | 45 years (no deduction) | Severely disabled: no deduction / earliest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 66 | 63 / 10.8% | 64 | 64 / 61 |
| 1959 | 66 + 2 mo. | 63 / 11.4% | 64 + 2 mo. | 64 + 2 / 61 + 2 mo. |
| 1960 | 66 + 4 mo. | 63 / 12.0% | 64 + 4 mo. | 64 + 4 / 61 + 4 mo. |
| 1961 | 66 + 6 mo. | 63 / 12.6% | 64 + 6 mo. | 64 + 6 / 61 + 6 mo. |
| 1962 | 66 + 8 mo. | 63 / 13.2% | 64 + 8 mo. | 64 + 8 / 61 + 8 mo. |
| 1963 | 66 + 10 mo. | 63 / 13.8% | 64 + 10 mo. | 64 + 10 / 61 + 10 mo. |
| 1964 or later | 67 | 63 / 14.4% | 65 | 65 / 62 |
Legal basis: § 235 SGB VI (statutory age), § 236 and § 36 (long-term insured persons), § 236b and § 38 (very long-term insured persons), § 236a and § 37 (severely disabled persons). The deduction for severe disability at the earliest start is always 10.8%.
How to read the table
Anyone with at least 5 insurance years receives the standard old-age pension. For the pension after 35 years: from 63 it is possible with a deduction, without a deduction only at the statutory age. The deduction rises by 0.6 percentage points with every birth year, because the statutory age rises by two months while the lower limit of 63 stays the same. The pension after 45 years is only available at the age shown; it cannot start earlier.
From age to date: three examples
The table shows the age. The actual pension start is always the 1st of the month after reaching that age (§ 99 SGB VI).
Example 1: born 15 March 1964
Turns 67 on 15 March 2031, standard pension from 1 April 2031. With 35 years at the earliest from 1 April 2027 with a 14.4% deduction. With 45 years from 1 April 2029 without a deduction.
Example 2: born 20 July 1960
Statutory age 66 years and 4 months, reached on 20 November 2026. The standard pension starts on 1 December 2026. With 45 years a start at 64 years and 4 months was possible, i.e. from 1 December 2024.
Example 3: born 1 April 1964
Anyone born on the 1st of a month legally completes their year of life on the last day of the previous month. The standard pension therefore starts on 1 April 2031, in the birth month itself. Born one day later, on 2 April 1964, the pension would start on 1 May 2031.
And after 1964?
Under current law, 67 remains the age for everyone born in 1964 or later. In June 2026 the pension commission proposed linking the statutory age to life expectancy from 2031. On current projections this would mean 67.5 in 2041 and 68 in 2051. The earliest pension for long-term insured persons is also to rise to 64. There is no law on this yet (as of 24 September 2026). We would add any adopted changes to this table and to the calculator.
Your personal date
The table shows the rules. The retirement age calculator works out your exact pension start with a date, the deduction in euros and a timeline of all pension types. The pension calculator estimates how high your pension will be.