German pension for people born in 1962

For the 1962 cohort, the birth month decides whether the unreduced 45-year pension starts in 2026 or only in 2027.

Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate

from your pension statement

line “Regelaltersrente” on your statement

Earliest pension start

1 July 2025

at 63 years, reduction 13.2 %

Standard pension1 March 2029
Long-term insured (35 yrs)1 July 2025 · −13.2 %
No reduction from1 March 2029
Pension at earliest start€1,389

If the commission proposal became law

Earliest 1 July 2026 (12 months later), reduction 9.6 %; no reduction from 1 March 2029.

Scenario without transitional rules. No draft bill published; current law applies.

Step-by-step calculation
  1. Standard retirement age for people born in 1962: 66 years 8 months (section 235(2) SGB VI). Start on 1 March 2029, the month after you reach that age (section 99 SGB VI).
  2. With 40 years the 35-year qualifying period is met: from 63 at the earliest, minus 0.3% for each month before the standard age (section 77 SGB VI).
  3. Commission proposal (not law): without the 45-year pension and with a minimum age of 64, the earliest start would be 1 July 2026 with a 9.6 % reduction.

Estimate under SGB VI and the Income Tax Act as of October 2026, not advice. Only your pension decision letter is binding. How we calculate

If you were born in 1962, the limit for the pension after 45 insured years (besonders langjährig Versicherte) is 64 years 8 months (section 236b SGB VI) and the standard retirement age is 66 years 8 months (section 235). Starting at 63 with 35 years is possible but costs 44 months times 0.3 %, a 13.2 % reduction (Abschlag). For this cohort the 45-year pension straddles the turn of the year: born up to March, you can start it in 2026, otherwise in 2027. With a birthday on 8 July 1962 the first unreduced month is 1 April 2027, the application has been possible since 1 April 2026, and the taxable share is 84.5 %. The standard pension starts on 1 April 2029. If the commission proposal of 23 June 2026 applied with no transition, the 45-year pension would disappear and starting in April 2027 would cost 7.2 %. That is a scenario, not law; no draft bill has been published.

One cohort, two start years

For people born in 1962 the 45-year limit rises to 64 years 8 months (section 236b SGB VI). Because the eight extra months cross the turn of the year, the unreduced pension starts in two different calendar years depending on the birth month, each with its own taxable share. Assuming a birthday on the 15th:

Born in 1962, birthday on the 15th
Born in45 years fromTaxable shareStandard from
January1 October 202684.0 %1 October 2028
February1 November 202684.0 %1 November 2028
March1 December 202684.0 %1 December 2028
April1 January 202784.5 %1 January 2029
May1 February 202784.5 %1 February 2029
June1 March 202784.5 %1 March 2029
July1 April 202784.5 %1 April 2029
August1 May 202784.5 %1 May 2029
September1 June 202784.5 %1 June 2029
October1 July 202784.5 %1 July 2029
November1 August 202784.5 %1 August 2029
December1 September 202784.5 %1 September 2029

If you were born on the 1st, each date is one month earlier. For retiring at 63 after 35 years the split does not matter: everyone born in 1962 turned 63 in 2025.

Example 8 July 1962: the dates at a glance

  • 1 April 2024: earliest start with a recognised severe disability, 10.8 % off.
  • 1 August 2025: earliest start after 35 years, 13.2 % off (section 77 SGB VI).
  • 1 April 2026: from here the 45-year pension can be applied for, one year ahead.
  • 1 April 2027: unreduced after 45 years or with a severe disability.
  • 1 April 2029: standard pension at 66 years 8 months (section 235).

There are 24 months between the 45-year pension and the standard pension. If you are just short of 45 years, working on may close the gap; section 51(3a) SGB VI lists what counts, explained under the 45-year qualifying period. Unemployment just before the goal is tricky: see unemployed before retirement.

Current law and the proposal side by side

1962 is the first transition cohort for which the unreduced 45-year pension partly starts in 2027, after the point by which the coalition aims to pass a law (Federal Government). The commission recommends abolishing this pension type and setting the earliest start after 35 years at 64. Calculated with no transition, the example would look like this:

Born 8 July 1962; the scenario is not law
Current lawProposal, no transition
Earliest start after 35 years1 August 2025, 13.2 %1 August 2026, 9.6 %
Unreduced with 45 years1 April 20271 April 2029
Reduction if starting 1 April 20270.0 %7.2 %
Pension from €1,500 at that start€1,500€1,392

The commission explicitly calls for protecting legitimate expectations; which birth years that covers can only be set by law. The German Pension Insurance stresses that current law applies until then. Updates under pension reform.

The gap to 1961 and 1963

Compared with 1961 two months are added; compared with 1963 two are still missing: there the limits are 64 years 10 months and 66 years 10 months, and the maximum reduction at 63 reaches 13.8 %. The calculator above works out any birthday in this cohort to the month.

What people working in Germany ask

Born in 1962, can I still start the 45-year pension in 2026?

Only if you were born early in the year. The limit is 64 years 8 months; with a birthday up to March you reach it in 2026, later birthdays only in 2027. If you were born on the first of a month, move one month earlier. This pension never starts before its limit, not even with a reduction.

When can someone born in 1962 file the pension application?

At the earliest one year before the start you want, as the German Pension Insurance points out. For a 45-year pension from 1 April 2027, applying has been possible since 1 April 2026. Applying early does not lock in today’s law, because each pension follows the law in force when it starts. It still helps to apply early so that gaps can be cleared.

Do my years abroad in the EU help me reach 45 years before the 1962 deadline?

They can. For the qualifying periods, insurance periods from EU and EEA countries and Switzerland are added to German ones if they would also count under German rules. Ask for them to be included when your record is clarified, ideally well before the application. The German pension is then paid only for the German periods; the other country pays its own share.

How much would the reform proposal cost me if I was born in 1962?

In the scenario with no transition the 45-year pension would go. Starting in April 2027 would then leave 24 months to the standard age and cost 7.2 %; €1,500 would become €1,392. The commission explicitly recommends protecting legitimate expectations. Who that covers will be set by a law, and none exists yet.

Does unemployment benefit just before retirement count towards the 45 years?

Periods with unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld) generally count, but in the last two years before the pension starts only if the unemployment was caused by the employer’s insolvency or complete closure (section 51(3a) SGB VI). Citizen’s income (Bürgergeld) never counts. If you were born in 1962 and lose your job now, check this before you plan.

Related

Born in 1961

Standard age 66 years 6 months; born on 1 January, every date moves one month earlier.

Born in 1963

Last transition cohort: turns 63 in 2026, up to 13.8% off, standard age 66 years 10 months.

Pension after 45 years

No reduction two years before the standard age: the age limit by birth year.

What counts for 45 years

Which periods count towards the 45 years and where careers fall short.

Unemployed before retirement

Lost your job at 58 or 61 in Germany: when the pension can follow and what 45 years means.

Applying for your pension

When to apply for your German pension, the earliest date and what a late claim costs.

Pension reform

What the German pension commission proposes, what has been enacted (nothing) and what it would mean for your birth year.

Sections and sources

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Publisher of German pension calculators: start date by year of birth, reductions, net pension, survivor's pension

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Law as of 2026, read on