German pension for people born in 1963
The 1963 cohort turns 63 in 2026 and is the last one still covered by the transition tables of the German pension code.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Earliest pension start
1 July 2026
at 63 years, reduction 13.8 %
| Standard pension | 1 May 2030 |
|---|---|
| Long-term insured (35 yrs) | 1 July 2026 · −13.8 % |
| No reduction from | 1 May 2030 |
| Pension at earliest start | €1,379 |
If the commission proposal became law
Earliest 1 July 2027 (12 months later), reduction 10.2 %; no reduction from 1 May 2030.
Scenario without transitional rules. No draft bill published; current law applies.
Step-by-step calculation
- Standard retirement age for people born in 1963: 66 years 10 months (section 235(2) SGB VI). Start on 1 May 2030, the month after you reach that age (section 99 SGB VI).
- 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).
- Commission proposal (not law): without the 45-year pension and with a minimum age of 64, the earliest start would be 1 July 2027 with a 10.2 % 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 1963, you turn 63 during 2026, which opens the pension for long-term insured persons (langjährig Versicherte) after 35 insured years (section 236 SGB VI). Because the standard retirement age for this cohort is 66 years 10 months (section 235), the earliest start costs 46 months times 0.3 %, a 13.8 % reduction (Abschlag), the highest of all transition cohorts. With a birthday on 25 November 1963 that start is 1 December 2026, and €1,650 would become €1,422. With no reduction you can go after 45 years or with a severe disability from 1 October 2028, at 64 years 10 months, or at the standard age from 1 October 2030. With a recognised severe disability, starting at 63 costs only 6.6 %. The taxable share ranges from 84.0 % to 86.0 % depending on the start year. Under the 2026 commission proposal, with no transition, the earliest start would move to December 2027; that is not law.
Turning 63 in 2026: what opens now
Everyone born in 1963 reaches the minimum age for the 35-year pension in 2026 (section 236 SGB VI). With a January birthday you could start from February; in the example with 25 November the window opens on 1 December 2026, the first of the month after the birthday. For this cohort the reduction at the earliest start is higher than for any earlier transition cohort, because the standard age is already 66 years 10 months.
The reduction ladder by starting age
What each extra year of work is worth shows in this ladder for someone with 35 but not 45 years and no disability (section 77 SGB VI), for a pension of €1,650 at the standard age:
| Start | Age | Reduction | Monthly pension | Taxable share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 December 2026 | 63 years | 13.8 % | €1,422 | 84.0 % |
| 1 December 2027 | 64 years | 10.2 % | €1,482 | 84.5 % |
| 1 December 2028 | 65 years | 6.6 % | €1,541 | 85.0 % |
| 1 December 2029 | 66 years | 3.0 % | €1,601 | 85.5 % |
| 1 October 2030 | 66 years 10 months | 0.0 % | €1,650 | 86.0 % |
The first and last rows are €228 a month apart. Pension points from the extra years of work are not included and would raise the pension further. The reduction calculator finds the point from which waiting pays off.
A severe disability more than halves the reduction at 63
Severely disabled people have their own limits (section 236a SGB VI): from 61 years 10 months at the earliest, unreduced at 64 years 10 months. The reduction is measured against that second limit, so the same start on 1 December 2026 costs 6.6 % instead of 13.8 %. In the example this pension has been possible since 1 October 2025, with the maximum 10.8 %. You need a degree of disability of at least 50 when the pension starts; details under pension for severely disabled people.
45 years: October 2028 in the example
After 45 years the unreduced pension starts at 64 years 10 months (section 236b), in the example on 1 October 2028 with a taxable share of 85.0 % (section 22 Income Tax Act). If 45 years are within reach, you have 22 months between your 63rd birthday and that date to fill the gap. Periods from other EU countries can count here too under the EU coordination regulation.
The last cohort in the transition table
After 1963 the step-by-step increase ends. The 1964 cohort works with round limits: 67 years standard, 65 years after 45 years, from 62 years with a disability. People born in 1963 are only two months short of each of those. The 1962 cohort, in turn, is two months earlier.
What the commission proposal would change
The pension commission recommends abolishing the 45-year pension and moving the earliest start after 35 years from 63 to 64. Calculated with no transition, the earliest start in the example would move from 1 December 2026 to 1 December 2027, with 10.2 % instead of 13.8 % off, and an unreduced pension would only come on 1 October 2030. It is a proposal that explicitly calls for protecting legitimate expectations, not law. The current state is summarised under pension reform.