German pension for people born in 1964
The 1964 cohort is the first for whom retirement at 67 fully applies, and the first the 2026 reform proposal could hit directly.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Earliest pension start
1 July 2027
at 63 years, reduction 14.4 %
| Standard pension | 1 July 2031 |
|---|---|
| Long-term insured (35 yrs) | 1 July 2027 · −14.4 % |
| No reduction from | 1 July 2031 |
| Pension at earliest start | €1,370 |
If the commission proposal became law
Earliest 1 July 2028 (12 months later), reduction 10.8 %; no reduction from 1 July 2031.
Scenario without transitional rules. No draft bill published; current law applies.
Step-by-step calculation
- Standard retirement age for people born in 1964: 67 years (section 35 SGB VI). Start on 1 July 2031, 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 2028 with a 10.8 % 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 1964, you reach the German standard retirement age at exactly 67, the first cohort with no transition rule (section 35 SGB VI). There are only two ways to go earlier without a reduction: after 45 insured years at 65 (section 38), or with a recognised severe disability, also at 65 (section 37). With 35 insured years you can start from 63, but that costs 48 months times 0.3%, a 14.4 % reduction for life. Someone born on 15 March 1964 can therefore start on 1 April 2027 at the earliest, with no reduction after 45 years from 1 April 2029, and at the standard age from 1 April 2031. Because the cohort turns 63 in 2027, it is the first for which the pension commission proposal could become real: with no transition the earliest start would move to 1 April 2028. That is not law.
The four dates for the 1964 cohort
If you were born in 1964 there is no transition table to look up. The age limits are in the core rules of SGB VI and are whole years: 67 for the standard pension (section 35), 65 after 45 years (section 38), 65 with a severe disability and 62 at the earliest (section 37), 63 as the earliest start after 35 years (section 36). For a birthday on 15 March:
| Pension type | Earliest | Reduction then | Unreduced from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard pension | 1 April 2031 | 0% | 1 April 2031 |
| 35 years (long-term insured) | 1 April 2027 | 14.4 % | 1 April 2031 |
| 45 years (especially long-term) | 1 April 2029 | 0% | 1 April 2029 |
| Severe disability, degree 50 | 1 April 2026 | 10.8 % | 1 April 2029 |
Born on 1 March? Move every date one month earlier, because German law treats the age as reached on the last day of February. Born between the 2nd and the 31st, the pension always starts on the first of the following month.
How 1964 differs from 1963
For people born in 1963 the standard age is still 66 years and 10 months, and the 45-year limit 64 years and 10 months (born in 1963). The 1964 cohort loses two more months and reaches the final step of the 45-year pension at 65. For retiring at 63 the maximum reduction rises from 13.8% to 14.4 %, because four full years lie between 63 and 67. Under current law nothing changes after this for later cohorts; the page for people born in 1965 shows where differences still arise.
The reform proposal and the 1964 cohort
This cohort turns 63 in 2027, right in the period for which the coalition has announced a law. Running the proposal with no transition at all, there would be no 45-year pension, the earliest start even with 45 years would be 64 with a 10.8% reduction, and an unreduced pension would come only at 67. The commission does recommend protecting legitimate expectations, and the German Pension Insurance stresses that current law applies until a new law is passed. For your planning: use the current dates, keep the scenario in view, and follow progress under pension reform. If you are an expat thinking of leaving Germany around retirement, the timing also affects which country taxes the pension, which is beyond this calculator.