German disability pension: gross, net and reduction
Enter your pension points so far, your age when you became unable to work and the type of pension: the calculator estimates the gross and net amount for a 2026 start.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Gross disability pension
€1,174
about €1,029 net
| Points from the added period | 8.96 |
|---|---|
| Reduction | 10.8 % |
| Earnings limit (year) | €20,764 |
| Net (single) | €1,029 |
Step-by-step calculation
- Average since the 17th birthday: 22.00 points ÷ 420 months = 0.0524 per month.
- Added period up to age 66.25 (pension starting 2026, section 253a SGB VI): 171 months × 0.0524 = 8.96 extra points.
- Reduction: 36 months before 65 × 0.3% = 10.8 % (capped at 10.8%, section 77(2) no. 3).
- 30.96 × 0.892 × pension type factor 1.0 × €42.52 = €1,174.14.
- Simplified: the pension insurer values gaps, school and training periods individually; the average in your decision may be higher or lower.
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
A German disability pension (Erwerbsminderungsrente) is calculated as if you had kept working until a fixed age. For a pension starting in 2026 this added period (Zurechnungszeit) runs to 66 years and 3 months, and the pension insurer extends your average pension points so far over the missing years. A reduction of 0.3 % applies for each month before your 65th birthday, capped at 10.8 %, so anyone who becomes unable to work before 62 always takes the full cut. The full pension, for people who can work less than three hours a day, has a pension type factor of 1.0; the partial one, for three to under six hours, 0.5. An example from the calculator: becoming fully disabled at 52 with 22 pension points adds 8.96 points from the added period and gives €1,174 gross, about €1,029 net. The partial pension would be €587. The result is a simplified estimate.
The building blocks of the estimate
The pension follows the general formula of pension points, access factor, pension type factor and pension value (section 64 SGB VI), here €42.52 since July 2026. The added period under section 253a is put on top of your existing points: the calculator divides your points by the months since your 17th birthday and extends that average to the end of the added period. It counts the reduction under section 77 back from your 65th birthday, for at most 36 months. The pension type factor under section 67 halves the partial pension. Net pay is worked out as for a retirement pension starting in 2026: single, with children, average extra health rate.
| Age at onset | Points so far | Type | Added-period points | Reduction | Gross | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 12 | full | 13.70 | 10.8 % | €975 | €854 |
| 45 | 25 | partial | 18.97 | 10.8 % | €834 | €731 |
| 52 | 22 | full | 8.96 | 10.8 % | €1,174 | €1,029 |
| 52 | 22 | partial | 8.96 | 10.8 % | €587 | €515 |
| 58 | 35 | full | 7.04 | 10.8 % | €1,595 | €1,382 |
| 63 | 40 | full | 2.83 | 7.2 % | €1,690 | €1,454 |
People who become unable to work early have fewer points of their own but gain more from the added period, because it fills the missing years with their average so far. In this simplified calculation, what decides the amount is therefore your average points per year, in other words your earnings relative to the national average (pension points).
What the calculator does not check
Whether you qualify is decided by the pension insurer alone. Full reduced earning capacity means you can work less than three hours a day in the general labour market; partial means three to under six hours (section 43). You also need five years of insurance and three years of compulsory contributions in the five years before onset. The calculator assumes both. For a partial pension its earnings line shows only the minimum limit of €41,528 a year; for a full pension the limit is €20,764 (section 96a). What happens if you earn more is explained under earnings on a disability pension. Periods in other EU countries can count towards the qualifying conditions under Regulation 883/2004, but each country pays only for its own periods.
Moving on to a retirement pension
For tax, a special rule in section 22 Income Tax Act applies when a retirement pension directly follows a disability pension: the earlier start can shape the taxable share of the later pension. If you have a recognised severe disability, check whether a pension for severely disabled people is within reach. Your own points appear in the annual pension statement. The pension insurer’s information and advice centres (Auskunfts- und Beratungsstellen) help with the claim free of charge.