Earnings alongside a German disability pension in 2026
You may work while drawing a German disability pension, but only up to an annual limit without any effect on the pension. Above it, part of the extra pay is counted.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Earnings alongside a full disability pension
Pension after the test
€1,092
| Earnings limit 2026 | €20,763.75 |
| Above the limit | €3,236 |
| Cut a month | €107.88 |
Working more hours than the medical finding allows can put the entitlement itself at risk.
If you draw a German pension for reduced earning capacity (Erwerbsminderungsrente), you may earn alongside it, but unlike old-age pensions there is a limit (section 96a SGB VI). For full reduced earning capacity the limit in 2026 is €20,763.75 a year: 3/8 of 14 times the monthly reference value (Bezugsgröße) of €3,955. For partial reduced earning capacity it is individual: 9.72 × reference value × the pension points of your best year in the last 15, but at least €41,527.50. Exceeding the limit does not cost you the pension at once: the amount above the limit is divided by twelve and 40 % of that is deducted from the monthly pension. Every €1,000 above the limit a year costs €33.33 a month. Example: a full disability pension of €1,200 and €24,000 of annual earnings give a deduction of €107.88, leaving €1,092.12. The pension only stops entirely from about €56,764 a year. Separately from the money, the hours limit that defines the disability itself still applies.
Two limits, two formulas
Disability pensions have an annual limit linked to the reference value (section 96a SGB VI). In 2026 the reference value is €3,955 a month (social insurance figures 2026). That gives two very different amounts:
| Pension | Formula | Limit 2026 a year | Monthly average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full reduced earning capacity | 3/8 × 14 × €3,955 | €20,763.75 | €1,730.31 |
| Partial, minimum | 6/8 × 14 × €3,955 | €41,527.50 | €3,460.63 |
| Partial, 1.2 points in best year | 9.72 × €3,955 × 1.2 | €46,131.12 | €3,844.26 |
The limit is annual: a Christmas bonus or a month of overtime does no harm if the calendar-year total stays below it.
What is deducted above the limit
If annual earnings exceed the limit, the excess is divided by twelve and 40 % of that twelfth comes off the monthly pension. For a full disability pension of €1,200:
| Earnings a year | Above the limit | Deduction a month | Pension after |
|---|---|---|---|
| €18,000 | €0.00 | €0.00 | €1,200.00 |
| €20,000 | €0.00 | €0.00 | €1,200.00 |
| €24,000 | €3,236.25 | €107.88 | €1,092.12 |
| €30,000 | €9,236.25 | €307.88 | €892.12 |
| €40,000 | €19,236.25 | €641.21 | €558.79 |
So each extra euro above the limit costs 40 cents of pension over the year. Extra work always leaves you better off, just by less than the wage alone. The pension only reaches zero at about €56,764 a year. The mini calculator above uses your own figures.
Partial reduced earning capacity: your own limit
With partial reduced earning capacity there is more room, because the pension is only half the full one, with a pension type factor of 0.5 (section 67 SGB VI), and work of three to under six hours a day is expected. The limit depends on your best earning year in the last 15:
| Pension points in best year | Earnings limit a year |
|---|---|
| 0.8 | €41,527.50 |
| 1.0 | €41,527.50 |
| 1.2 | €46,131.12 |
| 1.5 | €57,663.90 |
| 2.0 | €76,885.20 |
One pension point equals a year’s pay at the national average. If your best year was well above average, you may earn more alongside the partial pension. Example: a partial disability pension of €650, 1.2 points in the best year and €50,000 of annual pay. €3,868.88 is above the limit, the deduction is €128.96 and €521.04 of pension remains.
Hours and euros: two separate tests
The earnings limit only says how much money is allowed without a deduction. Whether you have reduced earning capacity at all depends on how many hours a day you can work on the general labour market: under three for full, three to under six for partial (section 43 SGB VI). A job of a few hours a week does not contradict the finding; a part-time post of 25 hours a week, five hours on five days, does not fit a finding of “under three hours a day”, even if the pay stays below €20,763.75.
How the disability pension itself is built
You need five years of qualifying periods and three years of compulsory contributions in the five years before the reduced capacity began; insurance periods in other EU and EEA countries and Switzerland count towards the qualifying period (Regulation (EC) No 883/2004). The pension is calculated as if you had kept working until the end of the added period (Zurechnungszeit); for a start in 2026 that is 66 years and 3 months (section 253a SGB VI). The reduction has its own rules: the reference age is 65, and at most 10.8 % is deducted (section 77 SGB VI). A simplified example with 25 points at onset at age 50 gives about €1,415 full and €708 partial disability pension; the tool uses your average points since age 17, while the pension insurer assesses in more detail. The disability pension calculator takes your figures.
After switching to an old-age pension
Old-age pensions have no earnings limit (pension insurance figures). What applies to working on an old-age pension, including the Aktivrente after the standard retirement age, is explained under working alongside the pension. If a surviving spouse with their own disability pension also draws a widow’s pension, the disability pension counts as income there; see widow’s pension and your own income.