Pension for long-term insured persons: leaving early after 35 years
The 35-year pension is the one route from 63 open to every birth year. The calculator shows the reduction for the age you have in mind.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Pension after 35 years: your reduction
Reduction
10.8 %
| Start | 1 July 2029 |
| Pension after it | €1,338 |
| Less every month | €162 |
The pension for long-term insured persons (Altersrente für langjährig Versicherte, section 36 of Book VI of the Social Code, section 236 for older cohorts) is open to anyone with 35 years of pension periods. It can start at the earliest in the month after your 63rd birthday, but it is only unreduced from the standard retirement age. Each month in between costs 0.3 % under section 77, for life. From the 1964 cohort there are exactly 48 months between 63 and 67, so the reduction is 14.4 %; starting at 64 costs 10.8 %, at 65 7.2 %. On an unreduced pension of €1,400, starting at 64 leaves €1,249. You can buy out the reduction in full or in part with a special payment up to the standard age. Every pension period counts towards the 35 years, including periods excluded from the 45-year test. The pension commission has proposed raising the earliest age to 64; that is not law.
Reduction by starting age
For this pension the month you start matters more than your birth year. The table works it through for someone born on 15 September 1966, who has the final standard age of 67 years (section 36 SGB VI, reduction under section 77 SGB VI):
| Start at | First pension month | Months before standard age | Reduction | €1,400 becomes | Taxable share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 1 October 2029 | 48 | 14.4 % | €1,198 | 85.5 % |
| 64 | 1 October 2030 | 36 | 10.8 % | €1,249 | 86.0 % |
| 65 | 1 October 2031 | 24 | 7.2 % | €1,299 | 86.5 % |
| 66 | 1 October 2032 | 12 | 3.6 % | €1,350 | 87.0 % |
| 67 | 1 October 2033 | 0 | 0.0 % | €1,400 | 87.5 % |
Each year of delay cuts the reduction by 3.6 percentage points. Any month in between works too: start at 64 and 6 months and the reduction covers 30 months, not 36. The last column shows a small counter-effect that is easy to miss. An earlier start year means a lower taxable share (section 22 Income Tax Act): 85.5 % at 63 against 87.5 % at 67. It does not make up for the reduction, but it softens it slightly.
Older cohorts: a moving limit
For people born before 1964 the unreduced limit of this pension is below 67 and follows the same scale as the standard age under section 236 SGB VI. The earliest start stays at 63, so the maximum reduction is smaller:
| Born | Unreduced at | Earliest start | Reduction then |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 66 years 6 months | 1 October 2024 | 12.6 % |
| 1962 | 66 years 8 months | 1 October 2025 | 13.2 % |
| 1963 | 66 years 10 months | 1 October 2026 | 13.8 % |
For the 1961 and 1962 cohorts the route from 63 is therefore already open; with a September 1961 birthday the earliest date was 1 October 2024. Every limit for every cohort is in the retirement age table.
The 35 years: looser than the 45
For the 35-year qualifying period every pension period counts (section 51(3) SGB VI). That makes this pension the fallback for anyone whose career does not meet the strict 45-year rules, for instance because of citizen’s benefit (Bürgergeld), a university degree or unemployment benefit in the two years before retiring. What drops out of the 45 is explained under what counts towards 45 years. For a mobile career, the key point is that EU periods can open the door to this pension without adding to its German amount.
Buying out the reduction
Under section 187a SGB VI you can offset the reduction with extra contributions up to the standard age. One pension point costs €9,661.58 in 2026, divided by the access factor. Example with 40 points: starting at 64 removes 4.32 points, and buying them back costs €46,792. For a start at 63 it would be €65,013. Instalments are allowed and nothing is refunded. Use your own figures in the buy-out calculator.
Partial pension and working on
You do not have to take the 35-year pension in full. Any partial pension from 10% of the full amount is possible (section 42 SGB VI), and since 2023 there is no earnings cap. Cut your hours to 60% at 63 and draw 40% of the pension, and you get both: the reduction hits only the part you draw, and your wages keep earning pension points. Worked examples are under partial pension.
What the commission proposes
The pension commission’s report of 23 June 2026 recommends raising the earliest start of this pension from 63 to 64 and then linking it to the standard age, so the window stays three years wide (Federal Ministry of Labour). For people born from 1964 the maximum reduction would then be 10.8 % instead of 14.4 %. No draft bill has been published. The pension insurance points out that the law at the start of your pension applies and that an early application secures nothing (German pension insurance). The current position is summed up under pension reform.