German pension after 45 years: age limit and first month
With 45 qualifying years you retire unreduced two years before the standard age. The calculator shows the exact age for your birth year.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
No reduction after 45 years
No reduction at
64 years 10 months
| Start (born in June) | 1 May 2028 |
| Standard age | 66 years 10 months |
| Months before standard age | 24 |
Current law. The commission proposes to abolish this pension; nothing has been enacted.
The pension for especially long-term insured persons (Altersrente für besonders langjährig Versicherte) requires 45 qualifying years and pays the full amount, but only from a fixed age and not one month before (sections 38 and 236b of Book VI of the Social Code, SGB VI). For people born in 1953 that age was 63 years 2 months; it has risen by two months for each birth year since. The 1960 cohort reaches it at 64 years 4 months, the 1962 cohort at 64 years 8 months, and from 1964 it is fixed at 65 years. From the 1958 cohort on, this pension therefore always starts 24 months before the standard retirement age. Taking the same 24 months early through the 35-year pension would cost 7.2 % for life, which on a €1,700 pension means €122.40 less every month. The 45 years are worth real money. In June 2026 the pension commission proposed abolishing this pension; it is a proposal, not law.
Age limit after 45 years, birth year by birth year
For each cohort from 1953, the table gives the age at which the 45-year pension starts without a reduction, the first pension month for a birthday on 15 June, and how far that date lies ahead of the standard retirement age, the Regelaltersgrenze (section 236b SGB VI, from 1964 section 38 SGB VI).
| Born | Unreduced at | First pension month | Months before standard age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 63 years 2 months | 1 September 2016 | 29 |
| 1954 | 63 years 4 months | 1 November 2017 | 28 |
| 1955 | 63 years 6 months | 1 January 2019 | 27 |
| 1956 | 63 years 8 months | 1 March 2020 | 26 |
| 1957 | 63 years 10 months | 1 May 2021 | 25 |
| 1958 | 64 years | 1 July 2022 | 24 |
| 1959 | 64 years 2 months | 1 September 2023 | 24 |
| 1960 | 64 years 4 months | 1 November 2024 | 24 |
| 1961 | 64 years 6 months | 1 January 2026 | 24 |
| 1962 | 64 years 8 months | 1 March 2027 | 24 |
| 1963 | 64 years 10 months | 1 May 2028 | 24 |
| 1964 and later | 65 years | 1 July 2029 | 24 |
Look at the last column. For the 1953 cohort the 45-year pension came 29 months before the standard age; for 1957 it was 25. In those years the 45-year limit rose by two months per cohort while the standard age rose by only one. From 1958 both move in step and the gap stays at 24 months. Rows up to 1959 are history; people born from 1961 onwards still have their date ahead of them.
A hard limit with no early option
Unlike the 35-year pension, the 45-year pension cannot be brought forward, not even with a reduction. To stop earlier you change pension type, and the reduction is then measured against the standard age. For someone born on 15 June 1964 who has both 35 and 45 years, the choice looks like this:
| Route | Earliest start | Reduction at earliest start |
|---|---|---|
| 35-year pension | 1 July 2027 | 14.4 % |
| 45-year pension | 1 July 2029 | none |
| Standard pension | 1 July 2031 | none |
So with 45 years, stopping at 63 throws the advantage away almost entirely: 48 months at 0.3 % each, under section 77 SGB VI. Waiting two more years for the unreduced limit removes the whole cut. If you plan to bridge the gap with unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld), read unemployed before retirement first, because benefit in the final two years usually does not count.
The head start in euros
Two years earlier with no reduction means, on a €1,700 monthly pension, 24 extra payments worth €40,800 gross, while the later pension is not cut. It is only smaller by the pension points you would have earned in those two years. The real value of the 45 years shows against the 35-year route on the same date: €122.40 a month lost for good, €29,376 over twenty years. Note that this is gross; health and long-term care contributions and income tax still come off, and the net pension calculator shows what reaches your account.
The exact first month
Under section 187(2) of the Civil Code you complete an age at the end of the day before your birthday, and the pension starts the following month (section 99 SGB VI). If you were born on the 1st of a month, that moves everything forward: born on 1 March 1964, you complete 65 at the end of February and receive the pension from 1 March 2029; born on 15 March, it starts in 1 April 2029.
The application must arrive within 3 calendar months of reaching the limit, otherwise the pension starts only in the month you apply and the missed months are not paid. The earliest you can apply is one year ahead, so a request filed today for a start in three years is not possible. Step by step: applying for your pension.
Which years go into the 45
The 45-year test is stricter than the 35-year one. Compulsory contributions count, as do child-raising until the child turns 10, caring for a relative, and periods of unemployment, sickness or transitional benefit. Unemployment benefit in the last two years before the pension only counts after the employer’s insolvency or complete closure (section 51(3a) SGB VI). Citizen’s benefit (Bürgergeld), school and university do not count. EU periods are added under Regulation 883/2004. The detail, with worked cases, is under what counts towards 45 years.
The reform proposal
The pension commission (Alterssicherungskommission) presented its report with 33 recommendations on 23 June 2026 (Federal Ministry of Labour). One of them is to abolish the pension for especially long-term insured persons as early as possible, with protection of legitimate expectations. There is no draft bill. According to the pension insurance, only current law applies until then, namely the law in force when your pension begins (German pension insurance). How each route would change is compared under pension reform; every age limit in one place is in the retirement age table.