German retirement age: the table for every birth year
People born before 1947 retired at 65; from the 1964 cohort the age is 67. The calculator gives your first pension month.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Your retirement age
Standard pension from
1 December 2028
| Standard retirement age | 66 years 8 months |
| Born on the 1st | 1 November 2028 |
| Taxable share in the start year | 85.0 % |
Germany’s statutory retirement age is called the standard retirement age (Regelaltersgrenze). For everyone born before 1947 it was 65. From the 1947 cohort it has been rising in steps under section 235 of Book VI of the Social Code (SGB VI): by one month per birth year up to 1958, then by two months. People born in 1958 reached it at 66 years, those born in 1960 at 66 years 4 months, those born in 1963 at 66 years 10 months. From the 1964 cohort it is permanently 67 years (section 35). Three earlier old-age pensions sit beside it: after 35 years from 63 with a reduction, after 45 years without a reduction two years before the standard age, and for people with a severe disability. Each pension starts in the month after the age is reached. The pension commission has proposed linking the standard age to life expectancy from 2031, to about 67.5 by 2041; nothing has been decided.
Standard retirement age by birth year
For each cohort from 1947 to 1964 the table shows the standard age under section 235 SGB VI and section 35 SGB VI, the increase over 65, the first pension month for a birthday on 15 June, and the share of the pension that is taxable when it starts in that year.
| Born | Standard age | Increase in months | Standard pension from | Taxable share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 65 years 1 month | 1 | 1 August 2012 | 64.0 % |
| 1948 | 65 years 2 months | 2 | 1 September 2013 | 66.0 % |
| 1949 | 65 years 3 months | 3 | 1 October 2014 | 68.0 % |
| 1950 | 65 years 4 months | 4 | 1 November 2015 | 70.0 % |
| 1951 | 65 years 5 months | 5 | 1 December 2016 | 72.0 % |
| 1952 | 65 years 6 months | 6 | 1 January 2018 | 76.0 % |
| 1953 | 65 years 7 months | 7 | 1 February 2019 | 78.0 % |
| 1954 | 65 years 8 months | 8 | 1 March 2020 | 80.0 % |
| 1955 | 65 years 9 months | 9 | 1 April 2021 | 81.0 % |
| 1956 | 65 years 10 months | 10 | 1 May 2022 | 82.0 % |
| 1957 | 65 years 11 months | 11 | 1 June 2023 | 82.5 % |
| 1958 | 66 years | 12 | 1 July 2024 | 83.0 % |
| 1959 | 66 years 2 months | 14 | 1 September 2025 | 83.5 % |
| 1960 | 66 years 4 months | 16 | 1 November 2026 | 84.0 % |
| 1961 | 66 years 6 months | 18 | 1 January 2028 | 85.0 % |
| 1962 | 66 years 8 months | 20 | 1 March 2029 | 85.5 % |
| 1963 | 66 years 10 months | 22 | 1 May 2030 | 86.0 % |
| 1964 and later | 67 years | 24 | 1 July 2031 | 86.5 % |
The rise came in two phases. From 1947 to 1958 each cohort added one month, taking the 1958 cohort to 66 years. After that each cohort added two months until the final level of 67 years was reached with 1964. Someone born in 1960 therefore retires 16 months later than someone born in 1946. Cohorts up to 1959 have already reached their standard pension; with a June 1960 birthday it begins in 1 November 2026.
All four old-age pensions side by side
The standard age is the latest of the usual dates. With enough insured years you can leave earlier. The second table lines up the four old-age pensions (Altersrenten) for the cohorts from 1958:
| Born | Standard pension | After 35 years, earliest | After 45 years | Severe disability, unreduced / earliest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 66 years | 63 years | 64 years | 64 years / 61 years |
| 1959 | 66 years 2 months | 63 years | 64 years 2 months | 64 years 2 months / 61 years 2 months |
| 1960 | 66 years 4 months | 63 years | 64 years 4 months | 64 years 4 months / 61 years 4 months |
| 1961 | 66 years 6 months | 63 years | 64 years 6 months | 64 years 6 months / 61 years 6 months |
| 1962 | 66 years 8 months | 63 years | 64 years 8 months | 64 years 8 months / 61 years 8 months |
| 1963 | 66 years 10 months | 63 years | 64 years 10 months | 64 years 10 months / 61 years 10 months |
| 1964 and later | 67 years | 63 years | 65 years | 65 years / 62 years |
Each column has its own conditions. The standard pension needs only 5 years (section 50 SGB VI). The 35-year pension can start at 63 but carries a reduction up to the standard age (section 36). The 45-year pension pays in full but never before its own limit (section 38). The pension with a severe disability requires a recognised degree of disability of at least 50 when it starts, plus 35 years (section 37). For expats, insurance years from other EU countries are added to reach these thresholds under Regulation 883/2004, but they do not raise the German amount.
From retirement age to first payment 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 with the following calendar month (section 99 SGB VI). For most people: birthday in June, pension from July. People born on the 1st are the exception. They complete their age on the last day of the previous month and start one month sooner. Born on 1 January 1964, you get the standard pension from 1 January 2031; born on 2 January, only from 1 February 2031.
That timing assumes you apply in time: the application must reach the pension insurance by the end of the third calendar month after you reach the age, otherwise the pension starts in the month you apply. Preparation is covered under applying for your pension.
The start year sets the taxable share
The last column of the first table shows a side effect of the retirement age. The taxable part of a German pension depends on the year it starts (section 22 Income Tax Act), and with each cohort that year moves later. The 1958 cohort started at 83.0 %; someone born from 1964 who starts at 67 is taxed on 86.5 %. The tax-free remainder is fixed as a euro amount in the year after the start. The full German table is under taxation of German pensions.
Working past the standard age
The standard age is not a compulsory exit. Deferring the pension adds 0.5 % for each month, 6.0 % for a full year, for life; see retiring later. If you draw the pension and keep working as an employee, up to €24,000 of wages a year are tax-free (section 3 Income Tax Act), from the month after you reach the standard age. So the date also changes how work is taxed.
The proposal: retirement age tied to life expectancy
In its report of 23 June 2026 the pension commission recommends linking the standard age to life expectancy from 2031: two thirds of each year of life gained would go to work and one third to retirement, which would give about 67.5 years by 2041 (Federal Ministry of Labour). It also proposes moving the 35-year pension to 64 and abolishing the 45-year pension. All of this is a proposal, not law. The tables above show current law; the state of play is under pension reform.