Retirement age in Germany: the full table by year of birth

Written under our editorial standards.

Targeted review of the text, sources and calculator limits:12 October 2026; no individual entitlement assessment.

Exceptions to the table: Section 235(2) protects people born before 1955 who agreed qualifying partial retirement before 2007, and insured people who received adjustment benefits for dismissed mining workers. Their standard retirement age is not raised by this table. Check the official conditions. These exceptions checked on 11 October 2026.

The standard German retirement age is 67 for people born in 1964 or later. Earlier birth cohorts have different thresholds, sometimes measured in additional months. Reaching that age is a condition; it does not automatically start payment or guarantee entitlement.

The threshold by year of birth

This table is taken from the text of Section 235 itself. Find your birth year and read the last column:

• Before 1947 ⇒ 65 years
• 1947 ⇒ 65y 1m · 1948 ⇒ 65y 2m · 1949 ⇒ 65y 3m · 1950 ⇒ 65y 4m
• 1951 ⇒ 65y 5m · 1952 ⇒ 65y 6m · 1953 ⇒ 65y 7m · 1954 ⇒ 65y 8m
• 1955 ⇒ 65y 9m · 1956 ⇒ 65y 10m · 1957 ⇒ 65y 11m · 1958 ⇒ 66 years
• 1959 ⇒ 66y 2m · 1960 ⇒ 66y 4m · 1961 ⇒ 66y 6m · 1962 ⇒ 66y 8m · 1963 ⇒ 66y 10m
• 1964 or later ⇒ 67 years

Note the break at 1958: up to that cohort the threshold rises by one month per birth year, then it accelerates to two. Someone born in 1959 retires two months after someone born in 1958, not one.

Reaching the age is not enough on its own

Section 35 requires the age threshold and the general waiting period of five years under section 50. The qualifying record is not simply five calendar years of employment: credited periods and coordination with other countries may matter. Other pension types have additional conditions and their own exceptions.

Check your official insurance record rather than assuming that five years living or working in Germany qualify. The pension amount and eligibility depend on the credited record and applicable rules; the table determines age only.

Section 50 also names two cases in which the waiting period counts as fulfilled without being counted: where the insured person drew a reduced-earning-capacity or child-raising pension up to reaching the age threshold; and, for survivors' pensions, where the deceased drew a pension until death.

Longer waiting periods apply to other pensions: twenty years for a full reduced-capacity pension where the general period was not met before the reduction arose, twenty-five for long-serving underground miners, and thirty-five for the long-insured pension.

Deferring raises the pension — at a higher rate than early drawing lowers it

Section 77 determines the access factor for pension points. It normally equals 1.0 at the applicable unreduced pension age. The following monthly adjustments have specific conditions:

• Where an early-drawing reduction applies to your pension route, it is 0.003 per calendar month — 3.6% per year. This is not a deduction on every pension that starts before the standard retirement age.
• Deferring beyond the threshold despite a fulfilled waiting period raises it by 0.005 per calendar month — 6% per year.

Twelve qualifying months of non-claim after the standard age add 0.06 to the relevant access factor. This is not a promise that every retiree receives 6% more by continuing to work: existing pension claims and new contributions require a separate calculation.

Points used in an earlier pension generally retain their previous factor, but section 77(3) has exceptions. Do not apply a simple permanent percentage to every pension conversion or change.

How to fix your date precisely

1. Start from your birth year, not from the number 67Only those born in 1964 or later are on 67. Everyone born before has a threshold calculated in months.
2. Separate the age threshold from the payment month The exact birth date matters. Under section 99 payment begins in a month at whose start all conditions are met, subject to the application deadline. Ask DRV for the date, especially for first-of-month birthdays.
3. Check credited qualifying periods The general waiting period is five years, including applicable credited periods and statutory deemed-fulfilment rules; five years of residence alone do not establish it.
4. Check whether your period counts as fulfilled automaticallyAnyone who drew a reduced-capacity or child-raising pension up to the age threshold has it treated as fulfilled without counting.
5. Compare your actual pension route An applicable early deduction is 0.3% per month; qualifying non-claim after the standard age adds 0.5% per month to the relevant access factor. Confirm the exact start, points and exceptions with DRV.
6. Request your insurance record early Correcting missing periods may take time. Request the record and resolve gaps before your planned pension start where possible.

Frequently asked questions

What is the retirement age in Germany?

The standard threshold is reached on completing 67 under Section 35, but that applies to those born in 1964 or later. Anyone born earlier has a lower threshold set in months by Section 235.

I was born in 1960 — when do I retire?

The standard age threshold is 66 years and four months under section 235, subject to the stated protected-cohort exceptions. The payment month also depends on your exact birth date, credited record and application under section 99.

I was born before 1947 — does the rise affect me?

No. Anyone born before 1 January 1947 reaches the threshold on completing 65.

How many years of work do I need for a pension?

The general waiting period is five qualifying years under section 50, not necessarily five years of employment. Standard old-age, reduced-capacity and survivor pensions have different additional conditions and exceptions; this page does not assess those entitlements.

How much is deducted if I retire early?

Under section 77 an applicable early-drawing adjustment is 0.003 per month, normally retained for the relevant points subject to section 77(3) exceptions. Some routes allow a pension before the standard age without that adjustment; check the route and qualifying period.

And if I defer?

For qualifying non-claim after the standard age with the waiting period fulfilled, section 77 adds 0.005 per calendar month to the relevant access factor. Twelve months add 0.06. Existing claims and special rules must be assessed separately.

Can the waiting period count as fulfilled without being counted?

Yes, in two cases named in Section 50: where the insured person drew a reduced-capacity or child-raising pension up to the age threshold; and, for survivors' pensions, where the deceased drew a pension until death.

Additional sources and limits of this review

The age table does not establish individual eligibility or automatically start payment. Confirm credited periods, exact dates and application with DRV.

• SGB VI §99: بدء صرف المعاش والطلب