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Apply for a standard old-age pension
You may be entitled to a standard old-age pension after reaching the standard retirement age:
- If you were born between 1947 and 1963, the standard retirement age is raised in stages.
- If you were born from 1964 or later, it is 67.
You can only claim the standard old-age pension if you have been insured for a certain period of time. This minimum insurance period, also known as the waiting period, is five years for the standard old-age pension.
The following are taken into account for the waiting period:
- Contribution periods, for example:
- Contributions from employment or self-employment.
- The following also count under certain conditions:
- Months in which you received sickness benefit or unemployment benefit, for example,
- Months between January 2005 and December 2010 in which you received unemployment benefit II or transitional allowance.
- Voluntary contributions
- Child-raising periods for the first two and a half or three years of life.
- Months of non-occupational home care.
- Contributions from mini-jobs that you paid together with your employer.
- Substitute periods: for example, months of political persecution in the GDR.
- In the event of divorce: eligible months from pension equalisation.
- Creditable months from pension splitting between spouses or registered partners.
- Creditable months for insurance-free mini-jobs.
You cannot receive the standard old-age pension early, even with deductions.
If you receive a standard old-age pension, you can earn unlimited additional income.
Forms/Online Services
Responsible authority
- the municipal or city administration or the insurance office of your place of residence
- the information and advice centres or regional centres of the German Pension Insurance (DRV) or
- the voluntary insurance counsellors of the DRV
Details
Prerequisite
You have:
- reached the standard retirement age and
- fulfilled the minimum insurance period (waiting period) of five years and
- submitted a pension application.
Procedure
You can submit your pension application in person, online or in writing.
If you wish to receive the decision in electronic form, you must first give your consent to electronic communication. You can do this by registering via the DRV online services.
Personal pension application:
- Arrange a personal appointment with the pension office (town hall) of your place of residence or with the DRV.
- When making an appointment online, your personal details and, if possible, your national insurance number will be required.
- You can select a desired counselling centre and your preferred date.
- Depending on the availability of free appointments and the expected duration of the counselling, you will receive a proposal for a binding counselling appointment.
- Book your preferred appointment. You will be informed by e-mail about what you need for the consultation and which documents you should bring with you.
- At your appointment, your pension application will be recorded electronically and forwarded to the relevant pension insurance provider.
- Your pension insurance provider will check your pension application. You will receive your pension decision by post or in your electronic mailbox at the DRV.
Online application:
- You can also complete and submit your pension application online yourself.
- To do this, go to the DRV website.
- Click on the "Online services" button at the top right of the page.
- Complete the questions on your application in full.
- Once you have answered all the required questions, the "Send data" button will appear. With one click, your application will be sent to the relevant pension insurance provider.
- A summary of your questions and answers will then be made available to you as a PDF document.
- Note: If you have an ID card with electronic proof of identity, an electronic residence permit or a signature card with electronic signature function, this can be done completely online. Otherwise, please send the signature sheet by post.
- Your pension insurance provider will process your application. You will receive your pension notification by post or in your electronic mailbox at the DRV.
Written pension application:
- Download the application form from the German Pension Insurance website.
- Note: You can also collect the application form in person from information and advice centres, local authorities or insurance offices.
- Complete the application form electronically, print it out and sign it.
- Send your pension application by post to your pension insurance provider.
- Your pension insurance provider will check your pension application. You will receive your pension notification by post or in your electronic mailbox at the DRV .
Deadlines
If possible, you should submit your pension application three months before the desired start date.
The pension must be applied for by the end of the third calendar month after the end of the month in which all eligibility requirements are met. If the pension is applied for later, it can only begin in the month of application.
Required documents
- Identity document (such as identity card, passport, birth certificate or family record book),
- Birth certificates of children or family register (also for fathers - important for contributions to pensioners' long-term care insurance),
- Proof of vocational training,
- All insurance documents for pensionable periods that have not yet been recorded (or proof of periods of unemployment and illness).
- If civil servant periods are available: Determination sheet on the periods of service eligible for pension or old-age pension and
- if a person you trust should submit the pension application on your behalf: a power of attorney or a care certificate.
If original documents or certified copies are not expressly required, copies will suffice.
Costs
none
Processing time
Usually up to three months
Miscellaneous
none
Legal basis
Sechstes Buch Sozialgesetzbuch (SGB VI)
- § 35 Regelaltersrente
- § 235 Regelaltersrente
- § 99 Beginn
- §115 Beginn
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Sozialministerium Baden-Württemberg, 10.11.2025
