Retirement age in Germany by year of birth (1955 to 1970)
Updated:
When you can retire in Germany depends on your year of birth. The table shows, for each year, the standard retirement age, the age for a pension without deduction after 45 years, and the earliest start after 35 years with a deduction.
| Born | Standard retirement age | No deduction after 45 years | Earliest after 35 years (deduction) | Reform proposal: earliest (deduction) under discussion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 65 y 9 m | 63 y 6 m | 63 y (−9.9%) | 64 y (−6.3%) |
| 1956 | 65 y 10 m | 63 y 8 m | 63 y (−10.2%) | 64 y (−6.6%) |
| 1957 | 65 y 11 m | 63 y 10 m | 63 y (−10.5%) | 64 y (−6.9%) |
| 1958 | 66 y | 64 y | 63 y (−10.8%) | 64 y (−7.2%) |
| 1959 | 66 y 2 m | 64 y 2 m | 63 y (−11.4%) | 64 y (−7.8%) |
| 1960 | 66 y 4 m | 64 y 4 m | 63 y (−12%) | 64 y (−8.4%) |
| 1961 | 66 y 6 m | 64 y 6 m | 63 y (−12.6%) | 64 y (−9%) |
| 1962 | 66 y 8 m | 64 y 8 m | 63 y (−13.2%) | 64 y (−9.6%) |
| 1963 | 66 y 10 m | 64 y 10 m | 63 y (−13.8%) | 64 y (−10.2%) |
| 1964 | 67 y | 65 y | 63 y (−14.4%) | 64 y (−10.8%) |
| 1965 | 67 y | 65 y | 63 y (−14.4%) | 64 y (−10.8%) |
| 1966 | 67 y | 65 y | 63 y (−14.4%) | 64 y (−10.8%) |
| 1967 | 67 y | 65 y | 63 y (−14.4%) | 64 y (−10.8%) |
| 1968 | 67 y | 65 y | 63 y (−14.4%) | 64 y (−10.8%) |
| 1969 | 67 y | 65 y | 63 y (−14.4%) | 64 y (−10.8%) |
| 1970 | 67 y | 65 y | 63 y (−14.4%) | 64 y (−10.8%) |
- The pension starts in the month after reaching the age.
- Pension commission proposal (not law): the pension without deduction after 45 years is abolished and the earliest start after 35 years rises to 64.
- People born before 1959 have already reached the standard age; the calculator covers people born in 1959 or later.
- Not covered: the pension for severely disabled people and transitional protection rules.
How to read the table
The standard retirement age applies to everyone insured for at least five years; from then on the pension has no deduction. After 45 insurance years you can retire earlier without a deduction. After 35 years you can go from 63, but pay a deduction of 0.3% for each month before the standard age – for life. The pension starts in the month after reaching the age.
What would the reform proposal change?
In June 2026 the pension commission recommended abolishing the pension without deduction after 45 years and raising the earliest start after 35 years from 63 to 64. The last column shows what that would mean for each year of birth. Nothing has been decided, and from which year a reform would apply is open. With the retirement at 63 calculator you set the reform start yourself.
Legal basis and sources
- § 235 SGB VI – rise of the standard retirement age
- § 236b SGB VI – age limit after 45 years for people born before 1964
- § 38 SGB VI – pension after 45 insurance years
- § 236 SGB VI – pension after 35 insurance years
- § 77 SGB VI – access factor (0.3 % deduction per month)
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung – pension reform proposals (German)
Frequently asked questions
When can I retire if I was born in 1964?
At 67 years without a deduction. After 45 insurance years already at 65 years; after 35 years at 63 at the earliest, with a deduction of 14.4%.
At what age do people born in 1962 retire?
The standard retirement age is 66 years and 8 months. After 45 years the pension without deduction is possible at 64 years and 8 months; after 35 years at 63 with a deduction of 13.2%.
How large is the deduction for retiring at 63?
0.3% for each month before the standard age. For people born in 1964 or later that is 48 months and so 14.4% – permanently. After 45 insurance years there is no deduction, but only from the age in the third column.
I was born on the 1st of a month – does anything differ?
Yes. If you were born on the first day of a month, you complete a year of life on the last day of the previous month and can therefore retire one month earlier. People born on 1 January are counted with the previous year of birth.
Does the table apply to severely disabled people?
No. The pension for severely disabled people has its own, lower age limits; it is not included in this table or in the calculator.