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Apply for an early retirement pension for long-term insured persons from the Agricultural Pension Fund

Under certain conditions, you can apply for an early retirement pension for long-term insured persons before the regular retirement age.

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Sozialversicherung für Landwirtschaft, Forsten und Gartenbau

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Weißensteinstraße 70 - 72
34131 Kassel

Postal address

Weißensteinstraße 70 - 72

34131 Kassel

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www.svlfg.de

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Procedure details

Pension from 63 for long-term insured persons:
You can apply for an early retirement pension from 63 for long-term insured persons if you

  • have reached the age of 63 and
  • have completed the qualifying period of 35 years and
  • have completed the long-term insurance or crediting period of 45 years.

The early retirement pension from 63 is free of deductions. If you meet the requirements for this type of pension, the pension will be paid to you without any deductions.
The retirement age for this type of pension is gradually being raised from 63 to 65. The relevant age has been reached:

  • If you were born before 1953, the pension can be paid without deductions from the age of 63.
  • For those born between 1953 and 1963, the age limit is raised by 2 months with each year of birth.
  • For those born from 1964 onwards, the pension is paid from the age of 65.

Pension from 65 for long-term insured persons:
You can apply for an early retirement pension for long-term insured persons aged 65 and over if you

  • have reached the age of 65 and
  • have fulfilled the qualifying period of 35 years.
  • If you have completed the long-term insurance or qualifying period of 45 years, you can claim this pension without any deductions.
  • If you have less than 45 years, you can only be granted this pension with a deduction. In this case, your pension will be reduced by 0.3 percent for each calendar month for which you claim this old-age pension early.

Additional earnings:

  • If you still feel fit enough, you are allowed to earn some extra income in addition to your early retirement pension. This does not invalidate your pension entitlement, but it can affect the amount of your old-age pension.
  • High additional earnings can lead to a complete reduction in your pension. However, this only applies as long as you have not yet reached the standard retirement age, i.e. you have retired early. Once you have reached the standard retirement age, you can earn unlimited additional income without it being deducted from your old-age pension.

You can apply for an early retirement pension for long-term insured persons if

  • you have completed the minimum insurance period (qualifying period) of 35 years,
  • and have reached the relevant age.

All compulsory and voluntary contributions that you have paid or are deemed to have paid to the agricultural pension fund are taken into account for the qualifying period of 35 years. Contributions for periods prior to 01.01.1995 are generally only taken into account if they have been paid without gaps.
If a pension equalization was carried out in your favour, the transferred entitlement will be converted into waiting period months.

Periods from other pension schemes:

  • Periods from other pension schemes, for example periods in the statutory pension insurance scheme, can also be counted towards your qualifying period.
  • If the external periods overlap with those of the agricultural pension fund, the external periods cannot be credited at the same time.
    • This also applies if you were exempt from compulsory insurance with the pension fund as an entrepreneur during the same period.
    • However, an exemption from compulsory insurance as a contributing family member does not preclude the crediting of third-party periods completed during this time.

The following periods can be taken into account:

  • Compulsory contribution periods to a statutory German pension insurance institution and equivalent periods of social insurance in the former GDR,
  • periods of exemption from insurance in the statutory pension insurance scheme, for example as a
    • civil servant
    • judge
    • professional or regular soldier and
    • other persons with similar civil servant status
  • Periods of exemption from compulsory insurance in the statutory pension insurance scheme, for example
    • Employees and self-employed persons who belong to a professional pension scheme
    • Teachers and educators at private schools, if there is civil servant-like coverage
  • certain foreign periods under supranational and intergovernmental law

If you have completed the long-term insurance or crediting period of 45 years, you can claim this pension without any deductions. The following periods, among others, can be taken into account when determining the 45 years:

  • Periods in the old-age pension scheme for farmers
  • Compulsory contribution periods as a farmer or for assisting family members
  • periods of voluntary contributions in accordance with §§ 4 or 5 of the Law on Old-Age Insurance for Farmers (ALG), if compulsory contributions as a farmer or for family members working for the farmer have been paid for at least 18 years
  • Periods in the statutory pension insurance scheme
  • This includes, among other things
  • Compulsory contribution periods of employees
  • Compulsory contribution periods of self-employed persons
  • Compulsory contribution periods due to raising children
  • Compulsory contribution periods due to non-occupational care of relatives
  • Periods of voluntary contributions to the German Pension Insurance (DRV) if there are at least 18 years of compulsory contributions from employment or self-employment
  • Periods of compulsory military or civilian service
  • Contributions due to subsequent insurance
  • periods in the accession area and in Saarland, insofar as they are considered compulsory contribution periods
  • periods which are treated as compulsory contribution periods for insured employment or activity under federal law (for example, under the Foreign Pensions Act)
  • Calendar months with substitute periods (persecution, expulsion, flight)
  • periods taken into account due to the upbringing of a child up to the age of 10
  • Periods in which unemployment benefit, sickness benefit, transitional allowance, short-time working allowance, bad weather allowance, winter compensation or insolvency benefit were received
  • Periods in other social security systems

These include in particular periods as

  • Judge for life, for a fixed term or on probation
  • civil servant for life, for a fixed term, on probation or in preparatory service
  • Professional soldier or temporary soldier
  • Employee of a corporation, institution or foundation under public law if they are guaranteed entitlement to a pension in accordance with civil service regulations or principles or corresponding ecclesiastical regulations
  • Member of a spiritual cooperative or members of similar communities if they are guaranteed entitlement to a pension in accordance with the rules of the community
  • Employees and self-employed persons who are members of a statutory professional pension scheme (e.g. doctors', pharmacists', lawyers' or architects' pension scheme)
  • Teachers and educators at non-public schools or institutions if they are guaranteed entitlement to a pension in accordance with civil service law principles or corresponding church law regulations

The following periods, among others, cannot be taken into account when determining the 35 or 45 years:

  • Calendar months acquired through pension equalization or pension splitting
  • Periods with unemployment benefit or unemployment benefit II
  • periods of receipt of unemployment benefit in the last 2 years before the start of retirement
  • (Exception: if these periods are the result of insolvency or complete closure of the employer)
  • Voluntary contributions in the last 2 years before the start of the pension if there is also a qualifying period due to unemployment

  • Required Documents
    • valid identity card or passport
    • if the application is submitted by another person:
      • Power of attorney or
      • Order of the court

You can apply for the early old-age pension for long-term insured persons in writing, in person or online:
Written application:

  • Download the application and attachment form for the early old-age pension for long-term insured persons from the website of the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (SVLFG). Fill it out completely and compile the required documents.
  • You can send your completed and signed application with the required documents by post to your agricultural pension fund.
  • Your agricultural pension fund will check your application. You will receive a written decision by post or in your electronic mailbox at the SVLFG.

Note: A person you trust can also submit your pension application on your behalf. Please submit a corresponding power of attorney to your agricultural pension fund. As long as the power of attorney is valid, your agricultural pension fund will only contact your authorized person.

Personal application during the consultation:

  • Compile the documents required for the application and make an appointment with the agricultural pension fund or an SVLFG advice center.
  • Your pension application will be recorded during your consultation.
  • Your agricultural pension fund will check your application. You will receive a written decision by post or in your electronic mailbox at the SVLFG.

Application via online procedure:

  • Go to the SVLFG online portal and log in there.
  • Complete the form and upload the necessary documents. Then submit your pension application online. You will receive the application as a PDF in your online mailbox.
  • Your agricultural pension fund will check your application. You will receive a written notification in your electronic mailbox at the SVLFG.

  • Applying for a pension: by the end of the 3rd calendar month after the end of the month in which you meet the eligibility criteria.
  • Payment of the pension: from the calendar month in which you meet the conditions for entitlement to the pension.

Note: If you apply for the pension later, it will be paid from the calendar month in which you applied for the pension.

If you submit all the necessary application documents, the Landwirtschaftliche Alterskasse will usually make a decision within 3 months. (2 bis 13 Wochen)

An objection can be lodged against the early retirement pension decision within one month (3 months abroad) of its notification. If the appeal is unsuccessful, there is the option of taking legal action before the social court.

Status: 09.03.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales
Source: Federal Portal