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Reduced earning capacity pension; application

If you are no longer able to work due to illness or disability, you can receive a reduced earning capacity pension in many cases.

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Procedure details

The reduced earning capacity pension supports you if you can no longer work for health reasons and have not yet reached the regular retirement age. It replaces your income to a certain extent.

Before you can receive the reduced earning capacity pension, the German Pension Insurance will check whether rehabilitation can help you to support yourself again. This includes medical and vocational rehabilitation, for example, further training for professional reorientation or work assistance.

The German Pension Insurance determines to what extent you can still work on the general labor market. Depending on this, you will receive either

  • a pension due to full reduction in earning capacity or
  • a pension for partial reduction in earning capacity.

If you are partially incapacitated from a medical point of view and you are unemployed because a part-time job that is suitable for your performance is not available, you can also receive a pension for full reduction in earning capacity.

You can also receive the reduced earning capacity pension as a disabled person. This applies, for example, if you work in a special facility for the disabled and cannot work in the general labor market because of your disability.

The amount of your reduced earning capacity pension depends on your pension account with the German Pension Insurance. Your annual pension information will tell you what you can expect if you are fully reduced in earning capacity. If you are only partially incapacitated for work, half of this is taken as a basis.

In the case of younger people, it is not only the few years of previous work that count. Rather, there is the so-called reckoning period. This is the time between the onset of the reduction in earning capacity and a certain legally defined age. The credited period puts you in the same position as if you had paid contributions up to that age.

If your pension starts before the age limit that applies to you, you will have to accept deductions. For each month that you retire earlier, the deduction is 0.3 percent, up to a maximum of 10.8 percent in total.

If you receive a reduced earning capacity pension, you can earn additional income to a certain extent with a part-time job.

  • If you have a full reduction in earning capacity, you may only work less than 3 hours a day. If you earn more than EUR 6,300 gross per year, your pension will no longer be paid in full or possibly not at all.
  • If you are partially incapacitated, you may only work less than 6 hours a day. How much additional income you are allowed to earn is calculated individually.

An application for a reduced earning capacity pension does not mean that you will never be allowed to work again. It is often possible to recover from severe health setbacks through targeted treatment and support. Your reduced earning capacity pension is usually granted for a limited period, for a maximum of 3 years. You will only receive an unlimited pension in some exceptional cases.

Note: If you were born before January 2, 1961, you may be eligible for the "pension for partial reduction in earning capacity in the event of occupational disability." This pension takes into account whether you can continue to work in your previous profession.

  • Due to illness or disability, you can work on the general labor market

    • work less than 3 hours a day (full reduction in earning capacity) or
    • work at least 3 hours but less than 6 hours a day (partial reduction in earning capacity).
    • Exception: If you are partially incapacitated for work from a medical point of view and are unemployed because there is no part-time job that is suitable for your performance, you may also be able to receive a pension for full reduction in earning capacity.

  • You cannot improve your earning capacity again through

    • medical rehabilitation or
    • vocational rehabilitation, for example retraining or job aids.

  • You have not yet reached the standard retirement age. This is the date from which you can draw the regular retirement pension.

  • You have been insured for at least 5 years (general waiting period).

  • You have paid into the pension insurance for at least 3 years in the last 5 years before your reduction in earning capacity.

  • Exception: If you already fulfilled the 5-year waiting period before January 1, 1984, you may be entitled to a pension even without the 3 years of compulsory contributions. The prerequisite is that in the period from January 1, 1984, until the onset of your reduction in earning capacity, every calendar month is documented with so-called qualifying periods, for example, also through periods of voluntary contributions or, under certain conditions, periods of unemployment.

  • The general waiting period of 5 years includes

    • Contribution periods (compulsory and voluntary contributions),
    • substitute periods,
    • child-raising periods,
    • periods from pension equalization and pension splitting between spouses,
    • periods of marginal employment with payment of contributions by the employer, and
    • supplements to earnings points for remuneration from marginal employment exempt from compulsory insurance.
    • Under certain conditions, you can also fulfill the general waiting period of five years early, for example, if you have become less able to work due to an accident at work).

Reduced earning capacity for people with disabilities

If you have not fulfilled the general waiting period of 5 years before the onset of reduced earning capacity, it is still possible to receive a pension due to full reduced earning capacity: You must then

  • fulfill the waiting period of 20 years, e.g. have worked for 20 years in a workshop for disabled people, and
  • have remained fully incapacitated for work without interruption.

  • Required Documents:

    • valid identity card or passport

    • Evidence that is not recorded in the insurance history, for example:

      • Offset certificates
      • Evidence of periods of training
      • Proof of unemployment
      • Proof of periods of illness

    • List of your health disorders

    • Names and addresses of your attending physicians

    • all details of medical examinations by public authorities such as the health insurance fund, employment agency or employers' liability insurance association

    • details of your hospital and rehabilitation stays in recent years, and

    • a chronological list of your professional activities

    • If another person is submitting the application:

      • Power of attorney or
      • Order of the court

You can apply for the reduced earning capacity pension in writing, in person or via the online procedure.

Tip: Before you submit your application, you can get advice from the German Pension Insurance.

Written pension application:

  • Download the form package for pension due to reduced earning capacity on the website of the German Pension Insurance. Fill out the application for insured person's pension and the forms mentioned in it completely and compile the required documents.
  • You can submit your completed and signed application together with the required documents to either
    • send it by mail to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung or
    • hand it in at one of the local advice centers.
  • When your pension application has arrived, you will receive a confirmation of receipt.
  • Deutsche Rentenversicherung will check your application for completeness and, if necessary, request any missing documents.
  • Deutsche Rentenversicherung will check the requirements for your pension entitlement and the completeness of your insurance history. If necessary, it will clarify gaps in your insurance history.
  • The German Pension Insurance will check your reduction in earning capacity on the basis of the information you have provided and the documents you have submitted. If necessary for the assessment, further medical documents will be requested, such as reports or expert opinions.
  • The German Pension Insurance will clarify other facts, for example, your health insurance relationship, whether you earn additional income or receive another pension.
  • If you are entitled to a pension due to reduced earning capacity, you will receive a pension notice with information on the start date, the start of the current payment and the amount. Furthermore, you will be informed about your rights and obligations.
  • If you are not eligible for the reduced earning capacity pension, you will receive a rejection notice with the reason for the rejection.

Pension application via online procedure:

  • Go to the online portal of the German Pension Insurance and log in. You can use your signature card, your ID card with electronic proof of identity or your electronic residence permit for this purpose.
  • Fill out the application and upload the necessary documents. Then submit your pension application online.
  • When your pension application has arrived, you will receive a confirmation of receipt.
  • Deutsche Rentenversicherung will check your application for completeness and request any missing documents if necessary.
  • Deutsche Rentenversicherung checks the requirements for your pension entitlement and the insurance history for completeness. If necessary, it will clarify gaps in your insurance history.
  • The German Pension Insurance will check your reduction in earning capacity on the basis of the information you have provided and the documents you have submitted. If necessary for the assessment, further medical documents will be requested (for example, reports on findings or expert opinions).
  • The German Pension Insurance will clarify other facts, for example, your health insurance relationship, whether you earn additional income or receive another pension.
  • If you are entitled to a pension due to reduced earning capacity, you will receive a pension notice with information on the start date, the start of the current payment and the amount. Furthermore, you will be informed about your rights and obligations.
  • If you are not eligible for the reduced earning capacity pension, you will receive a rejection notice with the reason for the rejection.

Personal application at the counseling session:

  • Compile the documents you need to submit your application and make an appointment at an information and counseling center of the German Pension Insurance.
  • During the consultation, your application for a pension due to reduced earning capacity will usually be recorded electronically right away and forwarded online.
  • When your pension application has arrived, you will receive a confirmation of receipt.
  • Deutsche Rentenversicherung will check the application for completeness and, if necessary, request any missing documents.
  • Deutsche Rentenversicherung checks the requirements for your pension entitlement and your insurance history for completeness. If necessary, it will clarify gaps in your insurance history.
  • The German Pension Insurance will check your reduction in earning capacity on the basis of the information you have provided and the documents you have submitted. If necessary for the assessment, further medical documents will be requested (for example, reports on findings or expert opinions).
  • The German Pension Insurance will clarify other facts, for example, your health insurance relationship, whether you earn additional income or receive an accident pension.
  • If you are entitled to a pension due to reduced earning capacity, you will receive a pension notice with information on the start date, the start of the current payment and the amount. Furthermore, you will be informed about your rights and obligations.
  • If you are not entitled to the pension for reduced earning capacity, you will receive a rejection notice with the reason for the rejection.

A person you trust can also submit the pension application on your behalf. For this purpose, please submit a corresponding power of attorney to the German Pension Insurance. As long as the power of attorney is valid, it will be addressed exclusively to your authorized person.

none

Indefinite pensions:

  • If you submit your pension application within the first 3 months after the onset of your incapacity for work, your pension will start from the first day of the month following the onset of your incapacity for work. If you submit your application later, your pension will not be paid until the beginning of the month of application.

Temporary pensions:

  • As a rule, a fixed-term pension begins at the earliest with the seventh calendar month after the onset of the reduction in earning capacity. It is sufficient if you apply for the pension by the end of this seventh calendar month. If you apply later, the pension will only be paid from the beginning of the month of application.
  • If the determination of full reduction in earning capacity results in your entitlement to unemployment benefit, sickness benefit or daily sickness benefit ending, your pension due to full reduction in earning capacity may already start before the seventh calendar month after the onset of the reduction in earning capacity.

usually about 4-5 months

Objection, social court action

Status: 26.08.2022
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales
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