Guide

Retirement age in Germany: your birth year is the answer

By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026

The Deutsche Rentenversicherung sets the standard retirement age (Regelaltersgrenze) by birth year. Born in 1960, it is 66 years and 4 months; 1961, 66 and 6 months; 1962, 66 and 8 months; 1963, 66 and 10 months; born in 1964 or later, 67. You need at least five years of insurance, and each month you defer adds 0.5% to the pension.

The birth-year table

The pension insurer's own brochure publishes the last steps of the climb to 67:

Born 1960: 66 years 4 months
Born 1961: 66 years 6 months
Born 1962: 66 years 8 months
Born 1963: 66 years 10 months
Born 1964 or later: 67 years

Behind the table is a simple rule the DRV sets out: anyone born before 1947 reached the standard age at 65; from the 1947 cohort it rose by one month per birth year, and from the 1959 cohort by two months per year, until it lands at 67. The DRV's own worked example: born in 1956, you could retire at 65 years and 10 months.

Source: Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Die richtige Altersrente für Sie (brochure, July 2026), read 16 October 2026.

Source: Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Wann kann ich in Rente gehen?, read 16 October 2026.

The five-year minimum, and the reward for waiting

Reaching the age is half the test. The DRV states that the standard old-age pension is paid once you reach the Regelaltersgrenze and have completed the general qualifying period of five years. Taken at the standard age, it is always paid without a deduction.

Waiting pays. If you have met the five years and start later than your standard age, the DRV adds a pension supplement of 0.5% for every calendar month you defer.

Source: Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Lexikon, Regelaltersgrenze, read 16 October 2026.

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Earlier doors, and what they cost

The standard age is not the only route. The DRV describes a pension for the very long-insured, which needs at least 45 years of insurance and its own age threshold, and a pension for the long-insured, which needs at least 35 years and can be drawn before the standard age with deductions (Abschläge).

The DRV's example puts a number on that trade: retiring two years before the standard age reduces the monthly pension by 7.2%.

Source: Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Wann kann ich in Rente gehen?, read 16 October 2026.

For movers with mixed careers

Years insured in other EU countries count toward qualifying periods under the EU coordination rules, which our multi-country pension guide explains.

If your retirement plan includes private health cover abroad, timing matters: Regency's international health plans accept new applicants up to age 70, and Essential Health up to 80. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, and cover is governed by the policy wording. We are an insurance introducer, not an insurer.

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Common questions

Is the retirement age in Germany 67?

For anyone born in 1964 or later, yes. Earlier cohorts are on the last steps of the climb: 66 years 4 months for 1960 births, rising two months a year to 66 years 10 months for 1963. The Deutsche Rentenversicherung publishes the table in its pension brochure.

Can I retire early in Germany?

With a long record, yes. The DRV describes a pension after 45 insurance years with its own age threshold, and one after 35 years that can start earlier with deductions. Its example: two years early cuts the monthly pension by 7.2%.

What happens if I keep working past retirement age?

If you have met the five-year qualifying period and put off claiming, the DRV adds a supplement of 0.5% to the pension for every calendar month you defer. The standard pension itself is never reduced when taken at the standard age.

Do years worked in other countries count?

EU-insured years count toward German qualifying periods under the EU coordination rules, while each country pays its own share.

Keep reading

State pension from several EU countries Retirement age in France Retirement age in Austria