Rente mit 63: Is Germany Scrapping Early Retirement?

Is the Rente mit 63 being abolished?

Not yet: as of 13 November 2026 the pension for people with 45 insured years still exists, and no bill to abolish it has been approved by the cabinet or the Bundestag ^[3][4]. What exists is a recommendation and a political plan.

The government's pension commission (Alterssicherungskommission) presented 33 recommendations in June 2026 (the report was handed over on 23 June), and one of them is to abolish the pension without deductions after 45 contribution years ^[6][9]. Its recommendation number 6 pairs that with easier access to a pension for people close to retirement who can no longer work in their long-time job for health reasons, subject to an individual health check ^[3].

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) said on 4 November 2026 that the commission's proposals were "a balanced and well thought-out overall concept" and that the end of early retirement must remain part of the package, while leaving room for details, transition periods and hardship rules ^[6]. The SPD's labour minister Alexander Schweitzer said in early November that his ministry's work on the draft law was 95% complete, while the coalition was still in intensive talks on the open points ^[5][10].

Who can retire after 45 years today?

Under current law, anyone with 45 qualifying insurance years can retire without deductions before the regular retirement age, at an age that depends on the year of birth ^[1][2].

• Born before 1953: at 63, which is where the nickname comes from ^[1].
• Born 1953 to 1963: the age rises by two months per birth year; for those born in 1962 it is 64 years and eight months ^[2].
• Born 1964 or later: at 65, two years before the regular age of 67 ^[1][2].

The pension cannot be taken earlier, not even with deductions ^[1]. The 45 years include compulsory contributions from work, child-raising periods up to the child's 10th birthday, unpaid care, military or civilian service, and periods on benefits such as sick pay; unemployment benefit in the last two years before retirement only counts if it followed an employer's insolvency or closure ^[1]. Periods on Arbeitslosengeld II or unemployment assistance, periods credited for personal reasons such as illness, school or university study, and credits from pension equalisation after divorce (Versorgungsausgleich) or pension splitting between spouses (Rentensplitting) do not count ^[1].

It is a large group. The Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) figures cited by the Stuttgarter Zeitung show that 28.3% of all new old-age pensions in 2025 were of this type, and about 2.89 million such pensions were being paid at the end of 2025 ^[3].

Which birth years would be affected?

That is undecided: in its answer to a parliamentary question from Die Linke (Bundestag document 21/8731, 19 October 2026), the government named no birth years and no date for a change ^[3]. It wrote that it is "currently working on the legislative implementation of these recommendations" and that it could not anticipate the result ^[3].

The question matters most for people born from 1964 onwards, for whom the rule currently allows retirement at 65 instead of 67 ^[3][1]. Whether the cohorts of 1964, 1965 or 1966 would be affected, or only later ones, cannot be read from the government's reply, the Stuttgarter Zeitung noted ^[3].

Specific cut-off years are circulating on advice websites and in social media posts. None of them comes from a bill approved by the cabinet, so treat any claim that "from birth year 19xx the Rente mit 63 is gone" as unconfirmed until a draft law is published ^[3][4]. CDU politician Thorsten Frei said in October that transition periods and protection rules could be discussed ^[4]; Berliner Zeitung reported on 14 October that labour minister Bärbel Bas had floated about five years of protection for people close to retirement, that Frei rejected that timeframe, and that no agreement had been reached ^[11].

DRV data cited by the paper show that 31,418 people who started this pension in 2025 had the status of partial retirement (Altersteilzeit) or early retirement at the end of 2024 ^[3]. Die Linke's question concerned transition rules and protection for employees who already count on a particular retirement date; the government said it is working on the legislative implementation and that this cannot be anticipated ^[3].

What would replace the pension after 45 years?

If it were scrapped, the main early route left would be the pension for long-term insured people (35 years), which can start at 63 but with a permanent cut of 0.3% for every month before the regular age ^[2][7]. The commission has also recommended raising the earliest age for that 35-year pension from 63 to 64, and then raising it in line with the regular retirement age ^[9].

The DRV gives an example: for people born in 1963, who turn 63 in 2026, the regular age is 66 years and ten months, so retiring at 63 means a deduction of 13.8% ^[2]. For people born in 1964 or later, the regular age is 67 and the maximum deduction at 63 is 14.4% ^[2][7].

As an illustration of the scale: on a gross pension of 1,500 euros, 14.4% would be 216 euros a month, for life. The commission also proposed a hardship route for those whose health prevents them from working, but its details depend on the bill ^[3].

The wider package includes a capital-funded pension (Kapitalrente), which Merz said would mean higher contributions at first and lower ones in the medium term ^[6]. For how index funds, often used for private pension saving, work, see the Pouyam guide Index Funds and ETFs Explained: How S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 Funds Work.

When will the pension reform be decided?

Merz's stated plan is a cabinet decision on the bill in 2026 and a Bundestag decision in the first quarter of 2027, but the coalition has not yet agreed the details ^[4][5]. Tagesschau reported on 19 October that Merz had already moved the Bundestag target from the end of the year to spring ^[4]. Die Zeit reported on 4 November that Merz wants central parts in cabinet before Christmas ^[5]; a dpa report of 5 November says the same ^[10].

Opposition inside the coalition is open. SPD parliamentary leader Matthias Miersch said many people had planned their working lives around the rule and called for a "fairness check"; he also doubted the commission's figure that keeping the rule costs ten billion euros ^[4]. Merz acknowledged resistance from the SPD and from CDU state premiers in eastern Germany ^[6]. Schweitzer, who became labour minister in October after Bärbel Bas resigned, opposes ending the block model of partial retirement ^[4][5][10].

After cabinet, the bill goes through the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, which can take months. Nothing changes for anyone until a law is passed and comes into force ^[3].

What should you do now if you planned to retire early?

Keep planning on current law, but check your own numbers and avoid irreversible steps based on rumours ^[1][3]. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.

1. Request your insurance record (Versicherungsverlauf) from the DRV and have gaps clarified (Kontenklärung), so you know whether you really reach 45 years ^[1].
2. Check which periods count. Study years and Arbeitslosengeld II do not count toward the 45 years; child-raising and care periods do ^[1].
3. Apply about three months before your intended start date if you qualify, as the federal portal recommends ^[8].
4. Talk to an independent adviser before signing Altersteilzeit or a termination agreement, and ask how a transition rule might treat you.
5. Follow the official text. The cabinet draft, once published by the labour ministry, is the first document that will name birth years.

Readers outside Germany may compare it with how the US system handles benefits, explained in Social Security Payments: Payment Dates, the 3.6% COLA for 2027 and How Benefits Are Paid.