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Apply for a pension for reduced earning capacity

German Pension Insurance · Pension for reduced earning capacity

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The pension for reduced earning capacity (Erwerbsminderungsrente) protects people who, for health reasons, can no longer work or can only work to a limited extent. What matters is solely how many hours a day you can still carry out any activity on the general labour market – not whether you can still carry out the profession you trained for.

Under § 43 SGB VI: anyone who can work less than three hours a day receives the full pension for reduced earning capacity. Anyone who can manage three to under six hours receives the partial pension for reduced earning capacity – under § 67 SGB VI this is only half (pension type factor 0.5). Anyone who can work six hours or more has no entitlement.

In addition, you must have met the general qualifying period of five years and have paid at least three years of compulsory contributions in the last five years. Before granting the pension, the pension insurance always checks whether rehabilitation can restore your capacity to work – the principle of "rehabilitation before pension" is set out explicitly in § 9 SGB VI.

Last updated26 August 2026
Legal basis§ 43 SGB VI · § 96a · § 102 · § 9
VerificationChecked against gesetze-im-internet.de and the Deutsche Rentenversicherung
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information site: We are not the German Pension Insurance, not an authority and not a paid advisory service — we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in simple terms; the competent body always has the final say. The medical service of the pension insurance decides on reduced earning capacity on a case-by-case basis. All information is provided without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document official procedures and check the information against the official source — this is information, not legal or tax advice.
CostsFree of chargeApplication, assessment and objection
Processing timeApprox. 3–6 monthsLonger if assessments are required
Time limitMax. 3 yearsNo time limit after 9 years in total
Earnings limit 2026€20,763.75For full reduced earning capacity, per year
Required documents

What you need

Identity card (Personalausweis) and pension insurance number (Versicherungsnummer)

To identify you and match you to your insurance account. You can find your pension insurance number on your Versicherungsnummernachweis, on every Renteninformation and on your payslip.

Medical findings and discharge reports

The heart of the application. Collect all current specialist reports, hospital and rehabilitation discharge reports, surgery reports and findings from recent years. The more complete and up to date the documents, the more robust the assessment – incomplete documents are the most common reason for a refusal.

A list of all treating doctors

With name, specialism, address and the treatment period. The pension insurance will request reports from these practices. Forgotten practitioners mean missing findings and so an incomplete picture of your limitations.

Evidence of rehabilitation measures

Notices and discharge reports from previous rehabilitation. Since "rehabilitation before pension" applies, evidence of rehabilitation that has already failed is a strong argument that your capacity to work cannot be restored.

Details of your career history

Which activities you have carried out, with what physical and psychological demands. Describe concretely which burdens you can no longer cope with – lifting, standing, concentration, dealing with the public, shift work.

Severe disability card, if you have one

A degree of disability (GdB) does not replace reduced earning capacity and is assessed by different criteria, but it provides additional medical grounds. Notices from your health insurance fund (Krankenkasse) about sickness benefit or from the employment agency also belong here.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Check the insurance-related requirements

    First check whether you meet the general qualifying period of five years and have paid at least three years of compulsory contributions in the last five years before the reduced earning capacity began. If these three years are missing, the application fails regardless of your state of health. § 43 (6) SGB VI contains an exception for people who already had full reduced earning capacity continuously before meeting the general qualifying period: they are entitled after a qualifying period of 20 years.

  2. 2

    Gather documents and findings

    Request current findings reports from all treating practices and arrange them chronologically. At the same time, draw up a written statement of which activities you can still carry out, for how long, and exactly what the obstacles are. This self-assessment is more important than most applicants assume.

  3. 3

    Submit the application

    The application can be made online via the eServices, in writing using the official forms, or in person at an advice office. Advice is free of charge. An application for rehabilitation is treated ex officio as a pension application if the rehabilitation is not successful – conversely, a pension application can be reinterpreted as a rehabilitation application.

  4. 4

    Medical assessment

    The pension insurance evaluates your documents and will usually invite you to an assessment. Be sure to attend the appointment – anyone who stays away without good reason risks a refusal for lack of cooperation. Describe your everyday limitations concretely and without exaggeration.

  5. 5

    Check the decision and note the deadline

    The notice states the established capacity to work in hours per day and the pension start date. You can lodge an objection within one month against a refusal or against being classified as having only partially reduced earning capacity. This is often worthwhile: a significant proportion of objections and legal actions are successful.

  6. 6

    Apply for an extension in good time

    Time-limited pensions end automatically when the time limit expires. Submit the continuation application around four months beforehand so that no payment gap arises. The pension is extended for a maximum of a further three years; after a total time limit of nine years it is paid without a time limit if an improvement is considered unlikely.

Fee information

Costs and payment

The procedure is free of chargeIncluding assessment and objection
ApplicationFree of charge
Medical assessmentFree of charge
Objection (Widerspruch)Free of charge
Legal action before the social court (Sozialgericht)Free of court costs
Pension type factor for full EM1,0
Pension type factor for partial EM0,5

The entire procedure – application, assessment, objection – is free of charge for insured persons; proceedings before the social court are also free of court costs. Costs only arise if you engage a lawyer or a pension adviser. What is economically decisive instead is the pension type factor: under § 67 SGB VI, the partial pension for reduced earning capacity is only half of the full pension. Anyone awarded the partial rather than the full pension therefore loses half – this is the most economically important point of the entire procedure and the most common reason for an objection.

Good to know

Important notes

What counts is the general labour market, not your profession. What is examined is whether you can still carry out any activity on the general labour market. The fact that you can no longer carry out the profession you trained for or last practised is not, on its own, sufficient. An exception applies to people born before 2 January 1961, who additionally enjoy protection against occupational disability under § 240 SGB VI.

Earnings limits continue to apply – unlike with the old-age pension. For full reduced earning capacity the limit in 2026 is €20,763.75 in the calendar year, for partial reduced earning capacity at least €41,527.50; individually the limit can be higher, depending on the highest earned income in the 15 years before the reduced earning capacity began. Both figures follow from § 96a SGB VI and the reference value of €3,955 a month.

Above the limit, only a proportion is offset. If the earnings limit is exceeded, the pension does not stop immediately: 40 per cent of the amount exceeding the limit is offset. Only once the offset amount reaches the full pension does payment stop entirely.

Rehabilitation takes priority over the pension. § 9 SGB VI expressly places benefits for participation ahead of pension benefits. That is why the pension insurance almost always first checks whether medical or occupational rehabilitation can restore your capacity to work. A rehabilitation application can be reinterpreted ex officio as a pension application.

Pensions are initially time-limited. Under § 102 SGB VI, pensions for reduced earning capacity are granted for a maximum of three years. Extensions are possible for a further maximum of three years each, with the original pension start date retained. After a total time limit of nine years, it is assumed that the reduced earning capacity can no longer be remedied – the pension is then paid with no time limit.

The pension often starts later than expected. A time-limited pension for reduced earning capacity generally only begins in the seventh calendar month after the reduced earning capacity began. In the meantime, sickness benefit or unemployment benefit usually applies – clarify this transitional period early so that no income gap arises.

An objection is often worthwhile. Refusals and classifications as having only partially reduced earning capacity are regularly corrected if new or more complete findings are submitted during the objection proceedings. Lodge an informal objection first to meet the deadline and submit the reasons afterwards.

Effect on your later old-age pension. Receiving a pension for reduced earning capacity does not rule out a later old-age pension; the periods continue to be taken into account. The pension for reduced earning capacity is converted into an old-age pension when you reach the standard retirement age, without you having to submit a new full application for this.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Submitting incomplete medical documents. The most common reason for refusal. Anyone who submits only a few or outdated findings will be assessed on the file as more capable of work than they actually are. Collect complete, up-to-date reports from all treating practitioners.

Overlooking the three years of compulsory contributions. Besides the five-year qualifying period, at least three years of compulsory contributions must fall within the last five years. Anyone who was privately insured, self-employed or without contributions for a long time often does not meet this condition – regardless of how ill they are.

Missing the assessment appointment. Anyone who fails to attend without good reason or refuses to cooperate must expect a refusal for lack of cooperation. Cancel appointments in good time and arrange a new one.

Letting the objection period expire. One month from notification – after that the notice becomes final, even if the classification was medically wrong. An informal objection is sufficient at first; the reasons can be submitted later.

Applying for the extension too late. Time-limited pensions end automatically. Without a timely continuation application – around four months before the time limit expires – a payment gap arises that is only closed with difficulty.

Not reporting additional earnings. Unlike the old-age pension, limits continue to apply for the pension for reduced earning capacity. Anyone who conceals income must repay amounts overpaid – often over several years and in considerable amounts.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

When do I get the full and when the partial pension for reduced earning capacity?

What matters is how many hours a day you can still work under the usual conditions of the general labour market. Anyone who can work less than three hours a day is considered to have full reduced earning capacity; anyone who manages three to under six hours is considered to have partial reduced earning capacity (§ 43 SGB VI). From six hours a day, there is no entitlement. Under § 67 SGB VI, the partial pension is only half of the full pension.

Which insurance periods must I provide evidence of?

You must have met the general qualifying period of five years and have paid at least three years of compulsory contributions in the last five years before the reduced earning capacity began. For people who already had full reduced earning capacity continuously before meeting the general qualifying period, § 43 (6) SGB VI provides for an entitlement after a qualifying period of 20 years.

How much am I allowed to earn in addition in 2026?

For full reduced earning capacity, the earnings limit in 2026 is €20,763.75 in the calendar year, for partial reduced earning capacity at least €41,527.50. The individual limit for partial reduced earning capacity can be higher and is based on the highest earned income in the 15 years before the reduced earning capacity began. If the limit is exceeded, 40 per cent of the amount exceeding it is offset against the pension.

Does the abolition of the earnings limits apply to me too?

No. The earnings limits abolished on 1 January 2023 applied exclusively to old-age pensions. For pensions for reduced earning capacity, the limits remain unchanged. This confusion is widespread and regularly leads to repayment claims, because those affected assume they are allowed to earn an unlimited amount in addition.

Why is my pension only granted on a time-limited basis?

Under § 102 SGB VI, pensions for reduced earning capacity are in principle time-limited, for a maximum of three years after the pension starts. They can be extended by a further maximum of three years at a time; the original pension start date is retained. After a total time limit of nine years, it is assumed that the reduced earning capacity cannot be remedied – the pension is then paid with no time limit.

What does "rehabilitation before pension" mean?

§ 9 SGB VI places benefits for prevention ahead of benefits for participation, and these in turn ahead of pension benefits. In practice this means: the pension insurance first checks whether medical or occupational rehabilitation can restore your capacity to work. A rehabilitation application can therefore be treated ex officio as a pension application if the rehabilitation is not successful.

From when is the pension paid?

A time-limited pension for reduced earning capacity generally only begins in the seventh calendar month after the reduced earning capacity began. The period before that is usually bridged by sickness benefit or unemployment benefit. Clarify this transitional period early with your health insurance fund or the employment agency so that no income gap arises.

Is an objection worthwhile?

Often, yes. Refusals and classifications as having only partially reduced earning capacity are regularly corrected if more complete or more up-to-date findings are submitted during the objection proceedings. The objection must be lodged within one month of notification of the notice; an informal letter meets the deadline, and you can submit the reasons later. Objection and social court proceedings are free of charge for insured persons.

Does a severe disability card replace proof of reduced earning capacity?

No. The degree of disability (GdB) is established under severe disability law and says nothing about how many hours a day you can still work. A high GdB can support the medical assessment but does not replace it. Conversely, a low GdB does not rule out reduced earning capacity.

What happens to the pension when I reach the standard retirement age?

The pension for reduced earning capacity is converted into an old-age pension when you reach the standard retirement age. A complete new application is not required for this. The amount generally does not change significantly, because the periods taken into account for the pension for reduced earning capacity – including the additional credited period (Zurechnungszeit) – are retained.

Related official procedures

Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation takes priority over the pension
Co-payment €10/day
Old-age pension
Conversion from the standard retirement age
Free of charge
Account clarification (Kontenklärung)
Check your insurance periods
Free of charge

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