Public Pension in Germany: Calculate Your Pension Points & Future Pension Buildup

With our calculator you can estimate how many pension points you have already accumulated and how high your public pension will be based on this.
Dr. Chris Mulder

Dr. Chris is a former Senior Economist and Manager at the IMF and The World Bank. He is a Hypofriend Co-founder.

Published on Dec 13, 2022 Published on Dec 13, 2022 . Updated a month ago

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Dr. Chris is a former Senior Economist and Manager at the IMF and The World Bank. He is a Hypofriend Co-founder.

Let's calculate how many pension points you have accumulated so far

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Your pension points

You have an estimated 5,36 pension points, which at a current value of 39,32 € per point corresponds to a total gross pension of 211 € per month.

Forecast how your pension will grow in the future

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Your total future public pension

You will accumulate an estimated total of 5,36 pension points and an estimated monthly gross pension of 211 € or monthly net pension of 187 €, in current value. We expect the purchase value of the pension points you collect to remain about the same, so this pension number gives you a good sense of what you will have available in retirement.

Retirement age

Predicted pension points

Net pension

62

5,36

187 €

65

5,36

187 €

67

5,36

187 €

70

6,66

232 €

The clever way to invest and retire in Germany

Secure your retirement with Pensionfriend's flexible and tax-efficient pension plan

Can I retire early, or should I work longer?

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This will reduce your gross pension by 179 € to 32 €.

Maybe that sounds like a lot of money, or perhaps a lot less than you think you need. For most people, the state pension will only provide about ⅓ of their retirement needs.

For a comprehensive look at your savings needs and options, check out our savings calculator.

How is the public pension calculated in Germany?

The calculation of the public pension in Germany is based on the following formula:

Monthly pension = Pension points × Access factor × Current pension value × Pension type factor

This doesn't sound very easy, but it is actually quite simple.

Pension points (“Rentenpunkte” or “Entgeltpunkte”)

If you work as an employee in Germany, you pay mandatory social contributions to the public pension insurance, among others. Every year you pay into the pension fund, you receive pension points (“Rentenpunkte”). How many points you collect depends on the amount of your gross income. Exactly one pension point is given for the statistically calculated average income. In 2025, this will be 50.293 €. If you earn more or less, you also earn more or less points accordingly, i.e., 0,50 points for a gross annual income of 25.000 € and 1,39 points for 70.000 €. The maximum number of points you can collect annually is limited; in 2025, this limit is 1,92 points.

Access factor (“Zugangsfaktor”)

The access factor (“Zugangsfaktor”) refers to the age at which you retire in relation to the standard retirement age. If you were born after 1966, the standard retirement age in Germany is 67. This means starting your retirement at 67 leads to an access factor of 1. For each month you retire earlier, it decreases by 0,003 points. In other words, if you want to retire one year early, it will cost you 3,6 %. And each month you retire later, there is an increase of 0,005 points. So if you work one year longer, your access factor is 1,06, and your pension increases by 6 %.

Pension value (“Rentenwert”)

The pension value is the value corresponding to one pension point. This value changes annually as it is adjusted to the overall economic situation. In 2024, it will be 39,32 € for Western and Eastern Germany.

Based on our economic modeling, we expect these pension points to grow with inflation, and neither much more nor much less. There are big debates in Germany about this. On the one hand, economists fear that points will erode due to the aging of the population, and on the other hand, people demand that they rise with living standards and not just inflation.

Pension type factor (“Rentenartfaktor”)

The pension type factor is the value that includes the specific form of the pension in the equation. For a regular old-age pension it is 1, for a partial or full disability, it is 0,5 respectively 1. Other possible pension types are the small and large widow(er)'s pension with factors of 0,25 and 0,5, respectively, and the half-orphan's and full orphan's pension with factors of 0,1 and 0,2.

Your German public pension won't be high enough to secure your standard of living? Discover your options with the Pensionfriend Pension Plan for a safe and sound retirement!