Can I get my company pension at 63? Yes, if at 63 you draw the full state old age pension, for example as long-term insured with 35 years of qualifying periods. You can then claim the company pension, and the provider may cut it under your pension rules. From 2027 a partial pension is enough. Without a state old age pension it only pays from the age in your contract.
Cuts and age limits for retiring at 63 in Germany.
Example
Typical range
Cut to the state pension per month
0.3 percent
Cut at 63, born 1964 or later
48 months, 14.4 percent
Qualifying period for retiring at 63
35 years
No cut after 45 years, born 1964 or later
from 65
Figures under Social Code VI and the company pension act.
The cut to the company pension is set by your contract, not by law.
Worked example
Born 1964, retiring at 63
Example figures. The company pension cut of 0.5 percent a month is assumed, your contract gives the real rate.
State pension without cut
EUR 1,600
State pension with 14.4 percent cut
EUR 1,369.60
Company pension from 67 under the contract
EUR 400
Company pension at 63, 48 × 0.5 percent cut
EUR 304
At 63 the person receives EUR 1,673.60 gross in total instead of EUR 2,000 at 67. Both cuts last for life.
The rule: the company pension follows the state pension
Anyone drawing the full state old age pension can, under German company pension law, also claim the company pension once the waiting period and other conditions of the promise are met. This applies even if your contract names a retirement age of 65 or 67.
The company pension at 63 does not start by itself. You must request it from the provider and show the state pension decision.
Who can retire at 63
At 63 there is the state pension for long-term insured if you have 35 years of qualifying periods. For each month before the standard retirement age it falls by 0.3 percent.
Type of pension
Earliest start
Cut
Long-term insured, born 1964 or later
63
14.4 percent, permanently
Particularly long-term insured, 45 years, born 1963
64 and 10 months
none
Particularly long-term insured, born 1964 or later
65
none
Standard old age pension, born 1964 or later
67
none
What the company pension at 63 costs you
If you take your company pension early, the provider pays for longer. That is why it may cut it under your pension rules. The cut stays even when you later reach the normal retirement age.
With a direct insurance the fund is simply turned into a pension earlier: contributions and returns are missing and the money must last longer. Ask the provider to calculate your company pension at 63 and at 67 in writing.
From 2027: company pension alongside a partial pension
Until the end of 2026 the law requires a full pension. If you limit your state pension to a part, the provider may stop the company pension, and you must report the limitation.
From 1 January 2027 any old age pension is enough for an early company pension, including a partial one. If you cut your hours at 63 and take a partial pension, you can then add the company pension.
When the company pension at 63 is not possible
Without a state old age pension there is no right to the early company pension. If you stop working at 63 but do not yet draw an old age pension, for example while on unemployment benefit, the company pension only starts at the age in your contract.
A reduced earning capacity pension is not an old age pension either. What counts there is whether your promise has its own invalidity benefit.
Step by step
Check with the state pension insurance whether you have 35 years at 63.
Ask the provider for your company pension at 63 and at standard age.
Apply for the state pension.
Request the early company pension from the provider with the pension decision.
Before 2027, do not choose a partial pension if the company pension should keep running.
Checklist
35 years of qualifying periods reached
Size of the cut known in writing
Full pension chosen, until the end of 2026
Application sent to the provider
Health insurer informed about the company pension
Common mistakes
Expecting the company pension to start automatically with the state pension
Believing the cut ends at 67
Choosing a partial pension before 2027 and putting the company pension at risk
Stopping work at 63 without drawing a state old age pension
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does this also apply to a direct insurance?
Yes, the rule applies to all pension routes.
The insurer then turns the fund into a pension earlier, and the pension is smaller.
Does the cut to my company pension end at 67?
No.
It balances the longer payout and stays permanently.
What if I take a partial pension at 63?
Until the end of 2026 the provider may then stop the company pension.
From 2027 a partial pension is enough.
Can I get my company pension at 63 if I am unemployed?
Only if you already draw a state old age pension.
Otherwise it starts at the age in your contract.
Is there still a pension at 63 without a cut?
Not for people born in 1964 or later.
After 45 years the pension without a cut starts at 65.
