Under a law aiming to adjust the minimum pension age in line with demographic change and to place the statutory pension insurance systems on a sounder financial footing, the minimum age at which a standard pension in Germany may be taken is to be gradually increased from 65 to 67 between 2012 and 2029.

An individual can claim the standard old-age pension (Regelaltersrente) when reaching the minimum pension age provided that he or she has completed the five-year general qualifying period.

The minimum pension age is 65 for people born before 1 January 1947. It is 67 for people born in or after 1964. There is a stepped increase to the minimum pension age for people born in the years 1947 to 1963.

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