Kindererziehungszeit: how Germany credits pension for raising children
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In Germany, time spent raising children can be credited toward the state pension. These periods are called Kindererziehungszeiten and Berücksichtigungszeiten wegen Kindererziehung. They matter for parents who did not work, worked part-time, or temporarily paid lower contributions to Deutsche Rentenversicherung because they were caring for a child.
This is not a separate child benefit and not a payment made immediately after birth. It is about an entry in the pension account: the state recognizes the child-raising period as pension-relevant time, and the future pension may become higher.
What Kindererziehungszeit is
Kindererziehungszeit is a period during which raising a child is counted as mandatory pension contributions. In practice, the system treats the parent as if they had earned an average salary during that period and paid contributions to the pension insurance system.
The rule is set out in § 56 SGB VI. In the usual situation, the period is credited to the parent who actually raised the child. If both parents raise the child together, the period is usually assigned to the mother by default, but the parents can submit a joint declaration and transfer it to the father or the other parent.
How much time is credited
The rule depends on the child’s date of birth:
| Child’s date of birth | What is usually credited |
|---|---|
| 1992 or later | up to 36 months of Kindererziehungszeit |
| before 1992 | under the current rules, a shorter period is credited; after the 2025 reform, full equalization has been announced, but the specific calculation is best checked with Deutsche Rentenversicherung |
For children born in 1992 or later, Deutsche Rentenversicherung states up to 3 years, that is, 36 months. The period does not begin on the day of birth but from the calendar month after the child’s birth.
Separately, there is Berücksichtigungszeit, a child-raising consideration period until the child’s tenth birthday. It is not the same as three pension points by itself, but it can help in meeting certain pension conditions, for example the length of the insurance record.
Who can qualify
Child-raising periods may be credited to parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, or other persons if they were the ones actually raising the child and they meet the conditions of German pension law.
For families who moved to Germany, the facts of living and raising the child in Germany are especially important. If the child was born abroad and the family moved later, usually only the period when the child and parent actually lived in Germany and met the crediting conditions is considered. For the time before moving, the German pension system generally does not credit Kindererziehungszeit.
Having a residence permit by itself does not guarantee that the period will be credited. Deutsche Rentenversicherung checks the documents, the residence period, the family situation, and who was actually raising the child.
Can you work while raising a child
Work does not always prevent the credit. Kindererziehungszeit can also be credited during part-time employment, but there is an important limitation: if the maximum pension contribution base has already been reached for the same period, the additional credit may not increase the amount beyond that ceiling.
That is why the formula “worked less than 4 hours a day, so it will be credited; more than that, it will not” oversimplifies the situation. It is more reliable to look at the actual pension contributions, income, and the decision of Deutsche Rentenversicherung for the specific insurance account.
How it affects your future pension
For one year of Kindererziehungszeit, about one pension point (Entgeltpunkt) is usually credited. The value of a pension point changes every year. In 2026, these benchmarks apply:
| Period | Current pension point |
|---|---|
| 01.07.2025-30.06.2026 | 40.79 euros per month |
| 01.07.2026-30.06.2027 | 42.52 euros per month |
Example: if 36 months are credited for one child, that is about 3 Entgeltpunkte. At a pension point value of 40.79 euros, that increase equals about 122.37 euros gross per month, and after July 1, 2026, at a point value of 42.52 euros, about 127.56 euros gross per month. The final payment depends on the overall pension formula, taxes, health insurance, and Pflegeversicherung.
Minimum insurance period and pension entitlement
For a regular Regelaltersrente, the minimum Wartezeit is 5 years, that is, 60 calendar months with pension-relevant periods. Kindererziehungszeiten can help cover this minimum because they are not just an “extra,” but pension-relevant time.
If a parent has little or no work history in Germany, the child-raising periods are still worth checking through Kontenklärung. Sometimes these periods are exactly what help meet the minimum conditions for a future pension.
When to apply
It is not necessary to wait until retirement. It is better to record the child-raising periods in the pension account early, when the documents are still easy to find. A practical moment is after the child’s birth or after the family understands which parent it is more advantageous and appropriate to credit the period to.
If the child is already much older, the application can still make sense. But the older the documents are, the harder it becomes to prove residence, study, work, family status, and the fact of actually raising the child.
How to apply through Deutsche Rentenversicherung
The main form is V0800 Antrag auf Feststellung von Kindererziehungszeiten / Berücksichtigungszeiten wegen Kindererziehung. It can be submitted through Deutsche Rentenversicherung, including by using online services if electronic identification is available.
Usually, the procedure is as follows:
- Request or download form V0800.
- Provide the details of the parent, the child, and the child-raising periods.
- Attach the child’s birth certificate.
- If necessary, attach documents proving residence in Germany.
- If the period should be credited not to the mother, prepare a joint declaration from the parents or additional proof of actual child raising.
- Send the documents to Deutsche Rentenversicherung.
- Wait for a letter: the authority may request additional proof.
- After the decision, check the Versicherungsverlauf, the insurance record in the pension account.
Which documents may be needed
The basic document is the child’s birth certificate. For documents not in German, a translation and, in some cases, an apostille or another legalization may be required. The exact requirements depend on the issuing country and the specific situation.
Families with a migration background may additionally be asked for:
- passports and old visas of the parent and child;
- proof of residence permits and residence periods;
- Meldebescheinigung for the relevant years;
- documents proving entry into Germany;
- a marriage or divorce certificate;
- proof that the child lived with the applicant;
- Immatrikulationsbescheinigung if the parent studied;
- proof of employment or part-time work if that matters for the calculation.
If documents from another country are difficult to obtain, it is better not to wait until retirement age and to clarify the list with Deutsche Rentenversicherung in advance.
If there is more than one child
Child-raising periods are considered for each child. If the children were born close together and the periods overlap, the calculation may shift: the pension fund determines which months are credited and how they appear in the insurance account. For such cases, Kontenklärung is especially useful because it is easy to make a mistake manually.
If the child was born abroad
The family can claim credit only for the periods that meet German rules. If the child moved to Germany before the age of three, part of the time before the third birthday may be relevant. If the child moved when already older than three, Kindererziehungszeit for the first three years of life usually does not arise in Germany, but there may be other pension or family issues worth clarifying separately.
Common mistakes
- waiting until retirement age and then searching for old documents;
- assuming that Kindererziehungszeit is credited automatically in all cases;
- confusing Elterngeld, Elternzeit, and pension periods;
- thinking that money is paid to your account immediately after submitting V0800;
- not checking the Versicherungsverlauf after the decision;
- assigning the period to one parent even though the other option would be more beneficial for the family’s income and pension record;
- ignoring documents proving residence in Germany after moving.
What to check after the decision
After the application has been processed, request or review the Versicherungsverlauf. It should show the periods of Kindererziehungszeit and Berücksichtigungszeit. If something is missing or the dates look wrong, it is better to contact Deutsche Rentenversicherung right away and correct the account while the documents are still available.
FAQ
Is this a pension only for mothers?
No. The periods can be credited to the father or another person who actually raised the child if the conditions are met. In practice, they are often credited to the mother, but that is not the only option.
Will the money be paid immediately after submitting V0800?
No. V0800 records the periods in the pension account. The monetary effect appears when the future pension is calculated, if the conditions for receiving it are met.
Do you need 5 years of work in Germany?
For Regelaltersrente, a Wartezeit of 5 years is required. But those 5 years do not have to come only from work: Kindererziehungszeiten can also count as pension periods.
Can this be applied for retroactively?
Yes, the periods can be claimed later. But the earlier you enter them into the pension account, the lower the risk of losing documents or facing a long review.
