Frühstart-Rente calculator

Status: 25 October 2026. The Bundestag passed the Frühstart-Rente on 16 October 2026. The Bundesrat’s consent is still pending, the law has not been published and is not in force. The planned start is 1 January 2027. The calculator follows the version the Bundestag passed; details may still change.

How it calculates

The Frühstart-Rente (“early-start pension”) is a state-funded pension depot for children. The calculator follows it one year of the child’s life at a time:

1. State money. From the child’s 6th to 18th birthday the state pays €10 a month: 144 payments, €1,440 in total. Each payment counts at the end of a month.
2. Your top-up. Anything you add is assumed over the same years, 6 to 18.
3. Growth. Everything grows at the return you enter, after costs. The Standarddepot may cost at most 1.0 % a year, and no sales or set-up charges may be taken from the state money. Nothing is taxed while the money is invested.
4. Payout. After 18 nothing more goes in and the depot keeps growing. The state money and its gains can be paid out at 65 at the earliest.

Switch on today’s money to deflate every year from 2026 by the inflation rate you choose.

Worked example: born 2021, no top-up

A child born in 2021 turns six in 2027. By their 18th birthday the state has paid in €1,440. At 7% a year after costs the depot holds about €2,215 at 18. From then on time does the work: by 67 it grows to €60,969, or about €17,861 in today’s money at 2% inflation. At a more cautious 4% it would be €12,545.

Add €25 a month from 6 to 18 and you pay in €3,600 yourself. The depot then holds €7,751 at 18 and about €213,391 at 67. Most of that is not money paid in but almost five decades of compounding; the compound interest calculator shows the same effect for any plan.

Frühstart-Rente or a junior depot?

Many parents already invest for their children in a Kinderdepot (junior depot), often an ETF savings plan in the child’s name. An existing junior depot cannot receive the Frühstart-Rente. The state money only goes into a separate Standarddepot in the child’s name, which can be opened from 1 January 2027. Without one, the Bundesbank invests the money collectively from 2028, in broadly diversified global equities only. The claim can be moved into an own Standarddepot until the child turns 35, or from 18 into any certified pension contract; otherwise it lapses at 35.

The real difference is access:

• Frühstart-Rente: €10 a month from the state, no tax while invested. The state money and its gains are locked until 65 at least and taxed as income when paid out. Your own top-ups can be withdrawn earlier under the contract; the gains on them are then taxed.
• Junior depot: nothing from the state, but the money is your child’s at 18, for studies, a driving licence or a first flat. Gains fall under the flat capital gains tax, and the child’s own €1,000 allowance usually covers a small depot.

With €25 a month, the top-ups alone would be worth about €5,537 at 18, the same as in a junior depot before tax. The Frühstart-Rente adds the €2,215 from the state on top. For money your child should have at 18, an ETF savings plan in an ordinary depot is more flexible; for retirement, the Frühstart contract brings the state money and tax-free growth. You can do both. The guide on investing for children in Germany weighs the options.

Notes for expat families

Eligibility follows the child: born in 2020 or later, with their main residence in Germany. Where the parents live does not matter. The first cohorts are children born in 2020 and 2021, from 2027; the 2020 cohort is paid back to 1 January 2026. From 2028 each year’s six-year-olds join. Nobody has to apply, because the provider claims the money with the child’s tax ID (Steuer-ID). Children born before 2020 get nothing.

At 18 the payments stop but the contract does not. Your child can keep it as a subsidised Altersvorsorgedepot or move it to another certified contract. Once they are eligible themselves, for example as an apprentice, their own contributions earn the normal top-ups and a one-off €200 bonus under 25.

What it can’t see

It assumes one steady return for more than 60 years, while markets swing and nobody knows yet how the depot will shift before the payout. It does not deduct the income tax at payout, which depends on your child’s whole income in retirement. It assumes the law arrives as the Bundestag passed it and that the rules hold for decades. And it only sees the child, not your household: the parental leave calculator shows what a child means for your budget, and Zenarios puts the whole family plan together.

Common questions

Is the Frühstart-Rente already law?

Not yet. As of 25 October 2026 the Bundestag passed it on 16 October 2026, but the Bundesrat still has to consent and the law has not been published. The planned start is 1 January 2027. Everything on this page follows the version the Bundestag passed.

What does €10 a month grow to?

The state pays in €1,440 in total, from age 6 to 18. At 7 % a year after costs that is about €2,215 at 18 and about €60,969 at 67, before tax and inflation. At 4 % it would be about €12,545 at 67. Returns are an assumption, not a promise.

Do children of expats get it?

What counts is the child, not the parents' nationality: children born in 2020 or later whose main residence is in Germany. The parents' residence does not matter. No application is needed; the provider applies with the child's tax ID. Children born before 2020 get nothing.

Can we add our own money?

Yes. Parents, grandparents and anyone else may pay in, up to €6,840 a year in total, with no tax deduction. Adding €25 a month from 6 to 18 at 7 % gives about €213,391 at 67, against about €60,969 without. Own top-ups can be withdrawn earlier under the contract; the gains are then taxed.

Sources

• Federal Ministry of Finance: FAQ on the Frühstart-Rente (22 Oct 2026, German)
• Bundestag: vote on the Frühstart-Rente (16 Oct 2026, German)
• Bundesrat: proceedings on Drucksache 445/26 (German)
• Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Frühstart-Rente FAQ (19 Oct 2026, German)

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By Constantin Metz, the maker of Zenarios · Reviewed 25 October 2026. Results are estimates from your inputs and simplified rules, not financial, tax or legal advice. How Zenarios calculates