Pension points (Entgeltpunkte): how the German state pension is counted

The German state pension is not counted in euros but in points. Each year your gross salary subject to contributions is compared with the average salary of everyone insured. Earn exactly the average and you get one Entgeltpunkt (§ 63 (2) SGB VI). Germans often call them Rentenpunkte. If you work in Germany for only part of your career, these points are what you take with you. Status: October 2026.

The formula

points for a year = gross salary subject to contributions ÷ average salary

For 2026 the provisional average salary is €51,944 (§ 3 Social Insurance Values Regulation 2026). For 2027 the federal cabinet has approved €53,452; the Bundesrat still has to agree. The pension insurance later replaces the provisional value with the final one, except for the year your pension starts and the year before (§ 70 (1) SGB VI).

Salary above the contribution ceiling does not count. In 2026 the ceiling is €101,400 a year, so the most you can earn is 101,400 ÷ 51,944 = 1.9521 points a year.

Points become a pension like this (§ 64 SGB VI):

monthly pension = points × access factor × pension type factor × current pension value

The current pension value (aktueller Rentenwert) has been €42.52 since 1 July 2026 (previously €40.79). The access factor is 1.0 if you retire at the statutory age, 0.003 lower for each month earlier and 0.005 higher for each month later (§ 77 SGB VI). For an old-age pension the type factor is 1.0. The July 2027 adjustment has not been set yet.

Example

Tom earns €60,000 gross in 2026. That is 60,000 ÷ 51,944 = 1.1551 points. At today’s pension value, this one year of work later pays 1.1551 × €42.52 = €49.11 a month gross.

Someone who earns exactly the average for 45 years collects 45 points: 45 × €42.52 = €1,913.40 gross a month, before health and long-term care insurance and any income tax.

What a point costs

With a contribution rate of 18.6 %, one point bought through regular contributions in 2026 costs 18.6 % × €51,944 = €9,661.58, split equally between you and your employer. It pays €42.52 a month, €510.24 a year, and rises with every pension adjustment.

From age 50 you can make an extra payment to offset the reduction for a planned early pension (§ 187a SGB VI). The pension insurance calculates the amount in a separate statement.

Points without salary

• Raising children: 0.0833 points per month (§ 70 (2) SGB VI). For children born from 1992 up to 36 months count, so roughly three points per child.
• Mütterrente III: for children born before 1992, up to 36 instead of 30 months count from 1 January 2027. That is half a point more per child, €21.26 a month at the July 2026 value. Payment starts in 2028, backdated to 2027.

Common mistakes

• Treating points as euros. A point has no fixed euro value; it rises with each pension adjustment.
• Mixing up gross and net. €42.52 per point is gross pension. Less arrives, see health insurance for pensioners (KVdR).
• Planning with the maximum. Even with a very high salary, no more than 1.9521 points are possible in 2026.

In your plan

Your points so far are listed in your pension statement (Rentenauskunft) from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung. The German pension gap calculator turns them into a net pension in today’s money and shows the pension gap you would need to close yourself. How the value of a point relates to wages is described under pension level.