How much pension does a waiter get in Germany?
€1,049 net a month, at today's prices: that is the German state pension a waiter gets after 45 years full time on the job's median pay of €2,728 gross. Before health and care insurance and tax it is €1,206, 55% of today's take-home pay of €1,900.
- Median pay, gross a month
- €2,728
- Gross pension after 45 years
- €1,206
- Net pension
- €1,049
- Saving from 35 for 80% of take-home pay
- €87
How the number is built
- Median monthly pay in 2025
- €2,652
- + 2.9% wage growth to 2026
- €2,728
- Pension points a year€32,739 a year ÷ €51,944 average earnings
- 0.630
- × 45 years
- 28.36
- × €42.52 pension value
- €1,206 gross
- − Health and care insurance, tax€106 + €51 + €1
- −€157
- Net pension a month
- €1,049
The person is 35 today, has worked full time since 22 and retires in 2058 at 67: single, no children, no church tax. The pay is the median of full-time employees in the Federal Employment Agency's Entgeltatlas (as of 31 December 2025, one-off payments included). Pension points depend on pay relative to average earnings, so the pension is shown at 2026 wage levels: at today's prices, if wages and pensions keep pace with prices.
The range within the job
A quarter of full-time employees earn less than €2,275 gross, a quarter more than €3,128 (2025). After 45 years that gives €901 to €1,206 of net pension for the middle half of the job.
What each year is worth
Each year full time in this job adds €27 a month of gross pension, for life. Five missing years, from longer studies or time out of work, cost €134 a month. Ten years at half time cost the same.
Closing the gap
To have 80 % of today's take-home pay in retirement, €1,520 a month, €471 is missing. For the money to last until 90, that needs €79,051 at today's prices when the pension starts. From 35, that is €87 a month until retirement, rising each year with inflation, at a 7 % return and 2 % inflation, before tax.
Work it out with your numbersWhat the Altersvorsorgedepot adds
Compared: Food and hospitality
Among 61 jobs, Waiter (restaurant specialist) ranks 59 by net pension.
| Job | Gross pay | Gross pension | Net pension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook | €3,105 | €1,372 | €1,171 |
| Baker | €3,066 | €1,355 | €1,158 |
| Hotel clerk | €3,027 | €1,338 | €1,146 |
| Waiter (restaurant specialist) | €2,728 | €1,206 | €1,049 |
| Average earnings (standard pension) | €4,329 | €1,913 | €1,538 |
Questions
How much pension after 40 years?
After 40 instead of 45 years full time on the median pay, it is €1,072 gross and about €933 net a month. Each year adds €27 of pension.
Can a waiter retire at 63?
Yes, with 35 insured years, but with a lifelong deduction of 14.4 %. After 41 years of contributions it would be €941 gross instead of €1,206, about €819 net. Without a deduction, people born in 1964 or later can retire at 65 at the earliest, and only with 45 insured years.
Is the pension taxed?
Yes. A pension starting in 2058 is fully taxable. Under today's rules that is €1 a month here, plus €106 for health and €51 for care insurance.
Sources
- Entgeltatlas: Waiter (restaurant specialist) (occupation code 63302)
- Entgeltatlas, Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit (median pay by occupation)
- Bundesagentur für Arbeit: Help for the Entgeltatlas (who is counted, Stichtag, ceiling)
- Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 (Fassung 2020): directories of occupations
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung: pension adjustment 2026 (pension value €42.52)
- Sozialversicherungs-Rechengrößenverordnung 2026: average earnings and contribution ceiling
- § 22 EStG: taxable share of pensions by start year