Apply for a child-raising pension

The child-raising pension supports you as a single parent if your divorced spouse or partner dies. The pension therefore serves as a substitute for maintenance and allows you to devote more time to bringing up your children.

The child-raising pension is a pension from your own pension account. The amount corresponds to the pension you would receive if you were fully disabled. Your annual pension information will state the amount on which this is based. If your child-raising pension starts before the relevant age limit for you, you will have to accept deductions. For each month that you retire earlier, the deduction is 0.3 percent, up to a maximum of 10.8 percent.

If you receive the child-raising pension, you may have additional income (supplementary income). However, your income may be taken into account if you exceed an allowance. The amount of this allowance is calculated individually.

You can also receive the child-raising pension if you were still married or in a registered civil partnership at the time of your death and had decided as a couple to split your pension entitlements.

You cannot receive a child-raising pension if you receive another, higher pension from the statutory pension insurance scheme at the same time.

The child-raising pension ends at the end of the month in which the conditions cease to apply, for example if you remarry or if your child reaches the age of 18 and child-raising therefore ends, but at the latest when you reach the standard retirement age.

Requirements

• Your marriage or civil partnership was divorced, annulled or dissolved after 30.06.1977 or, if the marriage was dissolved before 01.07.1977, the maintenance claim was based on GDR law
• Your divorced spouse or partner has died.
• You are raising your own child or a child of your former spouse or partner (including stepchildren, foster children, grandchildren or siblings) who is under the age of 18, or
• You are raising a disabled child of your own or a child of your former spouse or partner (regardless of the age of the child).
• You have not remarried and have not registered a new civil partnership.
• You were covered by pension insurance for at least 5 years until the death of your divorced spouse or partner (general qualifying period).
• You have not yet reached the standard retirement age.
• If you are still married or in a civil partnership at the time of death: you have previously split your pension.

The general waiting period of 5 years includes

• Contribution periods (compulsory and voluntary contributions),
• substitute periods,
• child-raising periods,
• periods from pension equalization and pension splitting between spouses,
• periods of marginal employment with contributions paid by the employer and
• additional earnings points for earnings from marginal employment exempt from compulsory insurance.

What documents do I need?

• Required documents
  
  • Application for a survivor's pension
  • Identity document (e.g. identity card, passport, birth certificate or family register)
  • Death certificate of the partner
  • Marriage certificate or civil partnership certificate
  • Proof of the dissolution of the marriage or registered civil partnership
  • Details of your income
  • Last pension adjustment notification of the deceased or other pension documents