Germany Limits Child Pension Top-Up to 2020 Birth Cohort for 2026 Launch

Budget of €50 million for next year forces a narrow start that the government plans to expand stepwise.

Overview

Only children born in 2020 will be eligible in 2026, leaving cohorts from 2008 to 2019 without the subsidy at first.
The benefit pays €10 per month into a privately managed capital account that is locked until retirement with tax-privileged growth.
Parents must open a depot or insurance product to receive payments, with an automatic standard option assigned after roughly six months if no choice is made.
A planned positive list will define eligible ETF or insurance products, and no capital guarantee or minimum return is currently envisaged.
The Finance Ministry’s allocation is about €50 million for 2026 versus roughly €1 billion for a full rollout, and a related state-certified stock depot bill is expected in cabinet before Christmas, reportedly around December 17.