Overview

• The original no‑penalty ‘Rente mit 63’ has moved upward with the statutory age, with deduction‑free access for 45 contribution years now effectively starting at 65 for those born from 1964.
• Workers with at least 35 insurance years can retire earlier with permanent deductions of 0.3% per month, reaching 14.4% for retirement at 63 instead of 67.
• Since January 1, 2023, pensioners may draw benefits and work without an earnings limit, allowing continued accrual of pension points alongside salary.
• Financial outlets outline a strategy to start payments at 63 and keep working, which they report can often be advantageous compared with waiting until 67, depending on individual earnings.
• Five leading economic institutes urge scaling back early‑retirement incentives, restoring a sustainability factor and slowing pension growth relative to wages, while questioning tax‑free post‑retirement earnings plans; these are proposals, not enacted changes.