Overview
- The first three months after a partner's death are paid at the full pension rate under the Sterbevierteljahr, after which survivors move to either the old rule (60%) or the new rule (55%).
- The old rule under §255 SGB VI applies when the marriage was before 1 January 2002 and one spouse was born before 2 January 1962, which yields a 60% rentenartfaktor; most other cases follow §67 SGB VI and pay 55%.
- New 2026 parameters change who gets the larger benefit and how much they keep: from January 2026 the large widow's pension requires being at least 46 years and six months old or raising a child under 18, and from 1 July 2026 the income disregard rose to €1,122.53.
- The Zurechnungszeit boosts the calculation base by treating the deceased as if they had contributed up to age 66 years and three months, which raises the underlying pension used to compute the survivor rate.
- The five-percentage-point gap can be financially meaningful for survivors, reducing lifetime income by thousands of euros, and the higher income allowance now lets recipients earn more before their pension is cut.