Overview
- Question 9.7.2 asks applicants if the pension insurer should estimate up to three missing pre-retirement months using average past earnings so the first payment arrives on time, a choice that can set the pension for life.
- Saying yes tends to suit those with steady pay or a late switch to part-time, while saying no helps capture one-off payouts such as vacation cash-outs, overtime or bonuses that can raise the lifelong pension but may delay the first payment.
- Germany’s Federal Social Court (B 5 R 6/24 R) ruled that an already applied estimate may not be reduced later if subsequent employer data are lower, limiting downward adjustments by the insurer.
- From 1 January 2027, an SGB VI change will automate the estimate for missing months, keep overestimates in place and raise benefits when estimates prove too low, removing the explicit checkbox choice.
- The Deutsche Rentenversicherung advises filing roughly three months before the desired start, late applications can have lasting tax and health-insurance effects beyond any back payment, and independent checks suggest many pension notices contain errors that warrant review and timely objections.