Survivor Pensions Increasingly Halted After Three-Month Protection, Data Show

Overview

• Cases in which survivor pensions stop after the Sterbevierteljahr rose from about 4,500 in 1992 to 106,000 in 2022, according to figures cited by social law experts.
• The offset under §97 SGB VI subtracts a 40% flat amount from gross income, applies a monthly allowance, then counts 40% of the remainder against the benefit; from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 the allowance is €1,076.86, rising per eligible child by €228.42.
• Income types that can reduce or eliminate payments include wages, one’s own pensions and other earnings, with certain assets and rental income also counted, the latter reported at a 25% rate.
• For the three months after the month of death, survivors receive the deceased’s full pension without income offset, and a 30-day ‘Vorschuss’ application via the Renten Service can bring that cash forward as an advance.
• Scale effects remain broad: of roughly six million survivors receiving benefits, about 2.6 million face reductions and more than 750,000 are reported as particularly hard hit with average losses of about €208 per month.