In the German pension system, periods spent raising children can be credited towards your pension insurance record, and additional earning points for child‑raising periods appear in your pension account. This means that the time you devote to your family does not have to reduce your future pension. Find out how the crediting of child‑raising periods towards your pension works, how the earning points are calculated, and when it is worthwhile to apply for them to be credited.

Does raising children increase your pension? Find out how you receive earning points for child‑raising periods

In the German pension system, it is very important that the time spent raising children is not treated as an interruption of employment, but as a period that can actually increase your future pension. When you raise a child, the state assumes that your ability to work and pay contributions during this time was restricted. That is why special earning points can be credited to your pension account. This solution means that the child‑raising period is treated similarly to a period of employment and can therefore affect both the fulfilment of the qualifying conditions for a pension entitlement and the later amount of the pension. In practice, this means that your insurance history in the German system does not remain “empty” even if you are not in paid employment for a certain period.

However, it is important to know that earning points for child‑raising periods are not always automatically credited in full. In some situations – especially when more than one parent has cared for the child – it is necessary to submit an appropriate application or declaration. The system provides for certain rules – above all concerning who actually took over the care of the child and where the upbringing took place. In most cases, the child‑raising period covers the first three years of the child’s life, for which earning points are granted. In 2026, the value of one earning point is around 42 euros gross per month. This means that for a full 3 years of child‑raising, roughly 125–128 euros per month can be added to your future pension. It should be noted that this amount is subject to annual adjustment and may change in line with wage increases in Germany.

It is important that the nationality of the parent or the child does not play a role. What matters is meeting the conditions relating to the pension insurance system and the family’s main place of residence. So if you are raising a child and would like to claim a German pension in the future, you should make sure that this period has been correctly recorded in your pension account.

How does crediting child‑raising periods towards the pension work and how much can you gain?

Many people are not aware that crediting child‑raising periods towards the pension is one of the most important mechanisms for compensating for career interruptions due to childcare. In the German system, the basic principle applies that the period of raising children can be recognised as a period with compulsory contributions to the pension insurance, even if you did not pay any contributions from gainful employment during this time. This solution is of great importance – thanks to it, the years devoted to the family do not automatically lead to a lower pension. This means that the child‑raising period can be treated as a contribution period and can therefore affect both the entitlement to a pension and the amount of the pension.

It is just as important to determine to whom the period of raising the child is assigned. If one parent raises the child alone, the matter is relatively simple – the earning points are credited to this person. However, if both parents raise the child together, the system allows the entire period to be assigned to only one person in order to avoid double crediting of the same months. In this case, the parents can submit a joint declaration specifying to whom the child‑raising period is to be assigned. If they do not do this, the pension insurance institution can determine this itself on the basis of who actually provided most of the childcare. This is precisely why it is worth making this decision consciously, because the choice can affect the amount of one parent’s future pension.

How are earning points for child‑raising periods calculated? Find out how much has already accumulated in your account

The calculation of earning points for child‑raising periods in the German pension system is based on a simple mechanism – for each month of a recognised child‑raising period, a certain number of earning points is credited. These points are treated similarly to those from gainful employment, since the state assumes that the time devoted to childcare replaces the payment of contributions. In practice, this means that you can check for yourself how many points have already been credited by multiplying the number of recognised child‑raising months by the value of the points per month. In this way, you can estimate at any time how strongly raising children has affected your future pension benefits.

The easiest way to check the current status is by looking at the pension information from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, which lists all stored insurance periods. If you want to calculate it roughly yourself, you only need to determine how many months of childcare have been recognised as child‑raising periods and then convert them into points according to the applicable rules. It is important to know that points can also be credited if you are employed during the same period, because the system allows you to combine points from employment with points for child‑raising – of course within certain limits. In this way, you can continuously monitor how much pension capital has already been built up thanks to child‑raising periods and what real impact these have on your later pension.

How do you apply for earning points for child‑raising periods?

Although the pension system provides for the possibility of granting points for child‑raising periods, in many cases a corresponding application is required. This is precisely where many people make mistakes, assuming that all information is automatically forwarded to the pension insurance institution. The application for earning points for child‑raising periods serves to formally confirm who looked after the child and during which period. In practice, this means that the pension insurance institution can assign the corresponding months to your insurance account and take them into account when calculating your pension. The absence of such an application may result in part of the child‑raising periods not being recorded at all in your pension record.

The application is particularly important if childcare was shared between the parents or if the person raising the child changed. In such cases, the system must determine precisely which parent actually took over the care during which period, since only one person can be credited with the child‑raising months. It should also be noted that declarations on the assignment of child‑raising periods often only apply from a certain point in time and their retroactive effect is limited. Therefore, it is best to submit the application as early as possible and make sure that all months of child‑raising are correctly recorded in the pension documentation. This is a simple step that can help you secure a higher pension in the future and avoid unnecessary disputes with the pension insurance institution.

Child‑raising periods and pension amount – when and how are child‑raising periods taken into account when calculating the pension?

From the perspective of your future pension, the main point is that child‑raising periods directly affect the pension amount, because they are reflected in the number of accumulated earning points. Every recognised month means an additional value in your pension account, which will later be taken into account when calculating the pension. This means that people who did not work for a certain time due to childcare are not automatically in a worse position than those who were in continuous employment. The system takes into account that raising children has social significance and affects the stability of the entire pension system.

It should also be noted that child‑raising periods can be important not only for the pension amount, but also for meeting the minimum requirements for pension entitlement. In many cases, it is precisely the months associated with child‑raising that help to reach the required insurance period that is necessary to be granted a pension. This means that the time devoted to the family in practice not only increases the pension amount, but can also bring forward the point in time at which you qualify for a pension. That is why it is so important to check carefully whether all child‑raising periods have been taken into account in your insurance history. In the long term, this can make a noticeable difference to the monthly pension you receive after you finish your working life.

If you have previously worked abroad, you should bear in mind that the tax return in Germany can also play a role in organising your employment and insurance documents. When preparing your tax return, periods of employment, career interruptions or childcare periods are often analysed, which can affect both your tax burden and your future pension benefits. It is therefore worthwhile, in the course of preparing your tax return, to check whether all child‑raising periods have been correctly recorded in the German pension system, as they can result in a higher pension and a more complete insurance history in the future.