Skip to content

Offsetting an early-retirement pension reduction: requesting the statement (V0210)

Taking a German old-age pension early reduces it for good: the access factor (Zugangsfaktor) falls by 0.003 below 1.0 for every calendar month of early drawing (section 77(2) sentence 1 no. 2(a) SGB VI) — 0.3 per cent per month. The reduction can be offset by paying contributions up to the standard retirement age (section 187a(1) sentence 1 SGB VI). Form V0210 does not pay anything yet: it requests the STATEMENT (Auskunft) that calculates the amount and in which you declare that you intend to take the early pension. Without that statement there is no offsetting payment (section 187a(1) sentence 2 and (1a) sentence 1), and a legitimate interest in it only exists after your 50th birthday (section 187a(1a) sentence 2).

Up to date for 2024 — verified on September 23, 2026Official formGuide: about 15 min

This content is part of the path: Retiring· Step 8 of 11· Next step: Applying for a German old-age pension (Rentenantrag, form R0100)

Deadlines

From your 50th birthday
Section 187a(1a) sentence 2 SGB VI — only then is there a legitimate interest in the statement on which the offsetting payment is based (subsection 1a sentence 1)
Payment: before the standard retirement age
Section 187a(1) sentence 1 SGB VI. Payment is no longer allowed from the moment the pension for which the statement was issued was not claimed, or from when an old-age pension can be drawn without reduction (subsection 1 sentence 3)
Three months after the statement
According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, if you pay within three months of the statement, the contribution cannot rise even if the calculation parameters change

Documents to prepare

  • Pension insurance number (Rentenversicherungsnummer)
  • Personal details: name, former names, address, telephone
  • The intended type of pension: for long-term insured persons or for severely disabled persons
  • The intended start: earliest possible, or month and year of a later start
  • Whether an insurance record (Versicherungsverlauf) from an account clarification already exists
  • If employed: the employer certificate of earnings, completed by the employer
  • If someone else applies for you: a power of attorney
Download the official form

The blank PDF remains downloadable from the German authority's site. For pre-filling, we keep a copy of this published official form (section 5(2) of the German Copyright Act, source cited on the produced document).

What you get

  • The official form itself, pre-filled with your entries. Only the boxes that match the fields below are filled in: complete the others on the form before filing it.

Free, no account and no email address.

The generated document is written in French — the language the receiving French authority expects. This page is in English; the document itself is not translated.

Fill in the official form online

Free. The official PDF is filled on the fly: your entries are not recorded in any of our databases and are only used to produce this document. They travel in the request body, never in the page address.

All fields are required unless marked “optional”.

1 Intended type of pension

Digits and uppercase letters, up to 14 characters

2 Personal details

5 digits

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

3 Application made by another person

5 digits

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

4 Intended pension start

MM.YYYY

5 Account clarification
6 and 7 Accessible documents, employer certificate, place and date

A draft is a file you save wherever you like, just like the document itself: we keep no copy of it and nothing is left in your browser. When signed in, you can also save it to your space to pick it up later — only if you ask.

Official form pre-filled with your data: read every box and check the amounts before filing or paying.

Who this applies to

  • Insured persons aged 50 or over who want to draw an old-age pension early (section 187a(1a) sentence 2 SGB VI)
  • Those aiming for the pension for long-term insured persons (Altersrente für langjährig Versicherte): entitlement at 67 with a 35-year qualifying period, early drawing possible after the 63rd birthday (section 36 SGB VI)
  • Those aiming for the pension for severely disabled persons (Altersrente für schwerbehinderte Menschen): entitlement at 65, recognised as severely disabled when the pension starts and a 35-year qualifying period, early drawing possible after the 62nd birthday (section 37 SGB VI)
  • Employees and self-employed alike: for the future months up to the pension start, the pension insurance uses earnings certified by the employer for employees, otherwise the average of the last calendar year for which earnings points can be determined (section 187a(2) sentences 3 to 5 SGB VI)
  • NOT those who have reached the standard retirement age: offsetting is only possible until then (section 187a(1) sentence 1 SGB VI)
  • NOT those who obviously cannot meet the conditions for an early old-age pension: the statement is then not issued (section 109(5) sentence 5 SGB VI). According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, these special payments cannot be used to meet entitlement conditions either

Worked example

Petra Lindner, bookkeeper, wants to retire two years early

Petra Lindner is 58, employed, with more than 35 years of insurance periods. She plans to take the pension for long-term insured persons 24 months before her standard retirement age. Under section 77(2) sentence 1 no. 2(a) SGB VI her access factor falls by 24 × 0.003 = 0.072 to 0.928: a pension of 1,500 euros would be cut by 7.2 per cent, i.e. 108 euros a month. She files form V0210, ticks the type of pension and the intended start, and hands her employer the earnings certificate, because the pension insurance uses those earnings for the months until the pension starts (section 187a(2) sentences 3 and 4 SGB VI). The statement shows the expected pension, the reduction and the contribution needed to offset it in full — say 30,000 euros. Petra pays 12,000 euros that year and 12,000 euros the next; part payments are allowed (section 187a(3) sentence 2) but, according to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, only offset the reduction in part. Nothing is refunded if she ends up working longer (section 187a(3) sentence 3) — she then receives a correspondingly higher pension, according to Deutsche Rentenversicherung. All amounts are illustrative.

How to fill it in, step by step

  1. Check whether you can reach an early old-age pension — long-term insured persons under section 36, severely disabled persons under section 37 SGB VI — and whether you are 50 or over.
  2. Decide on the intended pension start: earliest possible or a later month. The statement is calculated for that start (section 187a(2) sentence 2 SGB VI).
  3. Get your insurance account in order: the form asks whether an insurance record has already been issued in an account clarification procedure.
  4. If you are employed, ask your employer to certify your current contributory earnings (section 187a(2) sentences 3 and 4 SGB VI).
  5. Complete form V0210 — online via eAntrag, as the pension insurance recommends, or as a PDF — thereby declaring that you intend to take the early old-age pension (section 187a(1) sentence 2 SGB VI).
  6. Check the statement: expected pension, reduction, maximum offsetting amount. Decide whether to pay in full, in part or not at all.
  7. Pay before you reach the standard retirement age, in one sum or in instalments (section 187a(1) sentence 1 and (3) sentence 2 SGB VI); according to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, ideally within three months of the statement.

Good to know

  • The reduction is not a fee but a factor: it applies to all the earnings points of the pension, for as long as the pension is paid (section 77(1) SGB VI).
  • You can pay at most the amount the statement gives for the maximum possible reduction at the intended pension start (section 187a(2) sentence 1 SGB VI).
  • The price per offset earnings point is the amount payable to restore an entitlement reduced by a pension equalisation, divided by the access factor (section 187a(3) sentence 1 SGB VI) — the pension insurance does the calculation, not you.
  • According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, regular instalment plans are not foreseen, but several payments a year are allowed.
  • According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, nobody is obliged to actually take the early pension later: those who work longer receive a correspondingly higher pension.
  • According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, the payments can be deducted for tax as retirement provision expenses up to a ceiling, which can make spreading them over several years attractive — the pension insurance does not state the ceiling; ask a tax adviser.

Common mistakes

  • Treating form V0210 as the payment. It requests the statement; only the statement is the basis of the offsetting payment (section 187a(1a) sentence 1 SGB VI).
  • Applying before your 50th birthday. A legitimate interest in this statement only exists afterwards (section 187a(1a) sentence 2 SGB VI).
  • Waiting to pay until after the standard retirement age. Offsetting is only possible until then (section 187a(1) sentence 1 SGB VI).
  • Counting on a refund if you do not retire early after all. Contributions paid are not refunded (section 187a(3) sentence 3 SGB VI).
  • Trying to fill the 35-year qualifying period with these payments. According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, they cannot be used to meet entitlement conditions.
  • Always counting the reduction months from the standard retirement age. Section 77(2) sentence 1 no. 1 SGB VI also names a lower retirement age applicable to the insured person as the reference point — the relevant reduction is stated in the statement.

Frequently asked questions

How large is the reduction?

The access factor falls by 0.003 below 1.0 for every calendar month of early drawing (section 77(2) sentence 1 no. 2(a) SGB VI), i.e. 0.3 per cent per month.

From what age can I request the statement?

After your 50th birthday; only then does the legitimate interest exist (section 187a(1a) sentence 2 SGB VI).

Do I have to pay the full amount at once?

No. Part payments are allowed (section 187a(3) sentence 2 SGB VI) and offset the reduction only in part. According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, several payments a year are possible; regular instalment plans are not foreseen.

What if I do not retire early after all?

The contributions are not refunded (section 187a(3) sentence 3 SGB VI). According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, you then receive a correspondingly higher pension.

What does the statement contain?

The contribution needed to offset the reduction and details of the underlying old-age pension (section 109(5) sentence 4 SGB VI); according to Deutsche Rentenversicherung also the expected pension at the intended start and the size of the reduction.

Which pensions does this cover?

Old-age pensions drawn early (section 187a(1) SGB VI). Form V0210 names the pension for long-term insured persons and the pension for severely disabled persons.

Go further

Related forms

Official sources

Read in German

Guide and document provided for information purposes only; they do not constitute personalised legal or tax advice. Check the recipient organisation's requirements and consult a professional if needed.