Check which survivor pension applies
German law distinguishes the small and the large widow or widower pension. The difference is not the contributions of the deceased but the age, children and earning capacity of the surviving spouse.
✓ Verified: 11/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV)
Public bodyPension, account clarification and rehabilitation all run through the Deutsche Rentenversicherung — with in-person advice and online services (eService).
› Details and tips
The year of marriage is counted by the calendar: a wedding in June and a death in May of the following year is less than a year, and the application will first be refused. Circumstances that rebut the presumption belong in the application itself.
The small pension ends automatically after two years and nobody sends a reminder. If age or health by then support the large pension, a fresh application is needed.
Useful Tools
- Sozialverband VdK social
Social association: supports applications and appeals on disability, pensions and care. Membership is paid, advice included.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What separates the small from the large pension? ▾
The small one applies where no additional condition is met and runs for a maximum of 24 calendar months after the end of the month of death. The large one is paid without a time limit where the survivor raises a child under 18, has reached the statutory age, or has reduced earning capacity.
From what age is the large pension granted? ▾
The base age in the statute is 47. For deaths before 2012 the age was 45, and in between the law raises the threshold by a table: for a death in 2026 it is 46 years and 6 months, and from 2029 it is 47 years.
What if the marriage lasted less than a year? ▾
Then as a rule there is no entitlement: the law presumes a marriage entered into for the pension. That presumption can be rebutted by special circumstances, for instance a death by accident or an illness nobody knew about.
Do children who are not biological count? ▾
Yes. Stepchildren and foster children taken into the household count, as do grandchildren and siblings living in the household or mainly maintained by the survivor.
Does this cover a registered civil partnership? ▾
It is treated equally. For the pension entitlement, entering a civil partnership counts as marriage and the surviving partner as a widow or widower.