Current for 2026•As of: July 2026

Riester Pension Calculator 2026 Calculate your Riester pension.

Calculate your Riester pension grants: €175 base allowance, up to €300 per child allowance, tax savings up to €2,100 – with automatic best-outcome check.

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Personal details

€
0 €200,000 €

Children entitled to child benefit

0 (€185 allowance each) 6 (€185 allowance each)
0 (€300 allowance each) 6 (€300 allowance each)

Your own contribution

€
60 €2,100 €

Savings phase

years
18 years60 years
years
62 years70 years

Riester funding 2026

  • Base allowance: €175 per year
  • Child allowance: €185 (before 2008) / €300 (from 2008)
  • Minimum contribution: 4% of gross income minus allowances
  • Max. funding amount: €2,100 (special-expense deduction)

Your annual Riester funding

443.79 €

Funding rate: 37.0 %

Government allowances

Base allowance+175.00 €
Total allowances129.23 €

Minimum contribution not reached

For the full allowance, you need to contribute at least 1,625.00 € per year.

Funding breakdown

  • Base allowance(35.7 %)175.00 €
  • Tax savings(64.3 %)314.56 €

Best-outcome check

Additional tax savings+314.56 €

The special-expense deduction is more favorable for you than the allowances. The tax office refunds the difference.

Forecast (at 3% return)

Term37 years
Annual contribution1,329.23 €
Estimated final capital90,599.64 €
Estimated monthly pension302.00 €

Your total funding

Allowances

129.23 €

Tax savings

314.56 €

Calculation based on:

  • Base allowance: €175 per year
  • Child allowance before 2008: €185 per child
  • Child allowance from 2008: €300 per child
  • Minimum contribution: 4% of gross salary minus allowances
  • Maximum funding amount: €2,100 per year

Important note

These calculations are for non-binding information only and do not replace professional tax advice. All information without guarantee. Learn more

Sources & calculation basis

Our calculations are based on the following official sources (as of: July 2026):

Related guides

Retirement Planning

Riester pension 2026: how the government funding works

The Riester pension is a government-subsidized form of private retirement provision in Germany. You benefit from allowances (base and child allowances) and can deduct your contributions from tax as special expenses.

The tax office automatically performs a best-outcome check: you receive either the allowances or the higher tax savings – whichever is more advantageous for you.

Who can use Riester?

Employees
Employees subject to statutory pension insurance are directly entitled to the allowance.
Civil servants
Civil servants with a pension entitlement can use Riester as additional provision.
Parents
Parents receiving child benefit additionally receive child allowances of up to €300 per child.
Spouses
Non-working spouses can also be indirectly funded through their partner.

Example calculation: Riester funding for a family

Family with 2 children (born 2008 or later), €45,000 gross

Family with 2 children (born 2008 or later), €45,000 gross
ItemAmount
Base allowance€175
2 child allowances at €300€600
Minimum contribution (4%)€1,800
Less allowances- €775
Own contribution for full allowance€1,025
Total funding€775

Factors for your Riester funding

  1. Income: The higher the income, the higher the minimum contribution – but also the possible tax savings.
  2. Number of children: Each child brings €185-300 allowance per year and reduces the required own contribution.
  3. Own contribution: You only receive the full allowances once the minimum contribution is reached.
  4. Marginal tax rate: At a high tax rate, the special-expense deduction is often more favorable than the allowances.

Riester pension: advantages and disadvantages

The Riester pension offers one of the highest government funding rates in Germany. Especially for families with children and low earners, the funding can amount to more than 50% of the own contribution.

Advantages of the Riester pension

Government allowances
Up to €175 base allowance plus up to €300 per child – free money from the state.
Tax savings
Up to €2,100 deductible as special expenses – very attractive at a high tax rate.
Contribution guarantee
At least the contributions paid in plus allowances are guaranteed at the start of the pension.
Seizure protection
The Riester assets are protected from seizure and from being counted against Bürgergeld/Hartz IV.

Disadvantages and criticism

High costs
Many Riester contracts have high setup and administration costs that reduce the return.
Complexity
The allowance system is complicated and requires an annual adjustment of the own contribution.
Taxation on payout
The pension must be fully taxed in retirement – disadvantageous if tax rates rise.
Low flexibility
Early withdrawal is only possible with a loss of the funding (harmful use).

Frequently asked questions about the Riester pension

Everything important about allowances, tax savings and minimum contribution

The Riester base allowance is €175 per year for every person entitled to the allowance. To receive the full allowance, you must pay in the minimum contribution: 4% of your previous year's income subject to statutory pension insurance, minus the allowances.

For children born before 2008, there is a child allowance of €185 per year. For children born from 2008 onward, the child allowance is €300 per year. The allowance is paid to the parent who receives the child benefit.

The tax office automatically checks whether the allowances or the special-expense deduction is more favorable for you. You always receive the higher amount. At a high income, the special-expense deduction is often more advantageous – the difference is refunded via the tax return.

The minimum contribution is 4% of your previous year's gross income, minus the allowances. At least €60 per year (base amount), however. You can deduct a maximum of €2,100 per year as special expenses.

Riester is particularly worthwhile for families with children (high child allowances), low earners (high funding rate) and high earners (tax savings). The government funding can amount to 30-50% of the contributions. A common criticism is the often high cost of the contracts.

Directly entitled are all employees subject to statutory pension insurance, civil servants with a pension entitlement, recipients of unemployment benefit I or II, and mothers and fathers during statutory parental leave. Non-working spouses can be indirectly funded if the other spouse holds their own Riester contract.

This depends on the term, contributions and return of the product. As a rough guide: with a €200 monthly contribution over 30 years at a 2% return, a capital of about €100,000 results. Annuitized from age 67, this would correspond to about €350-450 monthly pension. Our Riester calculator shows you the final capital forecast based on your inputs.

Accumulated Riester assets are protected from being counted against Bürgergeld (formerly Hartz IV) – a clear advantage over other forms of saving. While receiving benefits, you can suspend Riester contributions without losing the allowances. Allowances already credited remain in place.

The Bundestag (27 March 2026) and Bundesrat (8 May 2026) have decided to replace the Riester funding with the new "Altersvorsorgedepot" (retirement provision depot). From 1 January 2027, no new Riester contracts can be concluded – existing contracts continue unchanged under their previous terms, and there is no forced switch. For 2026, the allowances and special-expense deduction calculated on this page apply without restriction. You can calculate the funding of the Altersvorsorgedepot in our separate Altersvorsorgedepot calculator.

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