Riester Pension Calculator 2026
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.
As of September 2026Basis: §§ 10a, 79–87 EStG (Income Tax Act)Calculated in your browser – your inputs are not transmitted and are kept on this device only if you choose
Own contribution plus grants are subsidised up to €2,100 a year.
I earn € gross a year, and am . I receive child grants for children born from 2008 and children born before 2008. I start at and retire at .
Your subsidy
per year
€443.79
€443.79For €1,200 own contribution you receive €129.23 in grants and €314.56 in tax benefit – funding rate 37%. By age 67 this grows to about €90,600, roughly €302.00 pension a month.
Your annual contribution of €1,329.23
- You (after tax benefit)€885.4467%
- Grants€129.2310%
- Additional tax benefit€314.5624%
- Funding rate
- 37%
- Capital at retirement (forecast)
- €90,599.64
RZ-26 · headon.pro
Your Riester capital until retirement
Own contributions, grants and returns year by year. Drag the end of the curve to change your retirement age.
Own contributions versus capital
After 37 years
- Paid in per year (with grants)
- €1,329.23
- Capital at retirement (forecast)
- €90,599.64
- Monthly pension (approx.)
- €302.00
What you can do
New Riester contracts only until 31 Dec 2026
Under the Pension Provision Reform Act (BGBl. 2026 I No. 156), contracts under the previous rules may no longer be sold after 31 Dec 2026 (Section 14 (7) AltZertG). Existing contracts continue with allowances. New contracts from 2027 use the new subsidised products, such as the pension savings depot. Go to the pension savings depot calculator
Minimum contribution not reached: €1,625.00 a year needed
With the minimum contribution you would get €45.77 more in grants a year.
The tax deduction adds €314.56
The special-expense deduction is better for you than the grants. The tax office refunds the difference (automatic comparison).
How this was calculated
- Basic grant
- €175.00
- Grants
- €129.23
- Additional tax benefit
- €314.56
- Funding rate
- 37%
- Minimum own contribution for the full grant
- €1,625.00
- Term
- 37 years
- Paid in per year (with grants)
- €1,329.23
- Capital at retirement (forecast)
- €90,599.64
- Monthly pension (approx.)
- €302.00
- Basic grant: €175 per year
- Child grant: €185 per child (born before 2008), €300 per child (from 2008)
- Minimum own contribution: 4% of the previous year's gross income minus grants, at least €60
- Maximum special-expense deduction: €2,100 per year
- Career starter bonus: one-off €200 if you start before 25
- Forecast with 3% return and 4% annuity rate per year
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
Factors for your Riester funding
- 1IncomeThe higher the income, the higher the minimum contribution – but also the possible tax savings.
- 2Number of childrenEach child brings €185-300 allowance per year and reduces the required own contribution.
- 3Own contributionYou only receive the full allowances once the minimum contribution is reached.
- 4Marginal tax rateAt a high tax rate, the special-expense deduction is often more favorable than the allowances.
- 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
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 are not counted as assets for Bürgergeld purposes.
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
How high is the Riester base allowance?
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.
How high is the child allowance for Riester?
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.
What is the best-outcome check?
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.
What is the minimum contribution for the full Riester allowance?
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.
Is Riester still worth it?
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.
Who is entitled to Riester funding?
Directly entitled are all employees subject to statutory pension insurance, civil servants with a pension entitlement, recipients of unemployment benefit I (covered by pension insurance under Sec. 3 no. 3 SGB VI), and mothers and fathers during child-raising periods credited in the pension insurance. Receiving Bürgergeld alone, by contrast, no longer establishes an entitlement to the allowance. Non-working spouses can be indirectly funded if the other spouse holds their own Riester contract.
How much monthly Riester pension will I receive?
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. How much monthly pension that becomes depends on the annuity factor of your contract. Our Riester calculator shows you the final capital forecast based on your inputs.
What happens to my Riester pension with Bürgergeld (formerly Hartz IV)?
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.
Is Riester being abolished? What changes from 2027?
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.