Family
Monthly payments of 10 € are planned for your child's retirement savings. Find out which birth years are covered and what parents can do.
Reviewed by a specialist on 19/10/2026
Passed by the Bundestag – funding rules are not yet in force
The Bundestag passed the Frühstartrente on 16/10/2026. Completion of the remaining legislative process and official publication has not yet been confirmed. The rules below describe the version passed, not an entitlement that can already be paid out.
Your selection stays on this page only. It is not saved or sent anywhere and does not check individual eligibility.
Children born in 2020 or later, aged at least 6 but not yet 18, with their primary residence registered in Germany. The child's Steuer-ID (tax identification number) is needed for the check. Under the version passed, a German passport is not required. What matters is where the child lives, not where their parents live; attending school abroad does not in itself rule out funding.
Parents open a certified Standarddepot retirement investment account contract in the child's name. The provider applies for funding automatically unless its authorisation is objected to. No separate application by parents is planned.
Without an individual contract, the federal government is intended to invest the money in the capital market, managed by the Bundesbank. For children born in 2020, this starts later, in 2028. This is not an individual account for the child; private contributions to this pooled investment are not possible.
Contracts are expected to be available from January 2027. For now, you can have your child's Steuer-ID (tax identification number) ready and compare the rules. An existing child or junior investment account is not enough: a certified Standarddepot retirement investment account contract is required. MeaNext does not arrange contracts with providers.
10 € per month × 12 years = 1,440 € contributed
State contributions
1,440 €
Modelled value at 18
2,200 €
Modelled value at 65
53,000 €
The Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) model assumes an average annual return of 7% after costs. Returns are reinvested. No further contributions are made after the 18th birthday; the money stays invested until age 65. Contributions of 1,440 € could therefore grow to about 2,200 € at 18 and 53,000 € at 65 – before tax on payouts.
This is only a model calculation, not a guaranteed payout. Market prices can fall, and losses are possible. Annual inflation of 2% would reduce the purchasing power of the modelled amount at 65 to about 19,400 € in today's prices. Contributions are not the same as investment returns.
Extra contributions are voluntary and are not required for state funding. Under the version passed, contributions of up to 6,840 € a year are planned for an individual Standarddepot retirement investment account. Parents cannot deduct these gifts as special expenses for their own retirement provision. Private contributions have different access and tax rules from state-funded amounts.
Monthly funding ends at 18. Private contributions can continue under an existing contract, or it can be transferred to another certified retirement savings contract. Age 18 is neither a mandatory transfer deadline nor a payout age. Pooled investments must be transferred to a suitable contract in time: the contract must be signed before the 35th birthday, and the provider's notification must be received by the end of that birthday month at the latest. Capital not claimed in time later reverts to the federal government.
Effective costs during the saving phase are intended to be capped at 1%. The committee version passed protects the state-funded portion from contract setup, sales and certain switching costs until payouts begin – it does not give all private contributions blanket protection from every fee. Returns are not taxed on an ongoing basis during the saving phase; tax rules apply to later payouts. State funding and its returns are for retirement and are generally not available before 65, including for a driving licence or studies.
This is orientation, not legal advice. Please check the details at the official source.
Answer a few questions. MeaNext shows you which topics and steps fit your situation.