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Understanding a pension information letter

Last updated: October 2026

Once a year the pension insurance (Rentenversicherung) writes to tell you roughly how much pension you will get later. The letter is for information. You do not have to pay anything or keep any deadline. It is still worth a look.

Sample letter

Rentenversicherung (Muster) · Rentenstraße 1 · 54321 Beispielstadt
Frau Olena Muster
Buchenstraße 4
12345 Musterstadt
Beispielstadt, 4. November 2026Versicherungsnummer: 12 150590 M 123

Ihre Renteninformation 2026

Sehr geehrte Frau Muster,

mit dieser Renteninformation möchten wir Sie über Ihre bisher erreichten Rentenansprüche informieren. Grundlage sind die Daten, die bei uns gespeichert sind.

Rente wegen voller Erwerbsminderung: 1.021,30 €
Höhe Ihrer künftigen Regelaltersrente aus den bisherigen Beiträgen: 548,70 €
Wenn Sie bis zur Regelaltersgrenze Beiträge wie im Durchschnitt der letzten fünf Kalenderjahre zahlen: 1.296,15 €

Die Beträge sind monatliche Bruttobeträge. Von der Rente werden noch Beiträge zur Kranken- und Pflegeversicherung abgezogen, gegebenenfalls auch Steuern.

Bitte prüfen Sie Ihren Versicherungsverlauf. Wenn Zeiten fehlen, wenden Sie sich an uns.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Ihre Rentenversicherung (Muster)

Made‑up sender, made‑up names. The letter often looks like this or similar.

What does the letter mean?

The pension information (Renteninformation) comes every year if you are at least 27 years old and have already paid contributions for some years. It shows three numbers: the pension if you can no longer work, the pension from your contributions so far, and an estimate if you keep working as before.

The letter is not a decision (Bescheid). You cannot and do not need to object. The numbers are not a promise either: they change if your income or the pension values change.

The amounts are gross. Later, health and long‑term care insurance are deducted, and possibly taxes.

Deadlines

  • There is no deadline. You do not need to reply to the letter.
  • If periods are missing in your insurance record (Versicherungsverlauf), better sort it out early. The longer ago it was, the harder it is to find proof.

What you can do

  1. Keep the pension information, ideally together with the ones from previous years.
  2. Request your insurance record from the pension insurance if it is not enclosed. It lists every stored period.
  3. Check whether there are gaps, for example training, raising children, unemployment or work abroad.
  4. If something is missing, send proof such as employment contracts, certificates or birth certificates to the pension insurance. This is called account clarification (Kontenklärung).
  5. Free help is available at the advice centres of the pension insurance and from insurance advisers (Versichertenberater) near you.

This guide does not replace legal advice. Every letter is different: deadlines and amounts apply as they are written in your letter. If you have questions, an advice centre can help.

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