Who is eligible for the Altersvorsorgedepot subsidy?

Tilman Freyenhagen

Published on 15 June 2026 · Updated on 7 August 2026 · Managing Director & Partner, Alsterspree Verlag GmbH

The eligibility system from 2027

The new Altersvorsorgedepot, which launches on 1 January 2027 based on the Altersvorsorgereformgesetz, significantly extends the group of state-subsidised savers^[1]. In principle, everyone with unlimited tax liability and a connection to the German statutory pension insurance is directly or indirectly eligible for the subsidy. The most significant innovation of the reform is that, from 2027, self-employed people and freelancers will for the first time gain a direct claim to the state allowances.

With this structural reform, the Bundesministerium der Finanzen aims to future-proof private retirement provision through higher-return investment options such as exchange-traded index funds (ETFs) and to reduce dependence on classic pension insurance^[2]. The existing system of directly and indirectly eligible people essentially remains in place, but it is being simplified administratively and opened up to new life models. You can easily find out whether you personally belong to the eligible group, and exactly how much state allowance you are entitled to, using the subsidy calculator.

• Directly eligible: this group includes all employees subject to mandatory statutory pension insurance, civil servants, judges, career soldiers, recipients of sick pay, and people during statutory child-raising periods.
• Indirectly eligible: spouses and registered civil partners of directly eligible people are also eligible for the subsidy if they pay into their own certified retirement provision contract and make the required minimum own contribution.
• Extended eligible group: self-employed people and freelancers will be included in the subsidy without restriction from 2027, allowing them for the first time to build a state-subsidised private securities account.

Through this historic extension of the eligible group of people, the reform closes a serious fairness gap in the old Riester model, which systematically excluded self-employed people without mandatory pension insurance from the state subsidy. To make the complex statutory provisions understandable, our knowledge section offers neutral guidance with in-depth analyses of all eligibility questions.

Directly eligible: employees and civil servants

Direct eligibility for the new Altersvorsorgedepot ties in from 2027 with existing social security systems. The most strongly represented groups include all employees subject to mandatory statutory pension insurance, as well as civil servants, judges and career soldiers^[1]. You can inform yourself in detail about the statutory requirements at any time through the knowledge section.

Employees subject to mandatory insurance include, alongside regular employees, trainees, recipients of wage replacement benefits such as sick pay or parental allowance, as well as certain self-employed people subject to mandatory insurance, including for example midwives, tradespeople and artists. These groups pay mandatory contributions into the statutory pension insurance and therefore receive a direct claim to the state allowances.

An important special rule applies to civil servants, judges and soldiers: although they are directly eligible, they do not receive the subsidy automatically. They must give their employer explicit consent to the transmission of data, so that the data can be passed on to the relevant authority for the allowance calculation. Without this timely release, the entitlement to state support lapses for the respective contribution year.

With the reform in 2027, the subsidy landscape is also being fundamentally modernised. While self-employed people and freelancers not subject to mandatory insurance were almost entirely excluded from the allowances under the old Riester system, they are now also eligible for the subsidy under the new Altersvorsorgedepot. This represents one of the most important innovations and ends the long-standing disadvantage this occupational group faced with state-subsidised private retirement provision.

Note: the information shown serves general information and orientation purposes. It does not constitute investment advice within the meaning of paragraph 1, section 1a, number 1a of the Kreditwesengesetz (KWG).

New: self-employed people and freelancers

One of the most significant innovations of the Altersvorsorgereformgesetz concerns self-employed people and freelancers. While these occupational groups were largely excluded from the state subsidy under the old Riester system, they gain direct access to subsidised private provision from 2027^[1]. This opening marks a major turning point in the German retirement provision landscape. With the new Altersvorsorgedepot, self-employed people can use state allowances and tax advantages to build a high-return, equity-based safeguard for retirement.

Who exactly is eligible for the subsidy?

Under the Altersvorsorgereformgesetz, the group of people eligible for the subsidy is significantly expanded.^[2] Alongside classic tradespeople and solo self-employed people, mandatory members of professional pension schemes, such as doctors, pharmacists or lawyers, are also expressly included. This closes a provision gap for freelancers, who previously had to rely mainly on unsubsidised products. You can find detailed information via the knowledge section. If you want to directly calculate your expected subsidy amount and the tax effects, you'll find the subsidy calculator on our platform.

• Tradespeople and freelancers with no mandatory statutory pension insurance receive a direct eligibility for the allowance for the first time.
• Mandatory members of professional pension schemes (for example doctors, lawyers, tax advisers) are fully eligible for the subsidy.
• Self-employed people with employees or solo self-employed people can apply for the state allowances directly through their Altersvorsorgedepot.
• As with employees, the state subsidy requires meeting the statutory minimum own contribution; the full Grundzulage requires an own contribution of 1,800 euros per year.

In practice, this means self-employed people will in future have to weigh carefully how they structure their contributions. Since income in this group often fluctuates, the Altersvorsorgedepot offers a flexible way to adjust savings instalments to the respective economic situation while still securing the state allowances. For a well-informed decision, independent advice is recommended to optimally analyse your personal subsidy situation.

Indirect eligibility for spouses

One of the tried-and-tested pillars of state-subsidised retirement provision also remains in place for the new Altersvorsorgedepot from 2027: so-called indirect eligibility. It allows spouses and registered civil partners who do not have a direct claim to the subsidy themselves to benefit from the state allowances. This affects, for example, partners who look after childcare exclusively, homemakers, or self-employed people not subject to mandatory pension insurance. The precondition for this subsidy is that the other spouse is directly eligible, is actively paying into their account, and that both partners are not permanently separated^[3].

The coupling principle means that the indirectly eligible partner's own contract is tied to that of the directly eligible partner. The indirectly eligible partner must also pay a minimum own contribution into their account in order to receive the allowance; the state allowance for indirectly eligible people is capped at a maximum of 175 euros per year. This way, families can build their retirement provision together, but should factor in the indirectly eligible partner's own minimum contribution.^[4]

• Coupling to the first contract: acquiring subsidy entitlements requires the directly eligible partner to make their minimum own contribution and to actively pay into their own Altersvorsorgedepot.
• Own minimum contribution required: the indirectly eligible partner must pay in a minimum own contribution; their state allowance is capped at a maximum of 175 euros per year.
• Sonderausgabenabzug excluded: the indirectly eligible person is not entitled to their own tax deduction as a special expense, since the tax treatment runs through the partner's main contract.
• Same investment options: the indirectly eligible partner's account also benefits from the promising investment options in low-cost ETFs and equities with no contribution guarantees.

It is therefore worth couples working out their joint retirement strategy precisely. With our interactive subsidy calculator, you can quickly determine which allowances you and your partner are entitled to once the new system launches in 2027. If you are unsure whether you meet the requirements for indirect eligibility, or have questions about how to split your savings instalments, you can find out more through our knowledge section or take up personal advice. We support you in finding the optimal path for your joint financial security in old age.

Eligibility during parental leave and care

For many people, family commitments such as raising children or providing unpaid care for close relatives lead to career histories with temporary interruptions. The new Altersvorsorgedepot, which fundamentally reforms private retirement provision in Germany from 2027, provides for reliable social protection during these important life phases. Direct eligibility for the subsidy remains fully in place during these periods of care work^[5]. Anyone who is temporarily not working, or only working to a very limited extent, because of raising a child or providing care at home therefore does not have to forgo the state allowances. This rule ensures that valuable social care work is recognised in state-subsidised private retirement provision and does not lead to lasting disadvantages in long-term wealth building.

The following overview shows in detail the exact statutory conditions under which periods of raising children and caring for relatives are taken into account for the Altersvorsorgedepot, and how the respective eligibility for the subsidy is structured:

Through these statutory allocations, the claim to the state Grundzulage as well as any Kinderzulage remains fully preserved even when no income from employment is earned for a time^[1]. This effectively prevents interruptions in employment from leading to a lasting gap in building retirement assets. To precisely determine your individual allowance entitlement and the long-term performance of your account across different life phases, our neutral subsidy calculator is available to you free of charge. Not investment advice within the meaning of § 1 Abs. 1a Nr. 1a KWG. With this source-based calculation tool, you can easily simulate different scenarios of employment, child-raising and care.

Status during unemployment or Bürgergeld

Anyone who is temporarily without employment often worries about the continuation of their retirement provision. For the new Altersvorsorgedepot, a clear and consumer-friendly rule applies here: recipients of income replacement benefits such as unemployment benefit or Bürgergeld generally remain directly eligible for the subsidy^[1]. The reason for this lies in the statutory structure of social security, since mandatory membership in the statutory pension insurance generally continues while these benefits are received.

This mandatory insurance is the decisive criterion for eligibility for the state allowance. As long as you are covered by mandatory insurance, you can make full use of the state subsidy for your Altersvorsorgedepot. The allowance structure as passed also specifically benefits low earners and recipients of low incomes. Anyone who can only make small contributions still receives tangible state support thanks to the 50 percent subsidy rate on the first 360 euros of own contribution.^[1]

This link to the statutory pension insurance ensures that your private retirement provision remains stable even during periods of career change or unemployment. To check how changed income circumstances affect your state allowances, our subsidy calculator helps you as a practical tool. Our knowledge section also offers you in-depth guides on all the tax details. Please note: all information serves purely informational purposes. Not investment advice within the meaning of § 1 Abs. 1a Nr. 1a KWG.

Who is excluded from the Altersvorsorgedepot

In principle, everyone who does not have unlimited tax liability in Germany, or who has no direct connection to domestic old-age provision, is excluded from the new Altersvorsorgedepot^[1]. This includes, in particular, retirees who already receive a full old-age pension and no longer pursue any active employment subject to mandatory pension insurance. The state allowances are strictly tied by law to the active accumulation phase before retirement, which is why building subsidised capital retroactively while already drawing a pension is excluded.

The boundaries of eligibility from 2027

To avoid planning mistakes, you should check your personal status carefully. While the reform in 2027 for the first time includes all self-employed people and freelancers in the group of directly eligible people, those voluntarily insured in the statutory pension insurance with no additional mandatory-insured activity generally remain excluded. If you are unsure whether you meet the requirements, our knowledge section or the use of digital tools can help. It is best to calculate your personal allowance amount directly with the subsidy calculator, to gain certainty about your subsidy.

For people who fall outside the state subsidy, an unsubsidised ETF savings plan can prove to be a more flexible alternative. Since no contribution guarantees or rigid payout rules apply, you retain full control over your capital. Please note the following statutory notice on this: our comparisons and information serve general orientation purposes and do not constitute investment advice within the meaning of § 1 Abs. 1a Nr. 1a KWG.

Checking your eligibility and calculating your subsidy amount

Your personal eligibility for the subsidy is the foundation for effectively benefiting from the state allowances of the new Altersvorsorgedepot from 2027. In principle, the group of eligible people is based on the familiar criteria of the previous Riester system, but it is being decisively expanded as part of the new Altersvorsorgereformgesetz^[1]. One historic innovation concerns self-employed people and freelancers: this group is comprehensively eligible for the subsidy for the first time from 2027, regardless of whether they are subject to mandatory insurance in the statutory pension insurance or a professional pension scheme. This opens the way to a high-return, state-subsidised private retirement provision on an ETF and fund basis for millions of people who were previously excluded from this type of subsidy.

To precisely analyse your personal subsidy situation and calculate your expected final capital, we recommend the subsidy calculator. You reach the full Grundzulage with a subsidised own contribution of up to 1,800 euros per year; beyond that, payments up to the absolute ceiling of 6,840 euros are possible, but without an additional Grundzulage. With our interactive tool, you can determine with just a few details how much your personal allowance amounts to, how the tax deduction as a special expense affects your tax return, and what return potential arises compared with an unsubsidised ETF savings plan. You can also find further reliable background reports on the statutory criteria in our Altersvorsorgedepot guides, which serve as a neutral guide for a well-informed decision. Please note that calculations are purely illustrative (not investment advice within the meaning of § 1 Abs. 1a Nr. 1a KWG).