Raising a child earns you periods that increase your own future pension. Up to three years per child count like contribution years, plus additional consideration periods (Berücksichtigungszeiten) until the child's tenth birthday. These periods only land in your pension account if you apply for them, using form V0800 (Kindererziehungszeiten). Nothing expires, but the sooner they are on record, the better.
While you save for your child, raising them also works in favor of your own pension, provided the periods are recorded in your pension account. That is where things often fall short, because they do not get there on their own. The process is simpler than most people think.
What child-rearing periods are (Kindererziehungszeiten)
For raising your child, the statutory pension insurance credits you with periods that work like years of your own contributions. Per child, that is up to three years (for children born from 1992 onward; up to two and a half years for children born earlier). This can noticeably increase your future pension.
Additional consideration periods until age ten (Berücksichtigungszeiten)
On top of that, consideration periods (Berücksichtigungszeiten) count up to the child's tenth birthday. They do not boost your pension as directly as the core child-rearing years, but they help meet the requirements for certain pension types and can have a positive effect in other ways.
Child-rearing counts for your pension, but only if it is on record. Applying takes a form, not a mountain of paperwork.
The catch: they only count if you apply
Unlike what many people assume, these periods do not land in your pension account automatically. You have to apply for them, usually together with an account review. The form for this is called V0800.
Go straight to the application: Form V0800 at the Deutsche Rentenversicherung . fill it out online and submit, or download as PDF. Free of charge.
How straightforward the V0800 application is
The V0800 is available as a guided online application and as a PDF. You provide information about your child and the upbringing period, then upload the birth certificate. In most cases that is all it takes. The Deutsche Rentenversicherung (German Pension Insurance) offers free advice, both by phone and at their local offices.
When to file it
Nothing expires, so you can apply at any time, even as late as when you file your pension application. In practice, once is enough: file when your child turns ten. By then the consideration period is complete and a single application covers the full timeframe, rather than filing multiple times. That roughly coincides with the end of primary school. If you apply earlier, you can supplement the application later.
Who receives the periods?
When both parents raise the child together, the periods are assigned to the mother by default. If the other parent should receive them instead, both of you submit a joint declaration (form V0820, Erklärung zur Übertragung). Important: this reassignment only takes effect going forward and at most two months retroactively, so take care of it in time if that matters to your family.
Why this belongs here
At KIDS-SPARPLAN, the goal is for the whole family to be well set up. While your child builds something over the years, the child-rearing periods quietly build something for you at the same time. Both go together, and both are easier when you have the overview early. The bigger picture is laid out in How to save best for your child.
Want the full picture for your whole family?
You file the V0800 directly with the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, free of charge. If you want to see how saving for your child and your own provision fit together, we can take a calm look at that in a free first consultation.
Request a free first consultationRather get your bearings first? The Family Compass asks four short questions and sorts it out for you right away.
Frequently asked questions
What is form V0800?
Do I receive child-rearing periods automatically?
When should I file the V0800 application?
How much does it add to my pension?
Who receives the periods when both parents raise the child?
This article is for general information and educational purposes only. It does not constitute pension or legal advice. Binding information and the application itself go through the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (German Pension Insurance). Which path fits your family is something we are happy to work out together in a personal conversation.