When a parent dies, the child is entitled to a pension of their own — the Waisenrente. It is separate from the widow’s pension and is granted independently, even if the surviving parent receives nothing. Here is who qualifies, how much it comes to and until what age it is paid.
Where the orphan’s pension sits in the system
The umbrella term for all benefits paid after an insured person’s death is Hinterbliebenenrente, the survivor’s pension. It covers three types, each granted independently of the others:
- Witwen- or Witwerrente — for the deceased’s spouse;
- Waisenrente — for the children;
- Erziehungsrente — for a divorced spouse raising a shared child.
Within one family they add up: the widow receives her pension, each child receives their own. A refusal on one has no bearing on the others.
Who is entitled to an orphan’s pension
The children of the deceased insured person qualify: biological and adopted children, and under certain conditions stepchildren, foster children, grandchildren and siblings, if they lived in the deceased’s household or were mainly supported by them.
There are two situations:
- Halbwaisenrente — one parent has died, the other is alive;
- Vollwaisenrente — both parents have died.
One condition applies on the deceased’s side: they must have completed the minimum insurance period — a Wartezeit of five years. There is an exception if death resulted from an accident at work or if the deceased was already drawing a pension. The five-year period is then not required.
How much is paid: 10 and 20 per cent — but that is not the whole sum
This is where the biggest misunderstanding lies. Almost every source states that a half-orphan receives 10 per cent of the deceased’s pension and a full orphan 20. That is true only of the base amount. On top comes the Zuschlag — a supplement under § 78 of Sozialgesetzbuch VI, and it is often comparable to the base amount itself, sometimes larger.
The supplement is calculated from the number of months of the deceased’s pension-relevant periods:
- for a half-orphan — 0.0833 pension points for each such month;
- for a full orphan — 0.075 points for each month.
The resulting points are multiplied by the value of a pension point — 42.52 euros since 1 July 2026 — and by the same pension type factor: 0.1 for a half-orphan and 0.2 for a full orphan.
A worked example
The deceased father would have drawn a pension of 1,500 euros, and 240 months of pension-relevant periods are recorded for him — twenty years.
| Half-orphan | Full orphan | |
|---|---|---|
| Base amount | 1 500 × 10 % = 150 € | 1 500 × 20 % = 300 € |
| Points of the supplement | 240 × 0,0833 = 19,99 | 240 × 0,075 = 18,00 |
| Supplement | 19,99 × 42,52 × 0,1 = 85 € | 18,00 × 42,52 × 0,2 = 153 € |
| Total per month | 235 € | 453 € |
So the supplement added another 85 euros to the 150-euro base — more than half again. Anyone calculating by the “10 per cent” rule alone ends up almost half short.
The calculation is indicative. The exact amount depends on which periods were credited to the deceased: contribution months count in full, other periods proportionally. Only the decision of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung is binding.
A separate rule applies to full orphans: if both parents were insured, the supplement is calculated from the parent with the higher pension, and the points of the second are set off against that supplement.
Until what age it is paid
By default until the 18th birthday. After that payment continues to a maximum age of 27 if the child:
- is at school or in vocational training;
- is doing voluntary service — for example a Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr or the Bundesfreiwilligendienst;
- is unable to support themselves because of a disability.
A gap between two stages of education is also covered, but only if it does not exceed four months. Keeping within that limit is a practical matter: a five-month break between school and university already interrupts payment.
The September letter: the check after 18
Every September the Deutsche Rentenversicherung sends adult recipients of an orphan’s pension a request for proof. Replying is mandatory: without proof the payment is stopped.
A confirmation from the place of study, a training contract, a certificate of enrolment for the semester, school or exam certificates or other official confirmations will do. They can be submitted by post or online using form R5462 or the contact form S8003.
Your own earnings take nothing away
This is the essential difference from the widow’s pension. Since 1 July 2015 an orphan’s own income has not been offset at all. Training pay, a scholarship, a side job, income from a mini-job — none of it reduces the orphan’s pension.
With the widow’s pension it is the other way round: income above the allowance is offset at 40 per cent. That difference is worth keeping in mind when both benefits are granted within one family.
Health insurance: when contributions start
Since 1 January 2017 recipients of an orphan’s pension have been subject to compulsory insurance under § 5 paragraph 1 number 11b of Sozialgesetzbuch V — with no requirement for prior insurance periods. This compulsory insurance takes precedence over family insurance through a parent.
The key practical consequence: up to the age limits of family insurance, no contributions at all are deducted — neither for health nor for long-term care insurance, nor the additional contribution of the Krankenkasse (statutory health insurer). That runs to 18, or to 25 while in education.
Between 25 and 27, however, when the orphan’s pension is still being paid but family insurance has ended, contributions start to be deducted. It is an unwelcome and usually unexpected moment: the amount in the account drops for no visible reason. More on this: statutory Krankenkasse, explained in separate articles.
Tax on the orphan’s pension
The orphan’s pension is taxable income. Like other survivors’ pensions it has been taxed since 2005 with a taxable share that depends on the year payment began. It is declared in Anlage R.
In practice tax rarely becomes due: most recipients have no other income, and the amount itself is small, so it stays below the basic tax-free allowance. But if the orphan also works — a paid internship, for instance — the incomes add up and a tax return becomes necessary. More on how pensions are taxed in Germany.
Kindergeld, BAföG and Grundsicherungsgeld
Three benefits — three different rules, and confusing them costs money.
- Kindergeld is paid in parallel and is not reduced. Since 2012 a child’s own income has had no bearing on child benefit at all. One restriction remains, and it has nothing to do with the pension: after a first completed vocational training the child may only work to a limited extent.
- The orphan’s pension reduces BAföG (state student finance). It counts as the student’s own income. How large the deduction is depends on the allowances that apply in your case — to be clarified with the BAföG office.
- Wohngeld (housing benefit) and Grundsicherungsgeld (basic income support; Bürgergeld until 1 July 2026) — the same: the pension counts as income.
How to apply
The orphan’s pension is not granted automatically, it has to be applied for. The procedure:
- the application goes to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung — online, by post or through an advice centre;
- you will need the death certificate, the child’s birth certificate, the deceased’s insurance number and, for adults, proof of education;
- apply promptly: if you apply within twelve months of the death, the pension is paid from the month following the death — apply later and part of the money is lost.
What to do in the first weeks
The order in which nothing gets lost:
- obtain the death certificate in several copies — every authority needs one at the same time;
- notify the Deutsche Rentenversicherung of the death if the deceased drew a pension: payments for months after the death have to be repaid;
- submit applications for all benefits due at the same time — the widow’s pension and an orphan’s pension for each child;
- inform the deceased’s employer and request the Versorgungsordnung (pension scheme rules) if there was a company pension;
- check whether the death has been recognised as the result of an accident at work — statutory accident insurance then comes into play.
Twelve months is the window within which the pension is granted retroactively. After that the money for the elapsed period is lost for good.
Not only the statutory one: two further orphans’ pensions
They are rarely thought of, yet the amounts there can exceed the statutory pension.
From the employer. If the deceased had a company pension (Betriebsrente), the contract often also provides for a payment to the children. The conditions are set out in the employer’s Versorgungsordnung; such a payment is never made automatically — it has to be requested.
From accident insurance. If death resulted from an accident at work or an occupational disease, the orphan’s pension runs through the Unfallversicherung and is calculated differently — from the deceased’s annual earnings rather than from pension points. Both pensions are awarded, but the statutory one is cut if together they exceed a set limit. What accident insurance covers is set out separately.
The parents’ own insurance. The state orphan’s pension is usually small. To make sure the children are not left without money, parents insure themselves: term life insurance pays out a sum chosen in advance if one of the parents dies.
Frequently asked questions
Is the orphan’s pension paid if the other parent earns well?
Yes. The surviving parent’s income has no effect on the orphan’s pension at all — it is granted to the child, not to the family.
What happens if you drop out of your studies at 22?
Payment stops from the month following the end of education. You have to report this yourself: an overpayment will be reclaimed later.
Does the pension continue after moving abroad?
Within the EU, as a rule yes. Outside the EU everything depends on the social security agreement with the country in question, and the rules differ. Clarify before the move, not after.
Does adoption change the orphan’s pension?
Adoption does not cancel the entitlement based on the deceased parent.
Is the orphan’s pension increased annually?
Yes, along with all pensions. On 1 July 2026 pensions rose by 4.24 per cent, and the value of a pension point is 42.52 euros.
Can an orphan’s pension and a widow’s pension be drawn at the same time?
These are different benefits for different people: the widow’s pension goes to the deceased’s spouse, the orphan’s pension to the children. Within one family they add up.
Sources
- § 48 SGB VI — entitlement to an orphan’s pension; § 78 SGB VI — the supplement
- § 5 para. 1 no. 11b SGB V and § 237 SGB V — health insurance for recipients of an orphan’s pension
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung — amounts, deadlines, how to apply and the September check
