1. How does caring for parents affect your pension?
If you care for a parent or another person with Pflegegrad 2 or higher at home for at least 10 hours per week, spread over at least two days, the long-term care fund (Pflegekasse) pays statutory pension contributions on your behalf to Deutsche Rentenversicherung (tk.de, deutsche-rentenversicherung.de).
These contributions are calculated on the basis of a fictitious income linked to the level of care, and they generate real pension points (Rentenpunkte) in your pension account, which will increase your pension later on.
2. Who is entitled to these points?
You can receive these pension points if:
You provide unpaid, non-professional care at home.
The care is provided regularly: at least 10 hours per week, on at least two days, and for more than two months when ongoing support is needed.
Your own gainful employment does not exceed 30 hours per week.
You or the person you care for are legally resident in Germany, a country of the European Economic Area or Switzerland.
The person you care for has been assessed with Pflegegrad 2–5 by the MDK or a comparable assessment body (pflegeabc.de).
3. How are your pension points calculated?
A reference value (Bezugsgröße) based on the national average income is used as a starting point. For 2024, this is 3,535 €/month (West) (pflege.de).
Contributions are calculated according to the Pflegegrad and the type of benefit (Pflegegeld / combination benefits / in-kind benefits).
Approximate share of fictitious income:
| Pflegegrad + benefit type | Fictitious income (% of reference) |
|---|---|
| Pflegegrad 2 – Pflegegeld | 27 % |
| Pflegegrad 3 – Pflegegeld | 43 % |
| Pflegegrad 4 – Pflegegeld | 70 % |
| Pflegegrad 5 – Pflegegeld | 100 % |
For example, a caregiver for a person with Pflegegrad 3 is treated as if they had a fictitious income of 36 % of 3,535 €:
36 % of 3,535 € ≈ 1,273 € per month
On this basis, 18.6 % are paid as pension contributions.
This leads to around 0.36 pension points per year, corresponding to roughly 12–13 €/month extra pension (pflege.de).
Each pension point is worth approximately 36 € in the West and 35 € in the East (2024) (promedica24.de).
4. Practical example
Continuous care for a person with Pflegegrad 3, 10 hours per week:
Fictitious income = 43 % × 3,535 € = approx. 1,519 €/month
Monthly pension contribution = 18.6 % × 1,519 € ≈ 283 €/month
When converted on the basis of the national average income, this equals approximately:
0.36–0.37 pension points per year
If you care for two years, you accumulate about 0.74 pension points.
This increases your future pension by around 26 €/month.
5. How do you apply to have these periods recognised?
When applying for Pflegegeld, you receive a specific form:
“Fragebogen zur Zahlung der Beiträge” (pflegeabc.de, pflege.de).
Submit this form to the Pflegekasse of the person you care for.
From that point onwards, the Pflegekasse automatically pays pension contributions on your behalf.
There is generally no retroactive payment for periods of care before the application date.
Check your pension account annually via the statements from Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV), or request a detailed pension record including the periods of caregiving (pflege.de).
6. How do you benefit from this?
Your caregiving periods count towards the minimum insurance period (Wartezeit) required for pension entitlement.
You receive additional pension points, which increase your monthly pension, especially if you provide care for longer periods (two years or more).
Long-term caregiving can help you meet certain qualifying periods for earlier or more favourable pension types.
In some cases, it also improves your coverage in other branches of social insurance (for example, unemployment insurance), particularly if you work part-time alongside caregiving.
Short summary
Condition: At least 10 hours of care per week, spread over two days, for more than two months, and no other paid work exceeding 30 hours per week.
Procedure: Submit the relevant form to the Pflegekasse of the person being cared for as early as possible.
Additional points: Between approx. 0.2 and 1 pension point per year, depending on the Pflegegrad.
Value: One pension point ≈ 36 €/month extra pension at retirement (West, 2024).
Biggest impact: Long-term caregiving, especially for persons with Pflegegrad 4 and 5, yields significantly more pension points.
The editorial team of this website aims to provide accurate information based on intensive research and the consultation of multiple sources. However, errors may still occur, or some details may remain uncertain or incomplete. Therefore, please regard the information in this article as an initial guideline only and always contact the competent authorities or qualified advisers for binding and up-to-date information.
