Pension insurance for students works differently from paid work: you pay no contributions for your studies alone, but the time is not lost. Attending a university counts from your 17th birthday as a credited period (Anrechnungszeit), together with your school years for at most eight years. Compulsory contributions only arise once you work, for example in a mini job with a 3.6 percent share of your own, or as a working student. What applies to you in the statutory pension insurance therefore depends mainly on how you earn money alongside your studies.
Key facts at a glance
- You pay no pension contributions for the study itself. The time is credited to you as a credited period if you can prove it, up to eight years together with your school years.
- In a mini job you are subject to pension insurance. At €603 a month you pay €21.71 yourself, and the employer adds 15 percent. You can apply for an exemption.
- As a working student with no more than 20 hours a week, pension insurance is always compulsory, while health, long-term care and unemployment insurance do not apply.
- In a midi job you pay reduced contributions, but you earn pension entitlements based on your actual gross pay.
- Compulsory internships and short-term jobs are exempt from pension insurance, but they do not give you contribution periods either.
Pension insurance for students: do you have to pay in?
No, not for the study itself. An obligation arises from the work you do alongside your studies. The table shows the most common cases with the figures for 2026.
| Situation | Pension insurance | What you should know |
|---|---|---|
| Studying without a job | No contributions | Credited period, if you prove it |
| Mini job (up to €603 a month) | Compulsory, exemption possible on application | Total contribution 18.6 percent, of which 15 percent employer and 3.6 percent you |
| Midi job (€603.01 to €2,000 a month) | Compulsory | Reduced contributions, pension entitlements based on actual gross pay |
| Working student (no more than 20 hours a week during lectures) | Always compulsory | 18.6 percent, split equally; health, long-term care and unemployment insurance do not apply |
| Short-term employment (no more than 3 months or 70 working days a year) | Exempt | No contributions, no contribution periods |
| Compulsory internship under the study regulations | Exempt | Exempt from all branches of social insurance |
If in doubt, ask your employer how they have registered you. The German Pension Insurance explains the basics on its page for students (in German).
Does my studying count towards my pension?
Yes, as a credited period. Attendance at a university counts from your 17th birthday, even without a degree. School and study periods together count for at most eight years (§ 58 SGB VI).
No contributions are paid during this time. The credited period still matters: it counts towards the 35-year qualifying period and feeds into the pension calculation. The eight years apply in total, so a bachelor’s and a master’s share the same allowance together with your school years. Anything beyond that is no longer credited.
Important: the time does not appear on your pension account automatically. The pension insurance requires proof, namely your certificate of enrolment for the start and your final certificate or your certificate of de-registration for the end. Keep these documents. If you were registered as seeking training after school, that time is also credited, provided the registration with the Federal Employment Agency lasted at least one full calendar month.
How do you earn pension points as a student?
Pension points arise from contributions paid into your pension account. During pure study, you pay none, and the study period counts as a credited period. You earn pension points through a job.
An example shows what this amounts to. Assumptions: Lea, 24, is doing a master’s, has a mini job earning €603 a month and has no exemption.
- Total pension insurance contribution: 18.6 percent
- Employer: 15 percent, which is around €90 a month
- Lea herself: 3.6 percent, which is €21.71 a month and around €260 a year
According to the German Pension Insurance, one year of a mini job at €603 increases the later pension by about €5 a month. That sounds little, but it adds up over several years. You also build up compulsory contribution periods, which count towards other entitlements, for example the pension for reduced earning capacity (more on this below).
In a midi job (€603.01 to €2,000), you pay reduced contributions, but the full pay is reported. Your pension entitlements are therefore based on your actual gross pay and do not shrink because of the lower contribution.
Should you be exempt from pension insurance in a mini job?
That depends on what €21.71 a month is worth to you. You apply for the exemption in writing to your employer, and it is possible at any time. After that, only the employer pays its 15 percent, and you no longer build up your own contribution periods. For Lea, the comparison looks like this:
| Without exemption | With exemption | |
|---|---|---|
| Your share at €603 | €21.71 a month | €0 |
| Employer share | 15 percent | 15 percent |
| Own contribution periods | Yes | None |
| Protection against reduced earning capacity and Riester subsidy | Remain possible | May be lost |
According to the German Pension Insurance (in German), an exemption can therefore cost you protection in case of reduced earning capacity and the Riester subsidy. Since 1 July 2026 you can revoke the exemption once, for the future. Think it through carefully anyway: a contribution you have saved does not bring pension entitlements later.
The exemption only concerns pension insurance in a mini job. It has nothing to do with the exemption from compulsory health insurance during studies, which leads to private health insurance and is irrevocable for the entire course of study.
What applies to internships and short-term jobs?
A compulsory internship that your study regulations require is exempt from all branches of social insurance. For a voluntary internship during your studies, the amount matters: up to €603 the mini job rules apply, above that the rules for working students with the 20-hour limit. An internship before or after your studies, when you are not enrolled, is however subject to social insurance.
A short-term job (no more than three months or 70 working days in the calendar year, limited in advance) is exempt from pension insurance. That is convenient, but it does not give you any contribution periods. If you are self-employed while studying, have your pension insurance obligation clarified individually with the German Pension Insurance, because it depends on the individual case.
Can you fill gaps later with voluntary contributions?
Under certain conditions, yes. School training periods after your 16th birthday that do not count as credited periods and have no contributions yet can be paid back on application up to your 45th birthday (§ 207 SGB VI). Instalment payments over up to five years are possible. For study periods, the German Pension Insurance names the same option.
Voluntary contributions in 2026 range from €112.16 to €1,571.70 a month, and amounts in between are possible. Clarify beforehand with the German Pension Insurance whether it is worthwhile for you. The framework is set out in the information page for pupils (in German), which according to the page also applies to students.
What does a private pension plan add during your studies?
Statutory pension is the basis, and private provision supplements it. During your studies, it often sits behind rent, health insurance and living costs in the budget. An overview of which policies you actually need at this stage is given in our article on insurance for students (in German).
On the Riester pension: as a student you are only eligible for the subsidy if a job or internship makes you subject to pension insurance, for example in a mini job without exemption. The legislature has also reorganised retirement provision (Bundestag on 27 March 2026, Bundesrat on 8 May 2026): pension savings accounts are to start from 1 January 2027, while existing Riester contracts continue. Ask specifically how the subsidy works for students under the new rules before you sign anything. An “early start pension” for young people has so far only been planned.
If you get advice, it is worth choosing a suitable insurance broker (in German) on clear criteria. Ask about costs, term and cancellation conditions before you sign anything, and be sceptical of promises of returns or guarantees.
What changes in 2027?
With the minimum wage of €14.60, the mini job limit rises to €633 a month on 1 January 2027 (decided). The midi job range then starts at €633.01 and still ends at €2,000. The pension savings accounts are to start on the same date. Plan your side job with these figures.
What happens to your pension after your studies?
With your first regular job you pay compulsory contributions, as you already know from working as a student. The working student privilege, under which health, long-term care and unemployment insurance do not apply, ends with the month in which you are informed of your exam result in writing. From the 26th semester it is presumed that studying is no longer the main focus, but you can rebut this. How you approach the start of your career after your studies (in German) is covered in a separate article. You can ask the German Pension Insurance which periods it has already recorded.
Compulsory contributions are particularly important for the pension for reduced earning capacity. It requires a general waiting period of five years and three years of compulsory contributions in the last five years before reduced earning capacity sets in. Occupational disability insurance, for example occupational disability insurance while studying (in German), does not exclude statutory pension: the two benefits are not offset against each other.
Frequently asked questions
Do students pay pension insurance?
Not for the study itself. Contributions only arise through jobs: in a mini job and as a working student you are subject to pension insurance, while with short-term employment and a compulsory internship you are not. The study time is credited to you as a credited period if you can prove it, together with your school years for at most eight years.
Can students get an exemption from pension insurance?
In a mini job, yes, by written application to the employer. Then no own contribution periods arise, and protection against reduced earning capacity and the Riester subsidy can be lost. Since 1 July 2026 the exemption can be revoked once, for the future. Working students, however, always remain subject to pension insurance.
How many pension points do you get as a student?
For pure study time you pay no contributions, so no pension points arise from contributions. The time counts as a credited period for the waiting period and the pension calculation. You collect pension points through a mini job, midi job or working student job. In a midi job, your actual gross counts, even though you pay less in.
What does a pension after your studies bring?
The amount depends on all contribution periods during your working life. For comparison, from the study period: one year of a mini job at €603 increases the pension by about €5 a month, which is not a benchmark for a whole working life. Specific figures for your situation are given by the German Pension Insurance’s information, as soon as your account contains periods.
So what do you do now?
- Keep your certificate of enrolment and later your final certificate or certificate of de-registration, so that the credited period can be proven.
- Check in your side job how you are registered (mini job, midi job, working student), and consider whether you really need an exemption in a mini job.
- Ask the German Pension Insurance whether and how gaps can be paid back, if you were in school and university for longer than eight years.
- Only then decide on private provision, and compare costs and conditions. If you want to talk your situation through, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage.
You can read about our services on ProvenExpert, Trustlocal and Trustindex. Academycon was mentioned, among other things, in a press release published by the Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). An overview of all mentions is on our press page (in German).
Related reading
- Insurance for students: the cover you really need (in German)
- Occupational disability insurance for students: costs and start (in German)
- Starting your career after your studies (in German)
- Liability insurance for students: who needs it (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
