Insured persons have the option of applying for a pension due to partial reduction in earning capacity in the event of occupational disability. However, this regulation only applies to people born before 2 January 1961 who are unable to work.

You are deemed to be unable to work if you can work less than six hours a day for health reasons. This applies both to your previous occupation and to another occupation that is reasonable for you.

The pension for partial reduction in earning capacity in the event of occupational disability is calculated on the basis of all pensionable periods that you have accrued up to the onset of occupational disability.

When calculating the pension, it is always checked whether an additional - fictitious - period can be taken into account when calculating the pension amount. The reason for this is that, particularly if you claim your pension at a young age, calculating your pension solely on the basis of the contributions paid in would result in a lower pension entitlement.

This additional fictitious period is known as the additional qualifying period and is the time between the onset of reduced earning capacity and a certain statutory age. This puts you in the same position as if you had paid contributions up to this age.

If your pension starts before the relevant age limit, you will have to accept deductions. For each month that you draw this pension earlier, the deduction is 0.3 per cent, up to a maximum of 10.8 per cent. Seek advice from Deutsche Rentenversicherung.

Limitation of the pension:

• Pensions due to partial reduction in earning capacity in the event of occupational disability are paid for a limited period. These pensions start at the earliest from the seventh calendar month after the onset of the reduction in earning capacity if you have submitted the pension application in good time. A temporary pension can be extended as part of a continuation procedure.
• If it is unlikely that your reduced capacity will improve solely for medical reasons, you will receive the pension for partial reduction in earning capacity in the event of occupational disability for an indefinite period from the outset. The pension will then begin at the earliest in the calendar month following the onset of the reduction in earning capacity if you have submitted the application for a reduced earning capacity pension in good time.