Level 6 · Financial independence
Pension gap calculator: how big is your gap — and what closes it?
Use the figure from your Renteninformation — not from a model. The calculator turns it into your gap in today’s purchasing power, projects it to your retirement date and shows the rate that closes it from today — and what waiting five years costs.
The figure from your German pension statement without adjustment – gross, in today’s money.
In today’s purchasing power, gross – the calculator applies inflation itself.
Portfolio, occupational pension balance, Riester or Rürup – whatever is already there today.
Assumptions: the pension keeps pace with inflation (pension adjustment); a conservative view would assume slightly less. Everything before tax – pensions are taxed on payout. The pension statement is a projection by the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, not a promise.
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How to go about it
- Get your Renteninformation. Enter the future standard pension without pension adjustment — gross, in today’s money. It is the first figure in the letter.
- Desired income in today’s money. How much do you want per month in retirement, measured at today’s prices? The calculator projects inflation itself.
- Enter existing provision. What is already set aside for retirement — portfolio, company pension, Riester, Rürup — keeps growing until then and reduces the rate.
- Read the rate. The savings rate needed from today — and next to it, what it costs if you start five years later.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find the figure in the Renteninformation?
The Renteninformation from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung states your future standard pension if you keep paying in as before — once without pension adjustment (today’s money) and additionally as projections with annual adjustment. For this calculator you take the value without adjustment.
Why does the calculator not model the pension level itself?
Because every assumption about the future pension level would be a claim we would have to keep checking. Your Renteninformation knows your actual contribution years — no model does. The assumption sits where it is documented.
Is the pension tax-free?
No. Pensions in Germany are taxed on payout, and health and long-term care contributions come on top. The calculator works gross — plan a buffer.
I have pension rights from another country. What then?
Enter them as existing provision if you know their value, or subtract the expected monthly amount from your desired income. The calculator only knows the German statutory figure you give it.
Related
The gap closes with a rate — and the rate belongs in the budget
In sum a goal is a rate with a forecast: you set what you put aside each month, see when you will get there at this pace, and the rate comes straight off your available budget. sum does not calculate a pension gap itself — that is what this calculator is for. Today you bring your transactions in via CSV import; the automatic bank connection (PSD2) is in the works.
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The first step toward your financial goals is the overview — that's exactly what we're building sum for. Secure your access early.