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State capital Stuttgart

Office for Social Affairs and Participation

Pension insurance - applying for a survivor's pension

If your spouse or partner has died, you may be entitled to a widow's or widower's pension. If one or both parents die, you may be entitled to an orphan's pension.

Survivors' pensions include widow's or widower's pensions, orphan's pensions and child-raising pensions for divorced spouses.

Requirements for the individual pensions:

Widow's/widower's pension
:

  • The deceased spouse/life partner has fulfilled the minimum insurance period of five years.
  • The surviving partner has not remarried.
  • The pension can be paid as a small or large widow's/widower's pension.

Orphan's pension:

  • As a rule, the pension entitlement lasts until the age of 18
  • This period is extended until the age of 27 in the case of school or vocational training, transitional periods between training courses, voluntary service and/or disability.

Parental pension for divorced spouses or registered civil partners:

  • The marriage or civil partnership was divorced or annulled after June 30, 1977 and the person is deceased.
  • An own child or the child of the previous marriage or civil partnership is being brought up.
  • The surviving person has not remarried and has not entered into a new registered civil partnership.
  • The waiting period of five years has been completed by the date of death.

Online appointment service

How to contact us:

Service hotline

You have questions? Call us: from any network, without an area code. Authorities number 115: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can usually reach the authorities number 115 at fixed network tariffs and thus free of charge via flat rates. Sign language telephone: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Explanations and information