Apply for a reduced earning capacity pension from the Agricultural Pension Fund

A severe illness can prevent you from working until the regular retirement age. As an affected person, you can apply for a pension due to reduced earning capacity.

To mitigate any potential loss of income, the agricultural old-age pension fund (Landwirtschaftliche Alterskasse – LAK) provides support if you are no longer able to work, or can only work to a limited extent, due to illness. Farmers can apply for either a full or partial disability pension. Family members working on the farm are also eligible to receive disability pensions. 

You can receive a reduced earning capacity pension upon application if you

• are partially or fully incapacitated for work,
• have fulfilled the minimum insurance period (waiting period) of 5 years and
• have paid compulsory contributions for at least 3 years in the last 5 years before the onset of reduced earning capacity or have completed equivalent periods in other pension systems.

If, following a medical examination, work of 3 to under 6 hours per day is still possible for you, you have a partial earning capacity.

You receive a full earnings reduction pension if

• You can, after a medical examination, only work for less than 3 hours a day on the general labor market. 
• Your remaining earning capacity is 3 to under 6 hours, but you cannot find a job due to the labor market situation.

Before you can receive a reduced earning capacity pension, the LAK checks whether your ability to work can be restored through medical rehabilitation.

The amount of the pension is calculated individually from the contributions paid up to the onset of your earning incapacity. If you retire earlier, you generally receive imputation periods, but you must also expect deductions in the pension calculation. A pension for partial earning incapacity amounts to half of a pension for full earning incapacity.

Imputed periods:

If you have to retire due to illness at a young age, imputation periods can generally be taken into account. In the case of this so-called imputation period, it is assumed that you continued to work after the onset of your reduced earning capacity and thus continued to pay contributions. However, this non-contributory and pension-increasing imputation period is limited to a certain age limit. 
The age limit up to which contributions are considered paid will be gradually raised to 67 years by 2031.

Installments

If your pension begins before the retirement age applicable to you, you must accept deductions. For each month you retire earlier, the deduction is 0.3 percent, up to a maximum total of 10.8 percent.
As a rule, the deductions apply for the entire duration of your pension. Changes may occur once you have reached your standard retirement age.

Additional earnings

If you still feel fit enough, you are allowed to earn extra income alongside your reduced-earning-capacity pension. While this does not cancel your pension entitlement, it can affect the amount of your reduced-earning-capacity pension. A high additional income can lead to a complete reduction of your pension. However, this only applies as long as you have not yet reached the standard retirement age, meaning you retired early. Once you have reached the standard retirement age, you can earn an unlimited amount of extra income without any deduction from your pension for reduced earning capacity.
 

You can apply for the reduced earning capacity pension in writing, in person, or online:

Written application:

• Download the application and attachment forms for a pension due to reduced earning capacity from the website of the Social Insurance for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (SVLFG). Fill them out completely and gather the required documents.
• You can send your completed and signed application along with the required documents by mail to your agricultural pension fund. 
• Your agricultural old-age pension fund is reviewing your application. You will receive a written decision by mail or in your electronic mailbox at the SVLFG.

Note: A person you trust can also submit your pension application for you. Please submit a corresponding power of attorney to your agricultural pension fund for this purpose. As long as the power of attorney is valid, your agricultural pension fund will communicate exclusively with your authorized representative. 

Personal application during the consultation:

• Gather the required documents for the application and make an appointment with the Agricultural Old-Age Relief Fund (Landwirtschaftliche Alterskasse) or an advisory office of the SVLFG.
• Your pension application will be recorded during your interview.
• Your agricultural old-age pension fund is reviewing your application. You will receive a written decision by mail or in your electronic mailbox at the SVLFG.

Application via online procedure:

• Go to the SVLFG online portal and log in there.
• Fill out the form and upload the necessary documents. Then submit your pension application online. You will receive the application as a PDF in your online mailbox.
• Your agricultural old-age pension fund is reviewing your application. You will receive a written decision in your electronic mailbox at the SVLFG.
   

• Application for pension: by the end of the 3rd calendar month following the month in which you meet the eligibility requirements.
• Benefit of the pension: from the calendar month at the beginning of which you fulfill the eligibility requirements for the pension.

Note: If you apply for the pension later, it will be paid from the calendar month in which you applied for the pension.
 

An appeal against the reduced earning capacity pension notice can be filed within one month (3 months if abroad) of its notification. If the appeal is unsuccessful, there is the option of filing a lawsuit with the Social Court.