{"id":1779292240,"date":"2026-07-31T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/uncategorized-en-us\/pension-gap-what-is-missing-between-your-needs-and-the-statutory-pension\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T10:50:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T10:50:39","slug":"pension-gap-what-is-missing-between-your-needs-and-the-statutory-pension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/what-is\/pension-gap-what-is-missing-between-your-needs-and-the-statutory-pension\/","title":{"rendered":"Pension gap: what is missing between your needs and the statutory pension"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"avd-lead\"> The pension gap is the difference between what you need in retirement and what the statutory pension pays out. It is the reason the <a href=\"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/what-is\/altersvorsorgedepot\/\">Altersvorsorgedepot<\/a> exists at all. The decisive figure is not in your pension statement, because inflation is missing there. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"avd-callout tldr\">\n<p><strong>The key points at a glance:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The statutory pension replaces around half of your last net income<\/li>\n<li>The pension statement gives a gross figure in today&#8217;s money<\/li>\n<li>Taxes and health and long-term care contributions still come off that<\/li>\n<li>Rule of thumb: assume 80 percent of your current net income as your need<\/li>\n<li>The later you start, the larger the necessary contribution becomes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"avd-toc\">\n<p class=\"avd-toc__title\">Table of contents<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"\/#was-ist\">What is the pension gap?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/#rechnen\">How to estimate it<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/#bescheid\">Why the pension statement is misleading<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/#schliessen\">What it costs to close it<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/#personas\">Three examples<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"was-ist\">\n<h2>What is the pension gap?<\/h2>\n<p> Two figures face each other. On one side your needs in retirement, on the other the statutory pension. What is missing in between is the gap. It has to be covered from private or occupational capital. <\/p>\n<p> Needs do fall in old age. But less sharply than many expect. Work-related expenses disappear \u2013 commuting, work clothes, lunch out \u2013 and anyone past the family phase also saves everything the children used to cost in the household. On the other hand other items rise, above all health and housing. Around 80 percent of the last net income has become established as a starting point. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"avd-callout zwischenfazit\">\n<p><strong>Why does it hit younger people harder today?<\/strong><br \/>The pension level has been falling for decades while life expectancy is rising. Anyone who is forty today has to live longer on less than the generation before.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"rechnen\">\n<h2>How to estimate it<\/h2>\n<p> For a first assessment three steps are enough, and you need neither an advisor nor software. <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Take your current net income and calculate 80 percent of it. That is your estimated need.<\/li>\n<li>Look at your pension statement. The amount stated there is gross; deduct roughly 15 percent for taxes and social security contributions.<\/li>\n<li>The difference is your monthly gap in today&#8217;s purchasing power.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<table class=\"avd-table\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Current net income<\/th>\n<th>Need (80%)<\/th>\n<th>Net pension (rough)<\/th>\n<th>Gap<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u20ac2,200<\/td>\n<td>\u20ac1,760<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac1,050<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac710<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u20ac2,800<\/td>\n<td>\u20ac2,240<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac1,340<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac900<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u20ac3,500<\/td>\n<td>\u20ac2,800<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac1,680<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac1,120<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u20ac4,500<\/td>\n<td>\u20ac3,600<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac2,050<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac1,550<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p class=\"small muted\">Rough calculation, assuming a net pension level of around 48 percent of the last gross income. Individual employment histories deviate considerably.<\/p>\n<p> Anyone who wants to know more precisely uses the <a href=\"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/pension-gap-calculator\/\">pension gap calculator<\/a>which takes account of age, income and the planned start of retirement, and factors in inflation. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"bescheid\">\n<h2>Why the pension statement is misleading<\/h2>\n<p> Your pension statement shows an amount that looks reassuring at first glance. Three things are missing from it. <\/p>\n<p> First, the figure is gross. Statutory pensions are subject to tax, plus contributions to health and long-term care insurance, so that between ten and twenty percent comes off the stated amount depending on your situation before anything even reaches your account. Second, it is given in today&#8217;s euros even though you will receive it in thirty years. At two percent inflation a euro will then have about 55 cents of purchasing power. And third, the projection assumes that you will carry on earning as you did most recently, without interruption, until you retire. <\/p>\n<div class=\"avd-callout\">\n<strong>The uncomfortable calculation:<\/strong> A pension of \u20ac1,800 in thirty years corresponds, at two percent inflation, to today&#8217;s purchasing power of around <strong>\u20ac990<\/strong>and at three percent it is only around \u20ac740. <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"schliessen\">\n<h2>What it costs to close it<\/h2>\n<p> To get \u20ac700 a month in supplementary pension over around 20 years, you need roughly \u20ac170,000 in capital at the start of retirement. What that means for your contribution depends almost entirely on when you start. <\/p>\n<table class=\"avd-table\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Starting at<\/th>\n<th>Years to 67<\/th>\n<th>Required contribution at 6%<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>25<\/td>\n<td>42<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac75<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>35<\/td>\n<td>32<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac145<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>45<\/td>\n<td>22<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac310<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>55<\/td>\n<td>12<\/td>\n<td>around \u20ac810<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p class=\"small muted\">Model calculation, 6% nominal, excluding costs, allowances and taxes. Target capital \u20ac170,000.<\/p>\n<p> Ten years of delay roughly doubles the contribution. Every time. That is the real reason everyone always urges haste on this subject, and for once the warning is justified. The government subsidy in the Altersvorsorgedepot lowers the amount you have to put up yourself even further, because <a href=\"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/what-is\/basic-allowance-in-the-altersvorsorgedepot-up-to-e540-per-year-from-the-state\/\">Allowances<\/a> grow along with it from the very first year. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"personas\">\n<h2>Three examples<\/h2>\n<div class=\"avd-persona\">\n<p><strong>Lena, 27, preschool teacher, \u20ac2,200 net.<\/strong> Her estimated gap is around \u20ac710 a month. With 40 years remaining, a contribution of about \u20ac80 is enough, with the basic allowance covering a considerable part of it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"avd-persona\">\n<p><strong>Markus, 46, sales, \u20ac3,500 net, nothing put aside so far.<\/strong> Gap around \u20ac1,120. With 21 years remaining he would have to put up about \u20ac540 a month. More realistic for him is to lower the target and work longer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"avd-persona\">\n<p><strong>The Hoffmanns, both 38, \u20ac5,200 net between them, two children.<\/strong> They reckon with a combined gap of around \u20ac1,700. Across two securities accounts and the full child allowance they cover a large part of it with government money.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"avd-faq\" id=\"faq\">\n<h2>Frequently asked questions about the pension gap<\/h2>\n<details>\n<summary>Are 80 percent of net income really necessary?<\/summary>\n<p>It is a rule of thumb, not a law. Anyone living rent-free gets by on less. Anyone wanting to travel a lot in old age needs more.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Does the occupational pension count towards it?<\/summary>\n<p>Yes. Everything that comes in regularly in retirement reduces the gap. Occupational pension, existing Riester contract, rental income.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What is the net pension level?<\/summary>\n<p>The share of the standard pension in average earnings, after social security contributions and before tax. It serves as a political control variable, not as a personal forecast.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Do I have to factor in inflation?<\/summary>\n<p>Absolutely. Without an inflation assumption, every retirement plan looks better than it is.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What if I am too late?<\/summary>\n<p>Then other levers apply: work longer, lower the target, use one-off payments. Giving up is the worst of these options.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>How often should I recalculate?<\/summary>\n<p>Every three to five years and after every major change, such as a jump in salary, part-time work or a new addition to the family.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"avd-callout zwischenfazit\">\n<p><strong>What should you take away?<\/strong><br \/>The pension statement gives a gross figure in today&#8217;s purchasing power. What actually arrives is considerably less, and the only effective lever against that is time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"small muted\">Last updated: July 2026. Sources: BMF, German federal government, Bundestag printed paper 21\/4088, Deutsche Rentenversicherung.<\/p>\n<section class=\"avd-weiter\">\n<h2>Keep calculating and reading<\/h2>\n<p class=\"avd-weiter__rechner\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/pension-gap-calculator\/\">pension gap calculator<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 estimate the gap between your final net income and the statutory pension.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"avd-weiter__links\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/what-is\/inflation-and-purchasing-power-what-your-securities-account-will-really-be-worth-in-30-years\/\">Inflation and purchasing power<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/what-is\/regular-savings-plan-in-the-altersvorsorgedepot-save-into-etfs-automatically-every-month\/\">regular savings plan<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/what-is\/compound-interest-in-the-altersvorsorgedepot-why-starting-early-changes-everything\/\">compound interest<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"avd-weiter__zielgruppe\">Related content: <a href=\"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/altersvorsorgedepot-from-50\/\">Altersvorsorgedepot from 50<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"avd-weiter__lexikon\">All terms at a glance: <a href=\"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/what-is\/altersvorsorgedepot-glossary-all-terms-from-a-to-z\/\">Glossary from A to Z<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"avd-sources\">\n<h2>Official sources and further information<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bundesfinanzministerium.de\/Content\/DE\/FAQ\/reform-der-privaten-altersvorsorge.html\" rel=\"external nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Federal Ministry of Finance, FAQ on the reform of private retirement provision<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bundesregierung.de\/breg-de\/aktuelles\/reform-private-altersvorsorge-2400072\" rel=\"external nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">German federal government, private retirement provision reform<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bundestag.de\/dokumente\/textarchiv\/2026\/kw13-de-altersvorsorge-1156798\" rel=\"external nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">German Bundestag, resolution on the Altersvorsorgedepot (calendar week 13\/2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dserver.bundestag.de\/btd\/21\/040\/2104088.pdf\" rel=\"external nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Bundestag printed paper 21\/4088 (PDF)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de\/DRV\/DE\/Ueber-uns-und-Presse\/Presse\/Meldungen\/2026\/260508-bundesrat-reform-private-altersvorsorge.html\" rel=\"external nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Deutsche Rentenversicherung, reform announcement<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.test.de\/Altersvorsorgedepot-4910361-0\/\" rel=\"external nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Stiftung Warentest, Altersvorsorgedepot<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.verbraucherzentrale.de\/wissen\/geld-versicherungen\/altersvorsorge\/neues-altersvorsorgedepot-rentenchance-oder-teure-verkaufsfalle-118178\" rel=\"external nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Verbraucherzentrale, the new Altersvorsorgedepot: opportunity or sales trap?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Estimating the pension gap in three steps, why the pension statement is misleading and what it costs to close it. With tables by income and starting age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_metasync_otto_title":"","_metasync_otto_description":"","_metasync_otto_keywords":"","_metasync_otto_og_title":"","_metasync_otto_og_description":"","_metasync_otto_twitter_title":"","_metasync_otto_twitter_description":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_aioseo_title":"","_aioseo_description":"","_metasync_seo_title":"","_metasync_seo_desc":"","_metasync_breadcrumb_title":"","_metasync_primary_category":0,"_metasync_primary_product_cat":0,"_metasync_otto_disabled":"","_metasync_hreflang":"","_metasync_plugin_sync_ts":"","_metasync_robots_advanced":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[69],"class_list":["post-1779292240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-what-is","tag-altersvorsorgedepot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1779292240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1779292240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1779292240\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1779292240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1779292240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altersvorsorgedepot-anbieter-vergleich.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1779292240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}