General information on the flexible retirement scheme

The corridor pension can be claimed before reaching the normal retirement age if you have accrued sufficient insurance months. Retiring before the standard retirement age results in reductions. If you retire after the standard retirement age, you will be rewarded with a higher pension.

From 1 January 2026, for persons born on or after 1 January 1964, the earliest possible age for claiming a corridor pension will be gradually raised from 62 to 63. At the same time, the required number of insurance months will increase from 480 to 504 months (= 42 years).

The increase is made quarterly by two months, depending on the date of birth.

Discontinuation of benefits under the scheme

The corridor pension is forfeited if, while drawing the pension, a gainful activity is pursued that results in compulsory insurance in the statutory pension insurance scheme (due to employment or self-employment). The pension ceases for the duration of the compulsory pension insurance.

Exceeding the monthly marginal earnings threshold (551,10 Euro in 2026) no longer automatically leads to the automatically lead to the loss of pension benefits, provided that the excess is only minor
(annually no more than 40 percent of the monthly low income threshold, around 220,44 Euro in 2026).

A corridor pension that has been discontinued will be revived if the aforementioned points no longer apply.

Flexible retirement scheme and unemployment support

If a person already meets the eligibility requirements for the flexible retirement scheme, they may continue receiving unemployment benefits for one year if they did not terminate their last employment relationship themselves or if they were not endeavouring to terminate that relationship or otherwise responsible for that termination. More detailed information on specific topics can be obtained from the relevant regional branch of the Public Employment Service. This ensures that the flexible retirement scheme remains voluntary.

In principle, the corridor retirement scheme applies in the same way to both men and women. As it is open to individuals aged 62 and older, however, women are unable to benefit from this scheme until 2030. Only from January 2030 the retirement age for the regular old-age pension for women will be above the age of 63.

Since 2017, in order to be eligible for the flexible retirement scheme individuals must have completed 480 insurance months (40 years) by the time of their 62nd birthday.

The application must be submitted no later than the end of the last month before entering retirement.

The competent pension insurance institution

In order for a procedure to determine pensionability to take place, an application must be made. An application form is provided for this purpose. However, an informal written letter is also classed as an application. The form should then be submitted afterwards.

The pension insurance institution will advise which documents are required.

• Information for early retirement from 2024 (SVS)^{German text}
• Regional branches of the Public Employment Service (AMS)^{German text}
• Factsheet on the flexible retirement scheme (SVS)^{German text}
• Early retirement (AK)^{German text}

Allgemeines Pensionsgesetz (APG)

• Early retirement scheme – application^{German text}
• Early retirement scheme – factsheet^{German text}

electronically: registration using ID-Austria (id-austria.gv.at) (only possible with the Austrian Pension Insurance Fund [PVA])
in writing: informal letter (form to be submitted later)
in person: in this case, you should take with you the necessary documents, such as your birth certificate, birth certificates for your children, your residence registration form, your marriage certificate, where appropriate, and an identity document.

The pension insurance institution will make a decision on the pension application in an official notification. A complaint may be lodged with the competent Labour and Social Court within 3 months of delivery of the official notification.

Ombudsman’s office of the competent pension insurance institution