Is the Eigenheimrente worth it during an apprenticeship?

Last updated: 12 October 2026 · under the rules from 1 January 2027 · Publisher: INTERNA · responsible: Marc A. Schnitzler, in mortgage financing since 2005

Yes, the home-ownership pension (Eigenheimrente, state-subsidised saving for your own home) is worth it if you are doing in-company vocational training. Then you pay into the pension insurance and are eligible from 2027, meaning entitled to receive the subsidy from the state. If you save €50 a month, the state adds up to €240 a year, for €150 up to €540. If you are not yet 25 at the start of the year, you also get a one-off €200 starting bonus. This is how your starting capital grows for the home you buy later.

What adds up in five years

Savings per month	you pay in over 5 years	subsidy from the state	starting bonus	total
€25	€1,500	€750	€200	€2,450
€50	€3,000	€1,200	€200	€4,400
€100	€6,000	€1,950	€200	€8,150
€150	€9,000	€2,700	€200	€11,900

Calculated without interest and without contract costs, with the starting bonus if you are under 25 when you start. You can use the balance for your home from €3,000. With €50 a month you have that much after about four years, with €25 after about seven. The money in the contract is meant for your own home and your retirement. If you have the subsidised balance paid out early, for example by cancelling, you have to pay back the subsidies and tax benefits.

Who is eligible

In-company vocational training with a training allowance: yes, you pay into the pension insurance.
First job as an employee: yes.
Mini-job (Minijob, a small job with a low wage) at a company with pension insurance: yes, this is how it works.
Voluntary service, for example the federal volunteer service (Bundesfreiwilligendienst): yes.
You have a child under three: yes, even without a job, during the three years of child-raising time.
Purely school-based training without pay, or studying without a job: usually no, because then you do not pay into the pension insurance.

If you are under 18, your parents co-sign the contract.

What you can do with the money

From €3,000 you can use the balance to buy or build the home you live in yourself, if the contract terms provide for it. You cannot use it to pay rent or a rental deposit, or to buy furniture. If you do not buy, you can pause your payments into the contract, transfer it to another subsidised contract or receive the balance as a pension in old age.

And your parents?

Your parents continue to receive the child subsidy for you as long as they receive child benefit (Kindergeld, the monthly state payment for children) for you. This is how your family gets the subsidy twice.

How much subsidy does your household get? The subsidy calculator works out in one minute how much subsidy you can get. An advisor then checks with you whether everything fits your situation. This conversation is free of charge and in English.

Calculate your subsidy

Frequently asked questions

From when is the subsidy paid?

For contributions from 1 January 2027.

What is the minimum I have to pay in?

€120 a year, that is €10 a month. For this you get €60 subsidy a year, and under 25 a one-off €200 on top.

Does this also apply while I am studying?

Only with a job in which you pay into the pension insurance, for example as a working student (Werkstudent) or in a mini-job at a company.

Sources

The money in the contract is meant for your retirement and your own home. If you have the subsidised savings paid out early, for example by cancelling the contract, you have to pay back the subsidies and tax benefits.

The examples explain the legal rules in simplified form. They do not replace tax or legal advice for your personal situation. Contract costs and interest are not included. This page was created with the help of artificial intelligence and translated from the German original. INTERNA is responsible for its content. More information