The pension equalization is being reformed: The substantive legal norms are being transferred from the Civil Code (BGB) to the newly created Pension Equalization Act, while the procedural regulations can be found in the new Family Court Act (FamFG). All new regulations will come into effect on September 1, 2009. Within a year, all pension equalization cases will be transitioned to the new division system. This will significantly change the working practices for lawyers and judges. The most important changes include: - Principle of internal division: there will no longer be a recalculation of pension entitlements - The pensioner privilege is abolished - There will be no pension equalization for small compensation amounts and short marriage durations - Spouses will have more options in the future to shape their retirement provision through agreements. The removal of the requirement for judicial approval opens up new possibilities.