How to get a German pension refund
Leaving Germany comes with a bunch of bureaucratic steps. Did you think German bureaucracy would make it easy on you? Some things are obvious like the Abmeldung, giving notice for your lease or cancelling your phone contract. However, not a lot of people think about getting a German pension refund.
As employees in Germany, part of the contributions coming from your salary goes into pension contributions. This is meant to finance the pension system and make sure you still have income during retirement. However, there is a good chance that you will leave the country before retirement age.
Are you eligible to a German pension refund after leaving Germany? How much can you expect? How does the process look like? We answer all these questions in this post.
How much refund could I expect
When eligible for a refund, you can get a refund of your share of contributions as an employee. That is set at 9,35% of your gross income. Some other factors can impact the total sum, like for example the maximum cap to contributions (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze).
Your employer's share of contributions will not be refunded to you.
Who is eligible for a refund?
Eligibility is defined by law in the German social security act SGB VI. You need to qualify for the following requirements:
You last contribution (= last paycheck) was made more than 24 months ago.
You no longer need to make mandatory contributions to the German pension system. This happens when you leave Germany.
You cannot make voluntary contributions to the German pension system. This option is given to German nationals, EU nationals and some nationals who come from a country with a bilateral agreement with Germany on that matter.
This last requirement is often the make-or-break condition when it comes to a German pension refund. It's not possible for all. In short:
German citizens always have the option to make voluntary contributions. They are not eligible to a refund.
EU citizens are basically considered as like German citizens, which almost always exclude them as well.
Contracting state citizens* have a good chance to get a refund, but only if they have worked less than 60 months in Germany. Chances are impacted by nationality and place of residence after their time in Germany.
Non-contracting state citizens are never given the opportunity to make voluntary contributions. They can get a refund, regardless of their time spent/worked in Germany
How to apply for a pension refund after leaving Germany
Surprisingly enough, the amount of forms and documentation required for the application is fairly small. Once the 24 months waiting period is over (1st requirement, remember?), do the following:
Download and fill the right forms in from the German pension office there. You will need the V0901 (Main application form called Antrag auf Beitragserstattung bei Aufenthalt im Ausland) and forms A1313 or A1312 or A1311 or A1310 (respectively if your bank account is located in Germany or Canada/Usa or Italy or anywhere else).
Provide a copy of your social insurance certificate (Meldebescheinigung zur Sozialversicherung) and copy of your passport.
Send all documents by post (yes, this is still Germany) to the pension office of the municipality where you first did your Anmeldung.
Next steps might involve providing further documentation or answer questions from the officer about your application. This can lead to long processing times depending on your nationality and place of residence. Some nationalities have dedicated offices, and some other not.
UK nationals: Brexit has impacted your German pension refund
Brexit took place on 01/01/2021. The UK is now considered a contracting state as far as pension refund is concerned. However, if you started to work in German before that date, your case would still be processed as a normal EU citizen.
This post was based a on detailed guide on how to apply for pension refund in Germany by Bastien Allibert on settle-in-berlin.com. Active since 2011, settle-in-berlin.com helps anybody coming to Germany tackle all practical aspects of moving here. Everyday, up to 2500 visitors come find answers on registration, tax returns, unemployment, insurance, visa applications and more. Over the years, SiB has been recognized for its work and has been featured on Bundesregierung.de, Expat.com, Deutschlandfunk and Süddeutsche Zeitung.
*Contracting states are coutries with bilateral agreements with Germany: Albania, Australia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada/Quebec, Chile, China (only posting employees), India, Israel, Japan, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Philippines, Serbia, South Korea, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay, USA, UK, Ukraine (pending).
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