German Pension Refund Calculator: How much pension refund will I get in Germany?
How to use the calculator:
- Enter the number of months you worked in Germany.
- Select your monthly gross salary. You will see your refund estimate amount.
- Claim your refund
As a general rule 9.3% of your gross income can be received as a refund from the German Pension insurance. In this guide I want to give you the possibility of using our free German pension calculator to get a quick estimate on how much money you can expect. Besides this, I will provide you more details around the eligibility criteria and the pension refund process.
Professional and super helpful. Instructions and process were extremely clear and efficient. I received my money within 2 months of submitting all the documents. Super good service!
German Pension Refund helped my wife and myself to fill out the necessary forms. They kept a close eye on the progress of our request with the authorities and kept us updated. Recommend the service to every individual who understood the red tape in Germany and wishes for a smooth completion.
Expats we have assisted received an average pension refund of 9.328€.
Use our A to Z Digital Refund Service and let us deal with German bureaucracy.
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1. Calculating Your Pension Refund
When you work in Germany as a normally employed person, you usually pay around 9.3% of your salary automatically every month to the German Pension Insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung). The percentage value changes over time. So as an example: If you worked in the year 2000 in Germany you paid 9.65% and in 2016 you paid 9.35%. Interesting is that Germany has an income ceiling until which you have to pay contributions to the German Pension insurance. This ceiling also changes over the years and differs between the region west and east within Germany and also between the two pension insurance institutions, the “Deutsche Rentenversicherung” and the “Knappschaft”. Without going too much into detail, an example will help you understand this logic. Imagine you worked in 2020 in Germany and earned 90,000€ / year gross. If you were insured at the “Deutsche Rentenversicherung” and you lived in West Germany you only paid contributions of 9.3% up to a income ceiling of 84,800€. For the rest (5,200€) you don’t have to pay pension contributions in Germany. I am making this example so you understand that when you had a high income while you worked in Germany, it does not automatically mean that you paid pension contributions on 100% of your salary. You can use our refund calculator that provides you with an estimate based on your monthly gross salary and the duration of your work in Germany, but always bear in mind, that this is a basic calculator which does not provide the exact figures.
It's also important to clarify that not all pension contributions are refundable. As an Expat, you are generally entitled to get a refund of the contributions you made yourself and not the ones made by your employer. As said the calculator gives you an idea of the refund amount but after you have made the eligibility check we ask you if you want the get a more precise calculation. What we do is to ask for your permission to request your insurance record at the German Pension insurance. The insurance record (Versicherungsverlauf) lists all of your pension periods and details about your contributions. We will provide you with the calculation and record, so you can check if it is correct and complete. But for now, first check if you are really eligible.
2. Eligibility Criteria for Expats
You have to understand the basic requirements to become eligible for the German Pension refund. These are defined by:
- Your nationality and potentially second nationality
- Your country of residence
- The time you worked in Germany and
- The time which has passed by since your last working day in Germany.
As you can imagine there are thousands of combinations. If you are not into the details, you can stop reading here and simply use our free eligibility check to get a quick idea if you can apply for an earlier pension refund.
If you want to dig deeper, let’s continue and go into each requirement area:
Requirement #1: Nationality
EU, EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Switzerland citizens: It is important to mention that these citizens are in generally will not be eligible for an earlier German Pension refund as these individuals are always allowed to pay contributions to the German Pension insurance, not matter where they live in the world. This rule is a bit confusing as you might think, as an example, I am a French citizen and I live outside of the EU and I also don’t pay pension contributions in Germany. But the fact that you don’t pay contributions does not matter. As EU citizen you have the legal right to voluntarily pay pension contributions in Germany and this fact alone makes you not eligibe for a Pension Refund. As always there are exceptions: You can apply if you are at least 67 years old and also if you do not qualify for a German pension.
Contracting countries: These are countries with which Germany has made a pension agreement. As of February 2024, this is the list of contracting states:
- Albania
- Brazil
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Chile
- India
- Israel
- Japan
- Canada and Quebec
- Kosovo
- Morocco
- North Macedonia
- Montenegro
- Philippines
- Republic of Korea
- Republic of Moldova
- Serbia
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Uruguay
- USA
If you have a citizenship of one of above countries, chances are already good that you can receive a German pension refund but only if you fulfill Requirement #2, #3 and #4 at the same time.
Besides above-mentioned contracting countries, following countries are more complicated: Israel, Bosnian and Herzegovinia, UK, Japan, Korea, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Tunisia. We have dedicated a separate article to go further into details.
If you are a citizen of another country not listed above, your chances are also already good that you can get a Pension refund.
I would like to thank the German Pension Refund team for the provided service. The process was very smooth and straightforward for me. I highly recommend the organization.
When it comes to securing a German pension refund for expats, the eligibility criteria are crucial to understand.
Requirement #2: Your country of residence
The country you live is important for the eligibility. If you live outside of the European Union, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia or Turkey you can already make a positive check mark on this requirement.
There is also one positive exception: If you are a non-EU and non-EEA citizen (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland), and you live in an EEA county you are still eligible. Here an example to make this easier: You are a US American and you live in Switzerland. This means that in general you are eligible to apply for the refund.
Nationals of following countries, please read our separate article - Israel, Bosnian and Herzegovinia, UK, Japan, Korea, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Tunisia
Requirement #3: The time you worked in Germany
Now it becomes a bit tricky. The German Pension Insurance has set a rule, that if you have contributed to the German Pension system for 5 years or more, you then have the right to receive a regular pension, once you reach your retirement age. This sounds positive but it also means that once you hit the 5-year limit, you are no longer eligible to receive your early lump-sum pension refund. This rule applies to all nationals with which Germany has negotiated a contract/agreement – see above in requirement 1# for the list of these “Contracting countries”
Important: The 5-year waiting period does not apply for citizens of countries Germany has not made an agreement with.
I know it would have taken me much longer to complete the process on my own. Highly recommend to anyone who needs help figuring out how to navigate the bureaucracy of the German pension system.
Requirement #4: The time which has passed by since your last working day in Germany
There is a 24 months (2 year) waiting period before you can apply for a German Pension Refund. Many people think that the time starts to tick, once you left Germany, which is not true. The waiting period starts directly after you have finished working in Germany, so right after you have made your final contributions to the German Pension insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung). It is not realted to your date of departure. In order to get a detailed overview on when exactly your last day of contribution was, we will help you and request your official insurance record from the German Pension officials. This service is for free and you can request it right after the eligibility check.
In a nutshell and applicable for many cases, you are eligible for a lump-sum German Pension refund if:
- you paid less then 5 years (60 months) of contributions into the German Pension Insurance and
- the final time you worked in Germany and you made your final payment to the German pension insurance has been more than 2 years (24 months) ago and
- your current country of residence is NOT within the European Union, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia or Turkey.
- New Important Information on BREXIT: You live in the UK and you did NOT work in Germany before BREXIT (01.01.2021)
One more important information is: There is no minimum contribution period to apply for a earlier lump sum payout of your contributions but as mentioned in some cases there is a maximum period of 5 years.
If you meet the eligibility criteria for a German pension refund, you can look forward to receiving approximately 9.3% of your gross salary as refund. You can use our online calculator that can help you get a rough estimation. The calculator requires simple information such as your total contribution months and your gross salary. However, keep in mind these are only approximations.
As an expat, navigating the German pension refund system may seem daunting initially. However, with the right information and resources, like the German pension refund calculator, it does not have to be.
3. Step-by-Step Guide to Claiming Your Refund
1st step / Eligibility Check: Start by determining your eligibility for the German Pension refund.
2nd step / Insurance Record and Calculation: Once eligibility is confirmed, we can help you to get your German Insurance Record and calculate more exactly how much you're supposed to get as a pension refund. In this step you can also review your insurance record and check if it is correct and complete. If there are periods missing, we will help you to clarify the situation with the pension officials.
3rd step / Refund Application: Don’t worry about the paperwork. We have spend many years in making this process digital. In the online process we help you to gather all the necessary documentation needed to apply for German pension refund, which typically includes identification documents and proof of residency. We help you to submit your application to the German Pension Insurance office digitally. The processing times can vary, thus, patience is needed at this step of the pension repayment process. If approved, the refund will be transferred to your nominated bank account in the currency you selected.
Outstanding Service and Partnership for returned expats. The team is reachable almost immediately and is always on top of the information and updates. Whole process was lean and its just a matter of time before you get your money back.
4. Conclusion
As an expat, navigating the German pension refund system may seem difficult at the beginning. However, our refund calculator, eligibility check and online process will help you to navigate. If you have further questions, feel free to also reach out to us via Whatsapp by simply clicking on the Whatsapp symbol “Start Chat”. We hope this article was useful for you and will be happy to assist you in the refund process.
In Your Own Words
The team is very service oriented. Questions got answered within hours and I felt taken care of and informed during the time it took to get the payback. You can expect super friendly German natives to assist you during the refund process. Thumbs Up! You guys are awesome!
After the initial eligibility check, the website helped me through each step of the application. Result: I received 2.3 years of pension payments back. Thank you!
Nice, friendly and very professional service! I was impressed to see the detailed input (relevant info & documents) they are able to collect from you all through their website application in an efficient manner, and then take care of the tedious matters by themselves as much as they can. I've successfully received all of the pension amount that I could've possibly received. So a full 5 star for that! In short, I had a very good experience with them, and I'll fully endorse them to others.
Umar Tarar
Georg provided excellent service and support throughout the process. He communicated proactively and gave me timely updates about the process. Very happy with the service and I would highly recommend Pension Refund Germany!
Yasmin Rahmatullah
Excellent white glove service, as someone who never fully grasped a deep understanding of the German language, getting my pension refund would have been near impossible. Everything went smoothly, and I received my refund in the end.
Kevin McCutcheon
My case was quite difficult, and yet I received my contributions. Highly recommended 🙌
Iurii Rodyk
They did an amazing job - fast, responsive, proactive, and overall a pleasure to work with - highly recommended!
Steven Tremblay
Very professional service. Georg was very helpful, and I got my refund in around 4-5 months.
Vignesh Unnikrishnan
Great team. Georg was very helpful throughout the whole process. Highly recommended.
Irakli Lezhava
Georg and the Pension Refund Germany team were a complete pleasure to deal with. For a very reasonable success-based fee, Georg's team turned the famously byzantine German bureaucracy into an abstraction I did not need to think about. After completing a simple online form, I just sat back and let the PRG team handle all correspondence with the relevant authorities. Within two months — a timeline dictated by the German state — I received the refund in my bank account. Throughout the process, Georg and his team remained ready and responsive to address any questions I had. 5 stars is a grossly inadequate rating for Pension Refund Germany!
Will Fang
Chatting and staying connected with Georg for the last 2 years to get my Pension Refund was an amazing journey, and he was very helpful in the assistance provided!
Chandramouli.v Muralidhar.v
These folks made a painful process painless. Worth the fee! I waited for years for fear of all the paperwork. Georg & co at Pension Refund Germany made it happen.
John Schlag
Excellent service -- I hadn't thought about my pension payments for years and probably never would have been able to navigate the bureaucracy to get them back without the help of the team. Very worth the price, thank you all for your hard work!
Joel Burke
Highly recommend! The whole process was smooth, Georg was very knowledgeable and helpful, and communicated everything clearly throughout.
Jessica Kretzmann
Fantastic service. I worked in Germany for 2 years, and Pension Refund was able to organize my refund promptly and securely. They were very responsive to my questions with great follow-through. An excellent Customer Experience. Highly recommended for Germany expat workers!
Steven Javor
Great and pleasant communication, efficient service! My goal was achieved without unnecessary hassle!
Alexander L
Great servicer, incredibly helpful and responsive, and super fast turnaround!
Greg Hanefeld
I had a smooth and seamless experience working with Pension Refund Germany. Their system and process were clear, easy to follow, and they were extremely responsive to queries and questions. I had previously tried to apply for my refund by myself and was having a hard time making any progress. Working with Pension Refund Germany, I was able to get my refund in a few short months - headache-free. I highly recommend this company!
Jess M
Very efficient and helpful people. Almost have to do nothing while the refund process has been well taken care of.
Surasak Arunyadej
Amazing service, prompt response, very patient. Helped me in every step throughout the process.
Anirudh Gaur
I had a great experience with Georg and his team at Pension Refund Germany. There is no way I could have managed this process without their assistance. If you have returned to your homeland and need to apply for your pension refund, I cannot recommend Pension Refund Germany enough. They are timely and efficient and keep you informed all the way through the process. Great experience for sure. Six stars! Bobby K, USA
Bobby Klaiss
Georg was kind, professional, and highly efficient while handling my case. He made the entire process of obtaining my refund go as smoothly as possible. Thank you so much for your help!
Christianna Field-Green
Highly recommend. Georg and his team made a process that could have been tedious due to layers of required German documentation (if you lived there you know what I am talking about!) easy and painless. It was all as simple as their website claimed.
Erin C
From start to finish, I had a seamless and professional experience with Pension Refund Germany. Their web application is smooth and has a great UI. The team has been very responsive and professional. All I had to do was fill out the original forms with my documents and submit my bank account #. I wish they had other services to handle other government/bureaucratic interactions when I was living in Germany. I can happily recommend Pension Refund Germany's services to anyone.
Eric M
I thoroughly recommend. Georg was very professional, responsive, and helpful. Would not have been able to do this without him!
Peter Lollo
The service provided by Pension Refund was much appreciated. In a complicated case, Georg managed to support till the end regularly updating along the way. Thank you!
Patrick
Seriously, Georg is the man. Super helpful, really prompt on responses to questions, and apparently knows the German pension system inside and out. 6/5 stars
Gerrit Egnew
Absolutely fantastic work by Pension Refund Germany company. Communication, progress tracking, approach, speed of delivery – exquisite, top-notch level. I'm very happy with the provided service, its price and can't recommend more!
CH
Very good working with such professionals, especially Mr. Georg, who is always proactive at every point in time. Your guys remain the best.
Ike Walter
Great service. They made it seamless and so easy to process my pension distribution, which I likely would have spent many frustrating hours on and have run into issues (bureaucracy, language, time delays, etc.). Their communication was great throughout, and they basically did all the work they were able to do on my behalf for a reasonable fee given the service.
James Argento
Very professional. They were able to get my refund in a short span of time. Communication is super clear and quick response time as well. Very much recommended.
Karna Mohan (Karna)
I am extremely satisfied with their service and highly recommend it.
Sergio Rossi
Georg is a super professional. Highly recommended.
Hemanand Vadivel
Absolutely loved working with this team. Very professional, really prompt communication, and just got it all done very fast. Would highly recommend!
Herrick Mai
The team was always available and very helpful with my case. They went above and beyond to speak directly with the pension authorities where there remained open questions. Subject matter expertise, a high level of English, and time zone flexibility ensured this is a service I would recommend again and again.
John Woods
I had a great experience working with this professional group. They handled everything professionally and I would recommend them to anyone planning to apply for refunds.
Athanas Guzha
Great service
Baran Ipek
Stupendous experience, Mark was very patient in me making up my mind to apply for the refund. Guided well through the complex docs and waited for a fairly long period till I was satisfied to seek his rightful fees. Overall highly recommended.
Akshat Mathur
Georg is very cooperative and has a lot of patience to deal with tedious documentation. All you need to do is just "print, sign, scan & send" and rest he and his company will take care.
Kaushik Panigrahi
After moving back to the US from Germany, I was surprised at how much my pension refund would be. But I was even more surprised to find PR Pension Refund GmbH, who made it really easy to get through the application and review process so I could get this money back. Thank you!
Jim MacDonald
Fantastic experience with the Pension Refund Team! They took the time to understand my specific situation, clearly explained the steps in the process, and were great communicators while working through my refund. The PR team's work directly engaging the DE Pension Administration and Deutsche Post was invaluable in getting my refund as quickly as possible.
Mike Mulligan