Your German pension abroad: leaving, retiring and refunds
Whether you leave Germany after a few years in a job here or retire to the coast, your German contributions follow clear rules, especially within Europe. This page sets them out for international workers.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Pension or refund after leaving Germany
Possible refund
€22,320
| Your share of contributions (today’s values) | €22,320 |
| Pension from these years | €196.46 |
| Minimum qualifying period | not met (4.0 of 5 years) |
A refund needs 24 months without compulsory cover and no right to voluntary insurance; EU periods often count towards the 5 years.
A German statutory pension is paid abroad too. Within the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 governs it: insurance periods in all member states are added together to check qualifying periods (Wartezeiten), each country pays the pension for its own periods, and no reduction may be made because you live in another member state. Someone with three years in Germany and three in France therefore meets the 5-year minimum for the German standard pension (section 50 SGB VI) and receives a small German pension for three years. Outside that area everything depends on the country and any social security agreement. If you have fewer than 5 years, are no longer compulsorily insured in Germany and have no right to voluntary insurance, you can apply for a refund of contributions (Beitragserstattung) after 24 months (section 210 SGB VI). Only your own share is refunded, half of the contributions paid, and the refunded periods can never produce a pension afterwards. On €60,000 a year, four years would mean a refund of about €22,320. The refund is final, so weigh it against a lifelong pension.
Three typical cases for international workers
Most questions about German pensions abroad fall into one of three situations. The figures below use €60,000 a year, today’s pension value and the 2026 contribution rate.
| Situation | What usually happens | Example figure |
|---|---|---|
| Left after 3 years, moved to another EU state | German periods count towards the 5 years together with the other state’s; small German pension later | €147.34 a month |
| Left after 4 years, now outside the EU | Refund of own share may be possible after 24 months if no voluntary insurance right; otherwise a pension depends on the country | €22,320 refund or €196.46 a month |
| Worked 8 years on €45,000, retiring abroad | Qualifying period met with German years alone; pension paid abroad | €294.69 a month |
Retiring within the EU, the EEA or Switzerland
Moves within Europe are governed by Regulation (EC) No 883/2004. For German pensioners it has three consequences. First, the pension is paid to any member state, the EEA and Switzerland, with no deduction for living there. Second, it rises there with every increase, exactly as in Germany; the current one is on pension increase 2026. Third, the same rules on start dates and ages apply as at home: a standard retirement age of 67 for anyone born from 1964 (section 35 SGB VI), and a start in the month after you reach the age if you apply within three calendar months (section 99 SGB VI). Your own age limit is in the retirement age table; the application is covered on applying for your pension.
Aggregation: when the German years alone are not enough
A German standard old-age pension requires 5 years of insurance (section 50 SGB VI). Without coordination, anyone with fewer would get nothing. Within the EU, however, all insurance periods are added together for this test. Three years in Germany and three in Austria make six, so the minimum is met. Germany then pays a pension for the three German years only, Austria for the Austrian ones. It is a common surprise for expats: the German pension may be small, but it exists, and it lasts for life.
The same aggregation applies to the longer qualifying periods, such as the 35 years needed to retire at 63 with a reduction. Periods abroad can open an earlier German retirement date, yet the German amount is still based only on German points (Entgeltpunkte). How those are calculated is on pension points explained.
The refund of contributions under section 210 SGB VI
If you leave Germany after a short stay, you may wonder whether you can have your contributions back. The law allows it, but only when every condition is met at once (section 210 SGB VI):
- You are no longer compulsorily insured in Germany and have no right to insure voluntarily.
- You have not completed the 5-year qualifying period; periods in other EU states can complete it and so rule out a refund.
- 24 calendar months have passed since your compulsory insurance ended.
The refund covers your employee share, half of the contributions paid; your employer’s half is not refunded. Once paid, the insurance relationship for those periods ends; they can never produce a pension, not even through aggregation with another country.
| Years in Germany | Your contribution share | Monthly pension from these years | 5 years with German periods alone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | €11,160 | €98.23 | not met |
| 3 | €16,740 | €147.34 | not met |
| 4 | €22,320 | €196.46 | not met |
| 6 | €33,480 | €294.69 | met |
| 10 | €55,800 | €491.14 | met |
The table uses 2026 values. The actual refund is the contributions you paid in each year; the pension uses the value from July 2026 (German Pension Insurance key values) and the points use 2026 average earnings (section 70 SGB VI). The mini calculator above runs the comparison with your own figures.
Refund or pension: weighing it up
A refund pays at once, but only half of what was paid in. A pension pays small amounts, for life and rising with each increase. With four years on €60,000, a refund of €22,320 equals about 9.5 years of the later pension of €196.46. Ask yourself three questions before applying: Might you work in Germany or another EU state again? Do you already have periods elsewhere in Europe that would complete the 5 years? How long do people in your family tend to live? A yes to the first two usually argues against a refund, which cannot be undone.
Outside the EU: no general rule
For countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland no general statement is possible. Whether periods are added together and how a pension is paid depends on the country and on any social security agreement with Germany. This page deliberately gives no country rules. Binding information comes from the German pension insurer’s advice centres (Auskunfts- und Beratungsstellen), which also confirm whether a refund is open to you.
Before you leave: secure your record
Your points stay on your German account even if you live abroad for decades. To make sure they all count later, check your insurance record (Versicherungsverlauf) before leaving and have any gaps clarified while employers and documents are easy to reach. How to read the German pension statement is explained on reading your pension statement; the German pension calculator projects what your points will pay.