Get Your Money Back from Germany – Fast, Easy, Risk-Free
Get your pension contributions back. We handle all the paperwork and communication with the German authorities.
Average refund: €3,500 - €8,000
Who is Eligible for a Pension Refund?
Your eligibility depends on your citizenship and current residence
German Citizens
LimitedIf you have a German passport, you can always voluntarily contribute to the pension scheme until you reach retirement age, regardless of where you currently live. For this reason, German citizens are generally not entitled to a pension refund. This also applies to dual nationals. There is one exception: You have reached retirement age but have not completed the minimum contribution period of 5 years? Then you can have the German statutory pension refunded.
Also applies to dual nationals
EEA / Swiss / UK Citizens
Little ChanceEEA is the abbreviation for the European Economic Area, which includes all 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, are neither part of the EU nor the EEA. However, both countries are linked to the EU by many treaties, which means that Swiss and British citizens are treated the same as EU citizens in most areas. If you belong to this group, you will not be able to draw or have your pension paid out until you reach the German retirement age (which depends on your year of birth: 65 for those born before 1947, gradually increasing to 67 for those born 1947-1963, and 67 for those born 1964 or later). Suppose you are a citizen of an EEA country (other than Germany), Switzerland or the United Kingdom. In this case, you can also make voluntary contributions to the German pension insurance scheme until you reach retirement age, and you can only draw a pension once you have reached retirement age. If you are not entitled to a "normal" German pension, you can apply for a refund.
Cannot get refund until reaching retirement age (age depends on year of birth)
Treaty State Citizens
Medium-HighThe treaty states are countries that have a social security agreement with Germany. If you are from one of these countries, you have a good chance of receiving a pension refund.
Treaty States:
As a citizen of a Contracting State, you are eligible for the pension refund if:
- You have worked in Germany for less than five years and now live in a Contracting or Non-Contracting State, or
- You worked in Germany for more than five years and now live in a non-contracting state.
Non-Treaty State Citizens
HighIf your country is neither one of the EEA countries nor one of the contracting states, it counts as a non-contracting state. It includes all states that do not have a social security agreement with Germany. At the same time, this means that as a national of a non-contracting state, regardless of your place of residence, you can virtually never make voluntary contributions to the German pension insurance scheme. You are very well qualified for a refund of your pension if:
As a citizen of a Contracting State, you are eligible for the pension refund if:
- You now live in a contracting state. No matter how many years you have worked in Germany, or
- You live now in a non-contracting state. No matter how many years you worked in Germany.
Important Note
It's important to note that these conditions and requirements are general information and can vary depending on the specific factors of your case, such as your previous tax class, your marital status, the countries you have lived in, the number of children, and more. The German retirement age (Regelaltersgrenze) depends on your year of birth: 65 for those born in 1946 or earlier, gradually increasing for those born 1947-1963, and 67 for those born 1964 or later (§ 35 SGB VI).
"I didn't think I'd qualify, but Fundsback made the entire process incredibly easy. Within 8 weeks, I received €4,200 back from my German pension contributions. Absolutely worth it!"
Not Sure If You Qualify?
Let us check for you — it's free, fast, and there's no obligation.
How It Works
We guide you through the entire process until your money is in your account
Free Pension Check
Take our free online assessment to determine your eligibility and estimated refund amount.
Document Collection
We request your insurance history from the German Pension Insurance - completely free of charge.
Application Processing
Our experts prepare and submit all necessary documents to the German authorities.
Receive Your Refund
On average, our refunds only take 8 weeks. We guide you until the money is in your account.
Pension Calculator
You can do this with our Pension Calculator. All you have to do is enter your gross monthly income and the number of months you worked in Germany. The calculator will then multiply these values by the percentage of your gross salary that you have paid into the statutory pension scheme. Try it out! You will receive a precise estimate of the amount of the refund after we have requested your insurance history from the German Pension Insurance free of charge. We will guide you through the entire process until your money is in your account!
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Have Questions?
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