🇩🇪 Get Reimbursed
Only 9.75% service fee — no minimum, maximum €2,500.
Fast & secure payout via a German law firm’s escrow account.
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Your information is used only to assess your eligibility and process your refund. It is never sold and is only shared with trusted processors when necessary.
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German Pension Refund
Get your German pension refunded – fast, secure, and with no upfront fees.
We're based in Berlin and have been helping non-EU citizens worldwide reclaim their German pension contributions from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (Germany's official state pension authority) since 2015.
We operate on a no-win, no-fee basis — no upfront costs, legal handling through our partner law firm, and secure payouts via the firm's escrow account. You'll receive full English support throughout the entire process.
In 2026 so far, our clients have received €11,498 on average (all completed cases, January–July 2026; updated quarterly) — real results range from under €200 to over €47,000, and most refunds arrive within 8 weeks of submission.
Who is eligible for a refund?
Worked in Germany, left for good, and not a citizen of the EU area? Then you may be entitled to reclaim your pension contributions — your full employee share. Three conditions decide it:
#1: You are not a citizen of Germany, the EU/EEA, Switzerland or the UK
#2: You currently live outside the EU and the UK
#3: At least 24 months have passed since your last mandatory pension contribution in Germany, the EU, the UK, Türkiye or an ex-Yugoslav country
Citizens of some agreement countries — like the USA, India, Canada or Australia — must also have fewer than 60 contribution months. Our eligibility checker covers every rule in under a minute.
If that's you — congratulations: your money is claimable. The details live in our FAQ and the complete 2026 guide.
We handle the bureaucracy — you get your refund.
You won’t need to deal with confusing paperwork or German bureaucracy.
We manage the entire process, including:
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✅ Certificate of life
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✅ Payment declaration
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✅ Payment authorization
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✅ Deregistration and residency documents
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✅ Any additional paperwork required
No German bank account? No problem. We’ll ensure your refund is delivered to your local bank account, in your preferred currency.
Also had a company pension in Germany?
You may be able to recover more than just your Deutsche Rentenversicherung contributions.
If you also paid into a company pension such as VBL, ZVK, VddB, VddKO, BVV, or a private-sector provider like Allianz, AXA, Swiss Life, ERGO, R+V, Nürnberger, or HDI, that pension may also qualify for a refund or a bAV lump-sum payout once your German state pension refund is complete.
This is especially important after a successful German state pension refund. In many private-sector cases, a completed DRV refund can also make a vested company pension payable as a one-off lump sum.
These are separate claims, but they often matter together.
Legal support included. No upfront payment. 100% online.
Your application is handled by a trusted German law firm.
Legal fees are already included in our 9.75% success-based fee capped at €2,500 for large refunds — and you only pay if your refund is approved.
All payouts are processed through a secure escrow account to ensure transparency and safety.
Get started today — your refund could be worth thousands.
Germany Pension Refund is a private service operated by ATLAES GmbH. We are not part of or affiliated with Deutsche Rentenversicherung or any German government authority. You may also apply directly to Deutsche Rentenversicherung without using our service.
How Our German Pension Refund Service Works
Watch this short video to see how we help eligible non-EU citizens reclaim their German pension contributions. We check your eligibility, prepare the required documents and coordinate your claim with our partner law firm, which handles the submission and secure receipt of your refund.
Since 2015, we have supported former employees around the world through the process in English. There are no upfront fees—you only pay if your refund is successful.
Check Your Eligibility
Do I Qualify for a German Pension Refund?
You may qualify for a German pension refund if:
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You are a non-EU citizen.
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You no longer live in the EU or the UK.
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At least 24 months have passed since your last period of mandatory pension insurance ended—whether in Germany, another EU country, Türkiye, or a successor state of former Yugoslavia.
The successor states are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. For this rule, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are not considered EU countries.
Additional rules apply to certain nationalities and countries of residence. The following restrictions generally apply to claims made before reaching German retirement age.
Countries with a 60-Month Limit
Citizens of the USA, India, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Albania, Moldova, North Macedonia, The Philippines, South Korea, and Uruguay can generally only claim a refund if they have fewer than 60 months of German pension contributions.
Even a partial contribution month counts as one full month when determining whether this limit has been reached.
Japanese Citizens
Japanese citizens currently living in Japan can generally only claim a refund if they have fewer than 60 months of German pension contributions.
If they live in another eligible country outside the EU and the UK, this 60-month restriction generally does not apply.
Citizens of Former Yugoslav States
Citizens of certain former Yugoslav states can generally only claim a refund before retirement age if they live outside the EU, the UK and the former Yugoslav region.
Israeli Citizens
Israeli citizens can generally only claim a refund before retirement age if they currently live outside Israel and meet the other eligibility requirements.
Other Nationalities
If your nationality is not listed above, the special 60-month restriction and other citizenship-related limitations described here normally do not apply. However, you must still meet the general eligibility requirements.
Not sure whether you qualify? Use our free eligibility check for an initial assessment. If you proceed with us, we prepare the required documents and coordinate your claim with our partner law firm. There are no upfront fees—you only pay if your refund is successful.
Full details: who can claim a German pension refund — the complete 2026 guide
How Much Can I Reclaim From My German Pension?
While you were employed in Germany, 9.3% * was deducted from your gross salary up to the income threshold and transferred to the German Pension Insurance.
If you are a non-European citizen, you can claim your pension insurance contributions back after moving out of Germany, provided you are entitled to do so.
Use our free reimbursement calculator to get an estimate of your possible premium reimbursement.
The average pension refund in 2026 (Jan-Jul) is 11,498 Euros and you do not need to hold a German bank account to receive your funds.
About Germany Pension Refund
Germany Pension Refund is a service of Berlin-based ATLAES GmbH. Since 2015, we have supported non-EU citizens through the administrative process of claiming eligible contributions from the German Pension Insurance.
We collect and organise the required information, prepare documents using the information provided by the customer and coordinate the process. Our German partner law firm reviews and submits each claim, communicates with the Deutsche Rentenversicherung and provides any legal advice or representation required.
We are experts on this topic. Your case managers — Julia, Christian and Johannes — specialize in every social security agreement Germany has signed. Our experience goes back to the year 2015.
We team up with specialized law firms to speed up the process and gain full legal leverage.
Read more.
We provide free evaluation of your case - do not hesitate to contact us regarding your refund, eligibility, residence, waiting period, or any other questions that might arise reading through the information about German Pension Refunds.
Read below how our most recent customers experienced working with us.
Or visit our Testimonials.
⭐ 4.9/5 from 1,300+ verified client reviews across Google, ProvenExpert and other independent platforms.
You can also view our profiles directly on Google, ProvenExpert.
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AUG/20/2026
A pleasure having assistance
Thank you for your support. It was pleasure having assistance from you to get my pension fund .
Read on
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AUG/18/2026
Fast, efficient, extremely happy
Read on
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AUG/10/2026
Very smooth, faster than I expected
Excellent service and a very smooth experience with my Germany pension refund. The entire process was hassle-free and well coordinated. Christian was extremely helpful, communicated clearly, and provided timely updates throughout. The process was also completed much faster than I expected.
Really happy with the service and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for assistance with their pension refund.
Read on
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AUG/06/2026
I always felt looked after
From start to finish, the process was straightforward thanks to their support and efforts. Julia is skilled, knowledgeable, and responsive, and I always felt well looked after. Highly recommended.
Read on
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AUG/17/2026
Amazing, exceptional
Julia was amazing!
Dealt with all questions professionally.
When there was a mistake on the documentation, they refiled it at no extra charge. Refund was successfully processed.
These guys are exceptional and I highly recommend them.
Read on
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AUG/07/2026
100% recommend
Johannes and his team have been very polite and professional since our first chat. He has set the correct expectations and after a couple of months my wife and me got the refund with the right amount. 100% recommended.
Read on
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AUG/20/2026
Proactive
very professional and proactively following up to the related counter party.
Read on
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AUG/15/2026
Refund in 1 month, highly recommend
Highly recommended.
I am outside Germany now, contacted them with hesitant, but honestly since the first reply arrived i felt the high level of professionality.
I got my total refund in almost 1 month. the support and information i got from the them in the end-to-end process is top notch. their pricing was very clear upfront, nothing hidden. I highly recommend them without any reservations.
Read on
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AUG/06/2026
Well organized, excellent
Excellent service provided by the team! I was associated with Julia, who guided me through every step of the process with great professionalism. The entire process was well organized, the documentation requirements were simple, and everything was handled efficiently.
It was completely hassle-free process, and I received my pension refund much faster than I had expected. I never imagined that claiming my German pension refund could be such a smooth and stress-free experience. The "GermanPensionRefund" team made the entire process easy and transparent from start to finish.
Thank you once again to Julia and the entire team for your outstanding support and for ensuring a quick refund with zero stress. I highly recommend your services to anyone seeking assistance with their German pension refund.
Read on
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who can get a refund?
You must meet all three conditions: (1) you do not hold German, EU/EEA, Swiss or UK citizenship; (2) you live outside the EU and the UK — living in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland is fine; (3) at least 24 full calendar months have passed since your last mandatory pension insurance in Germany, the EU, the UK, Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia or Serbia — new mandatory insurance in any of these countries restarts the 24 months. Our waiting-period calculator finds the exact date your waiting period ends, and our country pages cover citizenship-specific details.
How much is the service fee?
Our service is 100% success-based with no upfront payment.
The fee is 9.75% of your refund, and it is capped at a maximum of €2,500 — even for very large refunds.
All legal fees and processing costs are already included.
You only pay after your refund has been successfully received.
Can I apply for my pension refund myself, for free?
Yes. Applying to Deutsche Rentenversicherung is free, and you can do it yourself at any time — we say so openly. What clients pay us for is everything around the application: preparing the legal forms and certified documents, receiving and answering Deutsche Rentenversicherung's letters — which come by post, in German — following up from abroad, and a secure payout through our partner law firm's escrow account, with a fee that is only due after your refund has arrived. If you'd rather apply yourself, our guide walks through the full process.
Will my refund arrive faster with your service?
Deutsche Rentenversicherung's processing time is its own — nobody can shortcut the authority, and we won't pretend otherwise. What eleven years of cases do change: your application arrives complete, at the DRV office actually responsible for your country, with the documentation officers expect to see — so it doesn't trigger rounds of follow-up letters, and each avoided round, sent by post across borders, saves weeks. Most of our clients' refunds arrive within 8 weeks of submission.
Is the refund taxable?
In Germany, no. Please check if your country of residence has a double-taxation agreement with Germany.
What documents do I need?
Your passport, deregistration certificate, and pension number (Sozialversicherungsnummer).
How is the refund paid?
Into a secure law firm escrow account, and then transferred to your preferred global account.
What is the average German refund amount?
In 2026 so far, the average refund our clients received is €11,438 (ranging under €200 to over €38,000) — and you do not need to hold a German bank account to receive your funds. — but the exact amount depends entirely on how much was deducted from your salary during your time working in Germany.
The refund is calculated by the German pension office (Deutsche Rentenversicherung) and is based on:
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Your gross income for each year worked in Germany
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The official pension contribution rate for each year
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The annual contribution cap (“Beitragsbemessungsgrenze”) applied during your contribution periods
👉 Example: If you worked in 2025 and earned above the monthly cap of €8,050, your annual pension contribution would be €8,983.80. That year alone would be fully refundable if you're eligible.
⚖️ Important: By law, only a full refund of all eligible contribution periods is possible. Partial refunds are not allowed, and no agency — including us — can increase or manipulate the refund amount.
This isn’t like a tax refund: there are no deductions, tricks, or adjustments. If you're eligible, the entire amount contributed by you is refunded — directly based on your official records.
You’ll receive a full official refund statement from the German pension authority before any money is transferred or any fees apply.
Want to learn more?
