German Pension Refund Eligibility | Brazil
The information below is for Brazilian citizens who previously worked in Germany and contributed to the German pension system.
Germany - Brazil | German Pension Refund | All Rights Reserved
German Pension Refund Eligibility for Brazilian Citizens
As an Brazilian Expat, while you were employed in Germany, each month a percentage of your gross salary was paid to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung - the statutory German Pension Insurance - as a pension insurance contribution for your retirement pension.
But what happens to your contributions now, after you have left Germany? Can you get that money back?
The German Social Code (§210 SGB VI) regulates the reimbursement of pension contributions from the German Pension Insurance in general, while the Social Security Agreement between Germany and Brazil defines how this law applies to you.
Rule of Thumb For Brazilians:
If you have contributed for 60+ months you can only get a pension refund if you live outside of Brazil.
If you have contributed for less than 60 months, you can get a pension refund, if you live in Brazil.
Can Brazilian Citizens Claim a Refund of their German Pension Contributions?
After leaving Germany you are generally eligible for a German pension refund, if...
a) you are not allowed to keep paying German Pension contributions (voluntary insurance) where you currently live, and...
b) at least 24 months have passed since the last pension contribution payment in Germany.
If you are allowed to pay voluntary insurance (a), is defined by the agreement with your home country.
Office building Rentenversicherung, Berlin | The German statutory pension insurance | All Rights Reserved
Are Brazilian Citizens Allowed to Pay Pension Insurance Contributions After Leaving Germany?
The Social Security Agreement* between Germany and Brazil answers that question:
If you still live in the EU or the United Kingdom, you are allowed to pay voluntary pension contributions to Germany but you cannot claim a refund.
Also, If you have already paid contributions for at least 60 months you are allowed to pay voluntary insurance in Germany from anywhere in the world.
In other words:
As a Brazilian citizen, you can only get a pension refund if you have contributed for less than 60 months.
*Read Agreement between Germany and Brazil on Social Security
Social Security Agreement:
Based on the Social Security Agreement between Germany and Brazil you are allowed to grow your German pension ( voluntary insurance) if you still reside in the EU or UK or if you have already contributed for at least 60 months.
If you have not qualified for pension, and you live outside the EU or the United Kingdom, you could be eligible for a pension refund, 24 months after the last contribution was paid.
How Long Does a German Pension Refund for Brazilian Citizens Take?
The German pension authority is supposed to provide a decision on your claim within 6 months from submission.
If after 6 months you have not received a decision (Bescheid) from the authorities in Germany, our specialists will take legal action based on the Social Court Act (§88 SGG) and sue the authority for inaction. The court will then force the pension office to act.
How We Speed Up the Refund Process:
GermanyPensionRefund.com is able to provide you with the fastest average process times of 8 weeks while others have to wait six months or longer.
A German law firm escrow account will be provided, which makes your refund process the most Easy, Quick, and Secure experience. Correspondence happens within hours, and our legal specialists know exactly how to speed up the process for you.
How Much Can I Claim From My German Pension Insurance?
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.
As an Brazilian citizens you can claim your pension insurance contributions based on the rules explained above.
Use our free reimbursement calculator to get an estimate of your possible premium reimbursement.
OCT/31/2024
Communicative, responsive, kept me up to date
I left Germany over 12 years ago and always dreaded the idea of having to go through the claim process. I found Germany Pension Refund through a Google search and jumped into the opportunity scared about what was to come.
Fortunately the experience was very positive, Julia was communicative and responsive through the entire process and kept me up to date with was happening.
I got my money back today and am very happy with the outcome. I highly recommend them.
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SEP/25/2024
Quick...very efficient
Excellent! Quick and very efficient communication, all details informed. Great!
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Rudolf Peters
SEP/14/2024
Everything managed in less than 2 months
Everything managed smoothly, in less than 2 months
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Andre Japiassu
AUG/12/2024
Very good service
Very good service made by Christian and entire team. They domain the process and the organizations involved, and gives you feedback anytime you need. Very kind and trustable team.I was concerned at the beginning, but have received my refund as it should be without any problem. Thanks, Christian!
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AUG/01/2024
Communication was pretty good and fluid...never felt alone
I was in contact with Johannes all the time, the communication was pretty good and fluid, all questions and concerns were answered in a simple and objective way
From the first gathering data until the refund transfers I never felt alone even running the process overseas
Every single step was taken in a very carefull manner, explained, confirmed, so you feel like talking with a trust company that take its job very serious and smooth.
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Jul/25/2024
Guided me through the process smoothly
Great service and professionalism. Had my refund in less than 5 months without any issues. Julia provided prompt replies to all questions and guided me through the process smoothly.
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Bruno Ribeiro
APR/09/2024
Got my refund in less than a month
Got my refund back in less than a month after the first contact with them, great support from the team!
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Patrícia Martins
MAR/14/2024
Answered all my questions in a clear way...highly recommend!
This office provided me an excellent job.
I was able to get my pension refund from a 3 year PhD in Germany.
They answered all my quentions in a clear way.
In special, Johannes was very nice to me.
I highly recomend their work! =)
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MAR/12/2024
Did everything to solve every issue we had on the way...explained thoroughly what the office required
After seeing so many positive reviews, I decided to ask for their assistance to apply for a refund. From the beginning until the end, Johannes was incredibly kind, friendly, helpful, thoughtful and fast to answer my emails or notify me about any progress. My process took a longer time than the usual (if compared with what has been reported on the reviews) because of different reasons that affected tha Pension Office work, but he did everything to solve every issue we had on the way and also explained thoroughly what the office required and what else was missing in every step.
If you are planning to get a tax refund I strongly recommend that you use their services. I am very grateful for everything and wish them all the best. :)
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Wesley Osorio
JAN/21/2024
Always walking through the process as close and as fast as possible
I had a great experience working with Johannes and the German Pension Refund, he was aways very helpful. My whole process was a bit slow but was visible that was caused by the governmental bureaucracy and Johannes was always answering and walking through the process as close and as fast as possible.
I really recommend his work and this company.
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Osvaldice
JAN/05/2024
Worked perfectly
It worked perfectly and they are strongly supportive in the process
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Wagner Fornasari
DEC/19/2023
Professional and transparent
Completely professional and transparent process. Service without excessive bureaucracy and within the promised time.
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Read more about the social security agreement or working in Germany and Brazil from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung here.
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