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German Pension Refund Eligibility for USA Citizens

If you are a U.S. citizen who has worked in Germany and paid into the German pension system, you may be eligible to receive a refund on your contributions.

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Germany - USA | German Pension Refund | All Rights Reserved

How Do I know If I Qualify for a German Pension Refund as a USA Citizen?

How to get a German Pension Refund online  | Germany Pension Refund | All Rights Reserved

The Social Security Agreement between Germany and the USA states that as a U.S. citizen, you can get a pension refund on your German pension contributions if you have worked in Germany for less than 5 years and live outside of the European Union.

 

This also applies to any period you might have paid voluntary contributions as a freelancer, and periods that you received unemployment benefits or maternity/paternity payments.

 

Additionally, a minimum of 24 months must have elapsed since your last pension contribution in Germany.

Check Your Eligibility – It’s 100% Free

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If you’re uncertain about your eligibility for a pension refund as a U.S. citizen, you can use our complimentary eligibility check. Unlike other companies that charge for this service, we provide it at no cost.

 

Regardless of the outcome, we’ll clearly explain your specific circumstances.


Discover if you’re eligible for a refund of your German pension insurance contributions - completely free of charge.


This service is offered exclusively to non-EU passport holders.

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Office building Rentenversicherung, Berlin  | The German statutory pension insurance | All Rights Reserved

How can I determine if I’ve completed 60 months of contributions?

The German pension office counts even a single day worked in a month as that month’s contributions.

For example, if you only worked one day in the month of March, that single day would be calculated as your entire contribution for the month.

 

Whether you worked as an employee, paid voluntary contributions as a freelancer, were on unemployment benefits or a maternity leave – all those contributions count towards the 5-year maximum.

When can I return to work in Europe after applying for a refund?

As a U.S. citizen, you are allowed to resume working in Europe the day after you submitted your refund application, given you were eligible to claim at the time of submission.

Even if your refund is still being processed at the time you start working in Europe again, it will not impact the decision of your claim.

What will my total German pension refund amount be?

The average pension refund is approximately €11,800. However, the exact amount you’ll receive depends on your specific circumstances. Refundable contributions include:

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  • 100% of the pension contributions deducted from your gross salary during your time working in Germany.

  • 50% of any paid voluntary insurance contributions, such as those made through freelance work.

  • Adjustments for paid contributions added or reduced as a result of pension equalization during divorce proceedings.

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Since 2018, pension contributions have been calculated at 9.3% of your gross earnings, up to a monthly income cap (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze). Today, the pension contribution cap in Germany is €8,050. Any income above this threshold is not subject to pension contributions.

What are the costs involved in claiming my refund?

At Germany Pension refund, we try to be as transparent as possible when it comes to costs.

That’s why we only charge a service fee of 9.75% of your refunded amount when it has been received in full by your bank account.

This includes VAT and any legal fees. There are also no hidden costs or any upfront payments.

Do I need a German bank account to receive my refund?

No, you don’t. Refunds are processed through an escrow account managed by a German law firm to ensure security.

This method helps expedite the transfer of your funds and reduces both transaction and currency conversion costs.

The money will be sent directly to your preferred bank account in the currency of your choice.

You don’t need to have a German bank account, and the account can be registered in someone else’s name.

Do I need a German bank account to receive my refund?

We realise that our customers want their refunds as quickly as possible. So, we’ve refined our process to ensure you receive your refund in only about 8 weeks.

This is significantly faster than the 6+ months it takes the German pension office to process self-submitted claims.

We also have close relationships with our partner law firms, who are in direct contact with the German pension office, which streamlines the process further.

How Do I know If I Qualify for a German Pension Refund as a USA Citizen?

With our streamlined process and professional advice, it takes less than 5 minutes to get started. With an average refund amount of €11,800, there’s nothing to lose.

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MAR/17/2025

I cannot recommend highly enough

Getting your pension refund is basically the final boss of German bureaucracy (which, for the record, I appreciate in many other facets). I worked in Germany for three years and took German classes, but even after that the prospect of dealing with a multi-step exchange of forms and documents via mail, and requiring an address in Germany no less, was beyond what I was willing or able to deal with.

Thankfully, I didn't have to. I found Germany Pension Refund on an old reliable resource, allaboutberlin.com; that start was all I needed. I reached out via the Germany Pension Refund website and received a response shortly after.

The GPR team graciously answered all of my questions about security, privacy, translation, and the legal steps required to get my refund even before we signed a contract. I worked with Christian specifically, who I cannot recommend highly enough.

I have a few friends who are also interested in recovering their German pension contributions, and will be referring them to Germany Pension Refund without question.

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Audrey Zigmond
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JAN/15/2025

Worth every penny

Not to be dramatic, but this agency saved my life. I lived in Germany for just under 3 years, so I was eligible for my pension return. They were able to get me my refund in less than 2 months (the average time is closer to 6 months). Despite my years in Germany, I didn't stand a chance to navigate the bureaucracy, and it was worth every penny. On top of that, they were incredibly compassionate, professional, and friendly. Danke VERY much!!

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JAN/15/2025

Really helpful

Christian who assisted me with my pension refund was really helpful and patiently guided me in getting all the papers needed for me to get it refunded

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Bala Madhan
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JAN/01/2025

Refund obtained in the quickest time possible

The service provided by Johannes was extremely professional with updates provided on the process status on a regular basis. The paperwork required for the pension refund process was exact and the processing of the same was done professionally and the refund was obtained in the quickest time administratively possible. I strongly endorse this organization especially Johannes for getting me the refund.

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Heather Day
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DEC/20/2024

It took 5 weeks from start to finish

If I could give 100 stars I would. Johannes was the absolute best. Kind, attentive, professional and made the whole process super easy. It only took 5 weeks from start to finish. Thank you for everything!!!

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Louis Vitti
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DEC/19/2024

Highly recommend

The process is straightforward, fast and they are extremely responsive! Would highly recommend.

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Darren Sholes
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OCT/29/2024

Responsive, clear, well worth the fee

Excellent service, really happy I used Germany Pension Refund. They were very responsive and clear. Super helpful navigating the German bureaucracy, especially since I'm now living in the USA. Everything was done electronically, and they translated important documents and instructions into English. The bank transfer went smoothly. Well worth the fee they charge!

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Mollyvmc
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OCT/22/2024

Incredibly efficient and effective

The team was incredibly efficient and effective in retrieving my pension refund. It was a pleasure to work with them!

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Mike S.
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OCT/08/2024

Amazing...highly recommend

Amazing experience and very quick! Highly recommend. Johannes in particular was very helpful and a pleasure to work with!

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Nicholas Gawreluk
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SEP/27/2024

Best decision ever!

Working with these guys was the best decision ever! It relieved so much stress and they were amazing at making the process easy. Clear communication and trustworthy. Thank you!

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Chris Gregg
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SEP/26/2024

Straight-forward, professional, and easy

After moving back from Germany to the US, German Pension Refund made the process of getting my refund very straight-forward, professional, and easy. I highly recommend their services.

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- Chris

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Janice Murphy
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SEP/23/2024

Highly recommend

Julia Kim helped me patiently through this process step by step. The time from the submission of the paperwork to getting the refund was least then what I expected. I would Highly recommend anyone to use Germany Pension Refund. Thank you for all your help.

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Ryan Westley
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AUG/12/2024

Highly recommend

Julia and team were instrumental in helping recover my Rentenversicherung payments. Highly recommend!

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