Contribution Refund (Beitragserstattung)

If you worked in Germany for less than 5 years and are permanently leaving outside the EU/EEA, you can request a refund of your share of pension contributions through Beitragserstattung (contribution refund). This is a one-time payment that completely nullifies all pension rights in the German system.

Eligibility — All 4 Conditions Must Be Met

For Beitragserstattung, all four conditions must be met simultaneously [1]:

Condition	Requirement
Citizenship	You are not a citizen of EU/EEA or Switzerland
Residence	You live outside EU/EEA/Switzerland
Waiting period	24 months have passed since last mandatory contribution to DRV
No voluntary contribution rights	You have no legal right to continue paying voluntary contributions from abroad

Impact of International Social Security Agreements

Germany has concluded social security agreements (Sozialversicherungsabkommen) with a number of countries [2]. Citizens of these countries may have the right to pay voluntary contributions from abroad, which blocks the refund option.

Critically important: Having the right to voluntary contributions makes you ineligible for Beitragserstattung, even if you don't plan to use that right.

Citizenship	Refund Available?	Basis
USA	Depends on tenure	Treaty 1979/2008: right to voluntary contributions arises upon pension eligibility [3]
Canada	Depends on tenure	Treaty 1984: similar rule
Turkey	Usually no	Treaty 1964: broad voluntary insurance rights [4]
China, India, Russia	Usually yes	No treaty or limited voluntary contribution rights
Ukraine	Usually yes	Treaty 1993 does not provide voluntary contribution rights after leaving [5]

Refund Amount Calculation

You receive only your share of contributions — without employer share, without inflation indexation, without interest [6].

Component	Refunded?	Explanation
Your share of contributions (9.3% in 2024)	Yes	Sum of all your contributions in nominal euros [7]
Employer share (9.3% in 2024)	No	Remains in DRV system
Inflation indexation	No	Nominal sum returned, not real value
Interest	No	Contributions do not accrue interest

Example Calculation

Scenario: 4 years of work with annual income €90,600 (maximum Beitragsbemessungsgrenze ceiling in West Germany in 2024) [8].

Calculation:

• Annual employee contribution: €90,600 × 9.3% = €8,427
• Over 4 years: €8,427 × 4 = €33,708

Refund amount: approximately €33,700.

If your income was below the ceiling, the amount is proportionally less. For example, with average income €50,000 per year over 4 years, refund would be around €18,600.

Refund vs. Pension — Decision Criteria

The decision depends on tenure and future plans. Key threshold — 5 years (60 months) of mandatory insurance [9].

Situation	Factors to Analyze
Less than 60 months tenure, permanent move to non-treaty country	Without 60 months you won't receive pension — refund gives something. Alternative — zero.
55-59 months tenure	If you can complete 60 months with voluntary contributions or work, this locks in pension rights (including employer share). Difference between refund and future pension can be significant.
60+ months tenure	Pension right already locked in. Pension includes employer share (another 9.3% × all years) and wage growth indexation. Refund loses these components.
Uncertainty of plans	If not certain you'll stay outside EU forever, refund is a one-way door. Cannot return to German pension after refund.

Psychological Context

Refund seems rational — "take what's mine now". But the figure of €20-30 thousand looks large only in the moment. If you're now 35 years old, rejecting future pension means losing income at age 67+.

The question is not "refund or nothing", but "cash now or longevity insurance". If there's any probability of returning to EU or working in treaty countries, keeping pension may be more beneficial.

Application Process

The refund process requires documentary confirmation of meeting all conditions [10].

Steps

1. Wait for 24 months to elapse since last mandatory contribution to DRV.
2. Submit form V0901 ("Antrag auf Erstattung von Beiträgen zur gesetzlichen Rentenversicherung") to Deutsche Rentenversicherung [11].
3. Attach documents:
   • Proof of residence outside EU/EEA (registration certificate, residence permit).
   • Copy of passport (proof of non-EU/EEA citizenship).
   • Versicherungsverlauf (insurance history) — can be requested from DRV in advance.
4. Wait for processing: 3-6 months depending on DRV workload and document completeness [12].

Contact

• Postal address: Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund, 10704 Berlin, Germany
• Phone from abroad: +49 30 865-0
• Online form: available at deutsche-rentenversicherung.de

Irreversibility of Decision

Accepting refund nullifies all pension rights in the German system: earned points (Rentenpunkte), periods of tenure, child-rearing periods (Kindererziehungszeiten) [13]. DRV account is completely closed. Cannot restore these rights after receiving refund.

Sources

1. Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Beitragserstattung — Voraussetzungen — https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/DRV/DE/Rente/Ausland/ausland_node.html (as of January 2025)
2. Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Sozialversicherungsabkommen — https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/DRV/DE/Rente/Ausland/Sozialversicherungsabkommen/sozialversicherungsabkommen_node.html (as of January 2025)
3. Social Security Administration (USA) — Agreement with Germany — https://www.ssa.gov/international/Agreement_Pamphlets/germany.html (as of January 2025)
4. Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Sozialversicherungsabkommen mit der Türkei — https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/DRV/DE/Rente/Ausland/Sozialversicherungsabkommen/Tuerkei/tuerkei_node.html (as of January 2025)
5. Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Sozialversicherungsabkommen mit der Ukraine — https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/DRV/DE/Rente/Ausland/Sozialversicherungsabkommen/Ukraine/ukraine_node.html (as of January 2025)
6. Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Beitragserstattung: Was wird erstattet? — Broschüre "Versicherte und Rentner: Informationen zum Steuerrecht", 2024
7. Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales — Sozialversicherungsbeiträge 2024 — https://www.bmas.de/DE/Soziales/Sozialversicherung/sozialversicherung.html (as of January 2025)
8. Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Beitragsbemessungsgrenze 2024 — https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/DRV/DE/Rente/Allgemeine-Informationen/Wissenswertes-zur-Rente/FAQ/Beitragsbemessungsgrenze/beitragsbemessungsgrenze_node.html (as of January 2025)
9. Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Wartezeit von 5 Jahren — https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/DRV/DE/Rente/Allgemeine-Informationen/Rentenarten-und-Leistungen/Wartezeiten/wartezeiten_node.html (as of January 2025)
10. Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Antrag auf Beitragserstattung — Informationen und Formulare — https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/DRV/DE/Online-Dienste/Formulare-und-Antraege/formulare-und-antraege_node.html (as of January 2025)
11. Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Formular V0901 — https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/SharedDocs/Formulare/DE/_pdf/V0901.html (as of January 2025)
12. Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Bearbeitungszeiten — Erfahrungswerte aus Informationsbroschüren 2023-2024
13. § 210 SGB VI (Sozialgesetzbuch, Sechstes Buch) — Wirkung der Beitragserstattung — https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_6/__210.html (as of January 2025)