Pension insurance

Regardless of whether you are a cross-border worker or whether you live in Germany, you are subject to the obligation to be insured in the country in which you work.

Your employer is required to register you for pension insurance coverage. You will receive a social security insurance number, which you must be sure to keep safely. Your number remains the same even if you change employers.

Mobile workers are entitled to an old-age pension once they have reached the age limit for retirement in Germany and meet the general requirement of a five-year qualifying period. Treaties concluded among EU Member States provide for mutual recognition of the qualifying periods of other Member States. This means that a person becomes entitled to receive a pension in Germany even without having worked and paid social security contributions in Germany for a full five years. Periods of employment in other countries must be added to reach a total of at least five years. However, the German Pension Insurance Fund (Deutsche Rentenversicherung) pays the amount of pension earned while working in Germany.

Contribution rates: pension insurance: 18.6%; miners’ pension insurance: 24.7%

Further information is provided at: Deutsche Rentenversicherung