Germany
Worked in Germany? Any pension you built up here is yours to keep and can usually be paid to you abroad — but you have to claim it; it won't start automatically. The full state pension age is 67, with early access from 63. On totalization, Germany has bilateral totalization agreements, so the years you worked here may combine with other countries you've worked in. Below is Germany's system at a glance and what expats should check.
Overview and “Get your statement” are open to everyone. Create a free account to unlock schemes, eligibility, tax and claiming for all 47 countries.
Free guide: How to get your Germany pension statement — the official route, step by step.
Curious what a report looks like? See a sample for Germany — invented person, real institutions.
Free tool: German Pension Refund Calculator — Left Germany? See what a contribution refund would pay you, and what you'd give up forever.
Overview
Germany operates a mandatory pay-as-you-go (PAYG) statutory pension system — the Gesetzliche Rentenversicherung (GRV) — established by Bismarck in 1889 and the world's first formal pension system. The GRV is a points-based earnings-related scheme financed by payroll contributions (18.6% of gross salary in 2025–2026, split equally between employer and employee at 9.3% each), supplemented by substantial federal tax subsidies. All dependent employees and most self-employed are compulsorily insured; civil servants have a separate scheme (Beamtenversorgung).
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Pension entitlement is calculated by multiplying accumulated Rentenpunkte (pension points) by the current Rentenwert (point value): €40.79/month per point from July 2025, rising to €42.52/month from July 2026 (+4.24%). The contribution ceiling is €96,600/year (2025) and €101,400/year (2026). The Rentenpaket 2025, passed by the Bundestag on 5 December 2025 and approved by the Bundesrat on 19 December 2025 (in force from 1 January 2026), stabilises the pension level at a minimum of 48% of average wages until 2031, introduces Mütterrente III (equalising child-raising credits to 3 years per child regardless of birth year, effective 1 January 2027 with payments from 2028), and establishes the Aktivrente from January 2026, allowing workers past statutory retirement age to earn up to €2,000/month tax-free in non-self-employed work.
The Second Occupational Pensions Strengthening Act (BRSG II), also passed on 5 December 2025, expands and simplifies the bAV framework, particularly for SMEs. The Altersvorsorgereformgesetz (Private Pension Reform Act), passed by the Bundestag on 27 March 2026 and approved by the Bundesrat on 8 May 2026, replaces the Riester-Rente with the new Altersvorsorgedepot (AVD) from 1 January 2027 — a capital-market-linked savings depot without mandatory capital guarantees, with revised state subsidies. The Generationenkapital (state-funded capital reserve, often called 'Aktienrente') launched in 2026 with an initial €12 billion injection, growing 3% annually, targeting ~€200 billion by the mid-2030s to help stabilise GRV contribution rates.
53.3% (net, mandatory schemes, OECD Pensions at a Glance 2025 — full career from age 22 at average earnings; gross replacement rate from mandatory GRV is approximately 40–43% for average earners; including voluntary private pensions the net rate rises to 68.0%)
Three-pillar system: Pillar 1 (mandatory statutory GRV), Pillar 2 (voluntary/mandatory occupational bAV, strengthened by BRSG II from 2026), Pillar 3 (state-subsidised private pensions: Altersvorsorgedepot from 2027 replacing Riester; Rürup/Basis-Rente for self-employed)
Bismarckian earnings-related PAYG (Gesetzliche Rentenversicherung), supplemented by voluntary occupational (bAV) and private (Altersvorsorgedepot/Riester transitional, Rürup) pillars
Employee
9.3%
Employer
9.3%
Self-Employed
18.6% (full rate if compulsorily insured; voluntary contributors choose amount between €103.42–€1,497.30/month in 2026). Mandatory pension for newly self-employed introduced from April 2025 under coalition agreement.
Notes
Total GRV rate: 18.6% of gross salary (2025–2026). Contribution ceiling: €96,600/year (€8,050/month) in 2025; rising to €101,400/year (€8,450/month) in 2026. East/West distinction in contribution ceiling eliminated from January 2025 — single unified national ceiling applies. Income above ceiling is exempt. Federal subsidies cover approximately 28–29% of total GRV benefits. Contribution rate projected to rise to ~19.8% from 2028 per DRV estimates. Rate capped at 20% by coalition agreement.
Common questions
What is the retirement age in Germany?
The full state pension age in Germany is 67. Early retirement may be possible from 63.
Can I claim a Germany pension if I live abroad?
Yes. A pension you've earned in Germany stays yours wherever you retire, and can usually be paid into an overseas account once you reach pension age. It won't start automatically, though — you need to claim it, typically a few months in advance, through Germany's pension authority.
Do totalization agreements affect my Germany pension?
Germany has bilateral social-security (totalization) agreements. These can let you combine the years you worked in Germany with years in partner countries to meet a minimum qualifying period, so short stints aren't wasted. Which partners and rules apply depends on your own work history.
How is the pension system structured in Germany?
Bismarckian earnings-related PAYG (Gesetzliche Rentenversicherung), supplemented by voluntary occupational (bAV) and private (Altersvorsorgedepot/Riester transitional, Rürup) pillars Three-pillar system: Pillar 1 (mandatory statutory GRV), Pillar 2 (voluntary/mandatory occupational bAV, strengthened by BRSG II from 2026), Pillar 3 (state-subsidised private pensions: Altersvorsorgedepot from 2027 replacing Riester; Rürup/Basis-Rente for self-employed) It includes 6 schemes in our directory.
How do I get a copy of my Germany pension record?
Ask Deutsche Rentenversicherung eService for your Versicherungsverlauf / Renteninformation (the Insurance record / pension information statement). It's free and you can request it yourself — our step-by-step guide on this page walks through the portal, what to have ready, and what to do if the login fails.