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Getting German pension contributions refunded (V0900, resident in Germany)

If you cannot reach the five-year general qualifying period (allgemeine Wartezeit, section 50(1) SGB VI) and so cannot get a German pension, you can apply to have your pension contributions refunded (Beitragserstattung) — in three situations covered by form V0900 for applicants living in Germany: persons exempt from or released from compulsory insurance (section 210(1a) SGB VI), insured persons who have reached the standard retirement age (subsection 1 no. 2), and survivors with no entitlement to a survivor's pension (subsection 1 no. 3). A refund is only made once 24 calendar months have passed since compulsory insurance ended and no new compulsory insurance has begun (subsection 2), and only for the share the insured person bore (subsection 3). It is final: the insurance relationship is dissolved and no claims remain from the periods covered (subsection 6).

Up to date for 2026 — verified on September 23, 2026Official formGuide: about 40 min

Deadlines

At the earliest 24 calendar months after compulsory insurance ended
Section 210(2) SGB VI — and only if no new compulsory insurance has begun in that time
Refund on grounds of age: once the standard retirement age is reached
Section 210(1) no. 2 SGB VI — provided the five-year general qualifying period (section 50(1)) is not met
Civil servants on probation or for a fixed term: only once that status ends
Section 210(1a) sentence 3 no. 2 SGB VI — no refund while the exemption rests on that status

Documents to prepare

  • Pension insurance number (Rentenversicherungsnummer)
  • Personal details; for survivors also those of the deceased insured person, and the death certificate
  • All available insurance records: employment periods, periods abroad, voluntary contributions
  • Evidence of exemption: civil-servant status, exemption notice, pension notice
  • Earlier pension insurance benefits and earlier refunds, each with its file number
  • Details of any divorce and pension equalisation (family court, file number)
  • IBAN of a German bank account and the bank's name
  • If someone else applies for you: power of attorney or court order
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1 Type of application

Digits and uppercase letters, up to 14 characters

2 Details of the insured person

DD.MM.YYYY

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

5 digits

3 Details of the surviving dependant (only for applications under 1.3)

DD.MM.YYYY

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

5 digits

4 Application made by another person

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

6 to 20 characters: digits, spaces, + and .

5 digits

5 Insurance history
6 Who bore the contributions
7 Transfer of pension entitlements
8 Exemption from compulsory insurance (only for applications under 1.1)

DD.MM.YYYY

DD.MM.YYYY

DD.MM.YYYY

DD.MM.YYYY

DD.MM.YYYY

DD.MM.YYYY

9 Previous benefit procedures in the statutory pension insurance
10 Additional details for a refund to survivors (only for applications under 1.3)
11 to 13 Accessible documents, payment, place and date

15 to 34 characters: uppercase letters and digits

14 Enclosures

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Official form pre-filled with your data: read every box and check the amounts before filing or paying.

Who this applies to

  • Insured persons who are exempt from, or released from, compulsory insurance and have not met the general qualifying period (section 210(1a) sentence 1 SGB VI) — according to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, for example civil servants, doctors or lawyers
  • Insured persons who have reached the standard retirement age without meeting the general qualifying period (section 210(1) no. 2 SGB VI)
  • Widows, widowers, surviving civil partners and orphans when there is no entitlement to a survivor's pension because the general qualifying period was not met; half-orphans only where there is no surviving spouse or civil partner; several orphans share equally (section 210(1) no. 3 SGB VI)
  • NOT those exempt or released because their employment or self-employment is marginal (geringfügig) (section 210(1a) sentence 2 SGB VI)
  • NOT while someone is exempt, or only temporarily released, as a civil servant or judge for a fixed term or on probation, a fixed-term soldier or a trainee civil servant on revocable appointment (section 210(1a) sentence 3 no. 2 SGB VI)
  • NOT those who paid voluntary contributions under section 7 during the exemption (section 210(1a) sentence 3 no. 1 SGB VI)
  • NOT this form for people living abroad: V0900, as its title says, applies to residence in Germany. The case in section 210(1) no. 1 — not compulsorily insured and with no right to voluntary insurance — according to Deutsche Rentenversicherung mostly applies only to foreign nationals — its FAQ describes foreigners returning to their home country; Germans, by contrast, can insure voluntarily wherever they live (section 7(1) SGB VI) and so get no refund after moving abroad

Worked example

Jonas Weber, a teacher and civil servant for life, has three years of contributions refunded

Jonas Weber was employed and compulsorily insured from January 2016 to December 2018: 36 months of compulsory contributions, less than the five-year general qualifying period (section 50(1) SGB VI). Since January 2019 he has been a civil servant, first on probation, for life since March 2022, and therefore exempt. While on probation a refund was excluded (section 210(1a) sentence 3 no. 2 SGB VI). Far more than 24 calendar months have passed since he left compulsory insurance at the end of 2018, and he has not become compulsorily insured again (subsection 2). He never paid voluntary contributions, which would have ruled out the refund (subsection 1a sentence 3 no. 1). He files form V0900. He gets back the share of contributions he bore himself (subsection 3 sentence 1) — say 9,000 euros; his employer's share is not refunded. He cannot limit the application to part of the periods, and the refund extinguishes every claim from those 36 months (subsection 6). The alternative Deutsche Rentenversicherung mentions: paying voluntary contributions until the five years are met. All amounts are illustrative.

How to fill it in, step by step

  1. Identify your case: exempt or released (section 210(1a)), standard retirement age reached (subsection 1 no. 2) or survivor (subsection 1 no. 3) — and check that the five-year general qualifying period really is not met (section 50(1) SGB VI).
  2. Count the 24 calendar months since compulsory insurance ended and make sure no new compulsory insurance has begun (section 210(2)).
  3. Weigh the alternative: according to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, exempt persons can instead pay voluntary contributions until the five years are met. A refund cannot be undone (section 210(6)).
  4. Gather your insurance records: employment, periods abroad, voluntary contributions, earlier benefits or refunds, evidence of exemption.
  5. Complete form V0900 — online via eAntrag, as the pension insurance recommends, or as a PDF — and give the account for the transfer.
  6. Sign and send the application with the documents to Deutsche Rentenversicherung.

Good to know

  • Contributions are refunded in the amount the insured person bore (section 210(3) sentence 1 SGB VI). Where a net wage was agreed, the employee share paid by the employer is refunded (sentence 2).
  • Contributions from self-employment, from employment under section 20(2) SGB IV and voluntary contributions are refunded at half; supplementary insurance (Höherversicherung) contributions in full (section 210(3) sentences 3 and 4 SGB VI).
  • If you received a benefit in kind or in cash from the insurance — according to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, for example rehabilitation — only contributions paid afterwards are refunded (section 210(5) SGB VI).
  • A completed pension equalisation increases or reduces the refund (section 210(4) SGB VI); the same applies to pension splitting.
  • Only contributions for periods after 20 June 1948 in the federal territory, after 24 June 1948 in Berlin, after 19 November 1947 in Saarland and after 30 June 1990 in the accession territory are refunded (section 210(3) sentences 5 and 6 SGB VI).
  • According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, contributions paid for instance by the Federal Employment Agency for unemployed people are not refunded — the insured person did not bear them.

Common mistakes

  • Asking for a partial refund. The application cannot be limited to individual contribution periods or part of the contributions (section 210(6) sentence 1 SGB VI).
  • Underestimating the consequences. The refund dissolves the insurance relationship; no claims remain from the periods completed until then (section 210(6) sentences 2 and 3 SGB VI).
  • Expecting the employer's share back. Only what the insured person bore is refunded (section 210(3) sentence 1 SGB VI).
  • Applying as a civil servant on probation. No refund while the exemption rests on that status (section 210(1a) sentence 3 no. 2 SGB VI).
  • Paying voluntary contributions during the exemption and later asking for a refund. That rules it out (section 210(1a) sentence 3 no. 1 SGB VI).
  • Applying after 18 months. 24 calendar months must have passed since compulsory insurance ended (section 210(2) SGB VI).

Frequently asked questions

How much do I get back?

The share you bore yourself (section 210(3) sentence 1 SGB VI); contributions from self-employment and voluntary contributions at half (sentence 3). The pension insurance calculates the amount.

When can I apply?

Once 24 calendar months have passed since compulsory insurance ended and no new compulsory insurance has begun (section 210(2) SGB VI).

Can I still get a pension later?

Not from the refunded periods: the refund dissolves the insurance relationship and no claims remain from the pension periods completed until then (section 210(6) SGB VI).

I am German and moving abroad. Do I get my contributions back?

According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, no: Germans may stay voluntarily insured abroad (section 7(1) sentence 2 SGB VI), so a refund is not possible.

Is there an alternative to a refund?

According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, exempt persons can pay voluntary contributions until the five-year minimum insurance period is met — giving an entitlement to a pension instead of a refund.

Who receives the refund after a death?

Widows, widowers, surviving civil partners or orphans, if there is no entitlement to a survivor's pension because the general qualifying period was not met; half-orphans only if there is no surviving spouse or civil partner; several orphans in equal shares (section 210(1) no. 3 SGB VI).

Go further

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Official sources

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Guide and document provided for information purposes only; they do not constitute personalised legal or tax advice. Check the recipient organisation's requirements and consult a professional if needed.