Paying pension contributions for past education periods in Germany (V0080)

For periods of school or university education after the age of 16 that do not count as credited periods (Anrechnungszeiten) and are not already covered by contributions, insured persons can apply to PAY voluntary contributions retroactively (§ 207(1) SGB VI) — using form V0080 of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung. The hard limit is age: the application can only be made until the 45th birthday (§ 207(2), first sentence, SGB VI). The amount follows the minimum assessment base, the contribution ceiling and the contribution rate in force AT THE TIME OF PAYMENT — not the values of the years you were studying (§ 209(2) SGB VI).

Up to date for 2024 — verified on September 23, 2026Official formGuide: about 25 min

Deadlines

Application: until the 45th birthday: § 207(2), first sentence, SGB VI — afterwards the application is excluded, except in the cases of the third sentence. The transitional rule of the second sentence (applications after 45 until 31 December 2004) has expired
After subsequent insurance or the end of an exemption: six months: § 207(2), third sentence, SGB VI — for people leaving an employment exempt from insurance who are subsequently insured, or leaving an employment in which they were exempted from compulsory insurance
Instalments: over at most five years: § 207(2), fourth sentence, SGB VI — the pension insurers may allow payment in instalments over a period of up to five years; the values at the time of each payment remain decisive (§ 209(2) SGB VI)

Documents to prepare

Pension insurance number (Versicherungsnummer)
Personal details: name, birth details, nationality, address
Insurance record (Versicherungsverlauf), to identify the education periods not counted
Proof of the start and end of education: enrolment and de-registration certificates, diplomas
Earlier contributions to a foreign pension scheme: until when, country, address of the insurer
The back-payment periods requested, number of months and monthly contribution
If paying in instalments: the split of the instalments over at most five years

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1 Personal details

Pension insurance number (Versicherungsnummer)(optional)

Digits and uppercase letters, up to 14 characters

Reference code (Kennzeichen), if known(optional)

Surname(optional)

First name(s)(optional)

Name suffix (e.g. Freifrau, Graf)(optional)

Name prefix (e.g. von, van, de)(optional)

Title (e.g. Prof. Dr. med.)(optional)

Birth name(optional)

Former names(optional)

Name suffix of the birth name(optional)

Name prefix of the birth name(optional)

Date of birth(optional)

DD.MM.YYYY

Sex(optional)

Nationality (former nationality and until when, if applicable)(optional)

Place of birth(optional)

Country of birth(optional)

Street and house number(optional)

Additional address line(optional)

Postcode(optional)

5 digits

Town of residence(optional)

Telephone(optional)

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

Fax(optional)

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

2 Contributions to a foreign pension scheme

Have contributions already been paid to a foreign pension scheme?(optional)

Foreign contributions until (month and year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Foreign insurance periods in (country)(optional)

Address of the foreign pension insurer(optional)

3 Children

Raised children in their first 10 years whose child-rearing periods have not, or not fully, been credited to you?(optional)

4 Back-payment periods, number and amount of contributions

Period 1: from (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 1: until (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 1: number of months(optional)

1 to 3 digits

Period 1: monthly contribution in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 1: total in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 2: from (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 2: until (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 2: number of months(optional)

1 to 3 digits

Period 2: monthly contribution in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 2: total in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 3: from (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 3: until (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 3: number of months(optional)

1 to 3 digits

Period 3: monthly contribution in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 3: total in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 4: from (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 4: until (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 4: number of months(optional)

1 to 3 digits

Period 4: monthly contribution in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 4: total in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 5: from (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 5: until (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 5: number of months(optional)

1 to 3 digits

Period 5: monthly contribution in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 5: total in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 6: from (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 6: until (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 6: number of months(optional)

1 to 3 digits

Period 6: monthly contribution in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 6: total in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 7: from (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 7: until (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 7: number of months(optional)

1 to 3 digits

Period 7: monthly contribution in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 7: total in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 8: from (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 8: until (month, year)(optional)

MM.YYYY

Period 8: number of months(optional)

1 to 3 digits

Period 8: monthly contribution in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Period 8: total in EUR (without instalments)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

Total back-payment contributions (EUR)(optional)

Digits, then a comma and 2 cents (for example 1250,00); no space and no € sign

5 School education periods not yet recognised

Completed school education periods not shown in your latest insurance record?(optional)

Education 1: period from – to(optional)

Education 1: type (school, technical college, university, pre-vocational training measure)(optional)

Education 2: period from – to(optional)

Education 2: type (school, technical college, university, pre-vocational training measure)(optional)

Education 3: period from – to(optional)

Education 3: type (school, technical college, university, pre-vocational training measure)(optional)

Education 4: period from – to(optional)

Education 4: type (school, technical college, university, pre-vocational training measure)(optional)

6 Payment in instalments

I apply to pay in instalments(optional)

Year 1 – instalment for the back-payment period (from – to)(optional)

Year 2 – instalment for the back-payment period (from – to)(optional)

Year 3 – instalment for the back-payment period (from – to)(optional)

Year 4 – instalment for the back-payment period (from – to)(optional)

Year 5 – instalment for the back-payment period (from – to)(optional)

7 to 9 Accessible documents, declaration and enclosures

7 Documents additionally in an accessible format(optional)

8 Place, date(optional)

9 Enclosures (line 1)(optional)

9 Enclosures (line 2)(optional)

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Who this applies to

Insured persons who attended a school, technical college or university after their 16th birthday and whose education periods are not taken into account as credited periods (§ 207(1) SGB VI)
In particular school and study periods beyond what § 58(1), first sentence, no. 4 SGB VI counts as a credited period: that provision only covers periods after the 17th birthday, and at most eight years in total
Who may pay: persons who are compulsorily insured or entitled to voluntary insurance (§ 209(1) SGB VI)
People leaving an employment that was exempt from insurance and who are subsequently insured (Nachversicherung), or leaving an employment in which they were exempted: they may also apply within six months of the subsequent insurance or of the end of the exemption (§ 207(2), third sentence, SGB VI)
NOT anyone who has reached 45 and does not fall under the six-month rule (§ 207(2) SGB VI)
NOT periods already covered by contributions or counted as credited periods (§ 207(1) SGB VI)
NOT current voluntary contributions: for those there is voluntary insurance with form V0060

Worked example

Jonas Weber, 41, pays for two years of study

Jonas Weber is 41 and works as an employed engineer. He studied for ten years, first mechanical engineering, then physics. His insurance record shows the study period, but with a gap: school and study periods count as credited periods for at most eight years in total (§ 58(1), first sentence, no. 4 SGB VI). For the months not counted he may pay voluntary contributions retroactively (§ 207(1) SGB VI) — but only while he is not yet 45 (§ 207(2), first sentence, SGB VI). He files form V0080, attaches his enrolment and de-registration certificates, and learns that the contributions follow the minimum assessment base, the contribution ceiling and the contribution rate in force today, not those of his student years (§ 209(2) SGB VI). He chooses a monthly contribution of 150 euros for 24 months, i.e. 3,600 euros, and applies to pay in instalments over three years (§ 207(2), fourth sentence, SGB VI). At 46 this route would have been closed. The amounts are illustrative.

How to fill it in, step by step

Request your insurance record (Versicherungsverlauf) and check which school, technical college and university periods after your 16th birthday are NOT counted there as credited periods.
Check your age: the application must be made before your 45th birthday (§ 207(2), first sentence, SGB VI) — or within six months of a subsequent insurance or the end of an exemption (third sentence).
Gather proof of the start and end of your education, such as enrolment and de-registration certificates or diplomas.
Complete form V0080, online via eAntrag or as a PDF: personal details, foreign contributions, education periods and the back-payment periods with the number of months and the monthly contribution.
Choose a monthly contribution between the minimum and maximum contribution as they apply at the time of payment (§ 161(2), § 209(2) SGB VI).
Decide whether to pay at once or to apply for instalments over at most five years (§ 207(2), fourth sentence, SGB VI).

Good to know

Back payment is not voluntary insurance: current voluntary contributions are applied for with form V0060 and are only effective if paid by 31 March of the following year (§ 197(2) SGB VI); back payment under § 207 SGB VI concerns education periods years in the past, and has an age limit instead of a yearly deadline.
The calculation uses the minimum assessment base, the contribution ceiling and the contribution rate at the time of payment (§ 209(2) SGB VI) — whoever waits pays at the values then in force.
The minimum assessment base equals the marginal-employment threshold (Geringfügigkeitsgrenze) in force on 1 January of the calendar year (§ 167 SGB VI); any amount between it and the contribution ceiling is allowed (§ 161(2) SGB VI).
If education periods paid for are later assessed as credited periods after all, the contributions can be refunded (§ 207(3) SGB VI).
Back payments are only allowed for periods from the 16th birthday (§ 209(1), second sentence, SGB VI).
According to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, university study counts as a credited period at the earliest from the 17th birthday, need not have been completed, and its start and end must be proven.

Common mistakes

Waiting until after the 45th birthday. § 207(2), first sentence, SGB VI no longer allows the application after that; the transitional rule for applications after 45 ended on 31 December 2004.
Trying to pay for periods that already count as credited periods. § 207(1) SGB VI only covers education periods NOT taken into account as credited periods.
Calculating with the contribution values of your student years. The values at the time of payment apply (§ 209(2) SGB VI).
Confusing back payment with voluntary insurance and filing form V0060. Education periods require form V0080.
Filing without proof of the start and end of your education. According to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, the start and end of the study period must be proven.
Planning instalments over more than five years. § 207(2), fourth sentence, SGB VI limits them to five years.

Frequently asked questions

Until when can I pay for education periods?

The application can only be made until the 45th birthday (§ 207(2), first sentence, SGB VI). People who are subsequently insured or leave an exempted employment additionally have six months afterwards (third sentence).

Which periods can I pay for?

Periods of school or university education after the 16th birthday that are not taken into account as credited periods and not already covered by contributions (§ 207(1) SGB VI). Education only counts as a credited period after the 17th birthday and for at most eight years (§ 58(1), first sentence, no. 4 SGB VI).

How much are the contributions?

Freely chosen between the minimum assessment base and the contribution ceiling (§ 161(2) SGB VI); these values and the contribution rate at the time of payment apply (§ 209(2) SGB VI). The euro amounts change every year.

Can I pay in instalments?

The pension insurers may allow instalments over a period of up to five years (§ 207(2), fourth sentence, SGB VI).

What if the periods are later counted after all?

Then the contributions paid can be refunded (§ 207(3) SGB VI).

How do I apply?

With form V0080 of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, online via eAntrag — which the pension insurance recommends — or as a PDF form.

Go further

Related forms

Official sources

§ 207 SGB VI — Back payment for education periods (Gesetze im Internet, Federal Ministry of Justice) — September 23, 2026
§ 209 SGB VI — Entitlement and calculation of back payments — September 23, 2026
§ 58 SGB VI — Credited periods (para. 1, first sentence, no. 4: school education) — September 23, 2026
§ 161 SGB VI — Contribution assessment base — September 23, 2026
§ 167 SGB VI — Minimum assessment base for voluntarily insured persons — September 23, 2026
§ 197 SGB VI — Effectiveness of contributions (para. 2: voluntary contributions by 31 March of the following year) — September 23, 2026
Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Students: study periods count — September 23, 2026
Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Form V0080, application for back payment of voluntary contributions for education periods — September 23, 2026

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