Your pension payment on the last bank working day of a month is guaranteed.

Our information centers in Berlin, Cologne, Leipzig and Stuttgart will remain closed to the public.

Please direct your concerns to us using the online notification of change form or print out the Pension Service change form and send it to the address printed on the form.

Delays in both the transport and delivery of international mail can still occur as a result of the COVID pandemic. This can potentially also impact the delivery of checks. You can convert your pension payment to a bank transfer using the Zahlungserklärung (payment declaration)/Zahlungsermächtigung (payment authorization) form. A guide to converting a check payment abroad is available here.

“West” pensions of the statutory pension insurance fund will rise by 5.35% as of July 1, 2022. The current pension value for 2022 is thus €36.02.

“East” pensions of the statutory pension insurance fund will rise by 6.12% as of July 1, 2022. The current “East” pension value for 2022 is thus €35.52.

The monthly pension amount will also change as a result of the change in the current pension value. You will therefore receive a corresponding adjustment notification in June or July.

Explanation:

The presentation of the previous and new amounts as well as the various explanatory and informational texts in the adjustment notifications will be printed in accordance with the requirements of the statutory pension insurance and accident insurance providers. 

If you have questions about the adjustment results or the new payment amount for your pension, please contact your insurance provider. Renten Service cannot provide you with information regarding pension law, such as its application and how the individual amounts indicated in your adjustment notification are calculated.

Should you require a pension receipt notification for your tax return, contact either your pension insurance provider or request one through the online services for beneficiaries of Deutsche Rentenversicherung.

Dispatch of adjustment notifications begins in mid-June and is completed by late July. 

Explanation: 

If you receive your pension payment at the end of the month for the coming month, such as at the end of June for the month of July (“advance payment”), then your pension adjustment notification will be sent to you by the end of June as well. 

If you receive your pension payment at the end of the month for the previous month, such as at the end of July for the month of July (“payment in arrears”), then you will receive your pension adjustment notification sometime during the month of July.

Please take into account that there are several million adjustment notifications to be printed. Dispatch and delivery of all these notifications takes several weeks. We therefore kindly request that you not inquire prematurely as to the whereabouts of your adjustment notification. If you reside abroad, it may take longer for you to receive your pension adjustment notification.

For your tax return, please request a pension receipt notification either from your pension insurance provider or through the online services for beneficiaries at the homepage of Deutsche Rentenversicherung.

Sometimes several pensions are summarized in one adjustment notification. For example, if two insurance policy numbers are printed on the first page of the notification, the information on your widow’s/widower’s compensation is on located on the second page of the pension adjustment notification. If this is not the case, you will receive the notification adjustment for this pension separately in the next few days.

Please contact the pension or accident insurance provider responsible for you with your questions. They will be able to help.

The address of the pension insurance provider can be found at the end of the adjustment notification or online at: deutsche-rentenversicherung.de.

Please contact your health insurance provider directly and show them the adjustment notification.

The certificate of life is usually included with your pension adjustment notification, which you should receive from Renten Service from June/July 2022. If you have already received your pension adjustment notification and a certificate of life was not enclosed, then you do not need to provide proof that you are still alive.

Important note: Starting this year, certification of the 2022 certificate of life by an official authority is once again mandatory.

As a rule, you do not receive a certificate of life if you live in one of the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

If you are entitled to pension payments from a German statutory pension or accident insurance provider and live abroad, you must submit evidence once a year that you continue to meet the requirements to receive pension payments.

The certificate of life is a form that must be truthfully completed and signed and returned to the following address using the pre-printed return envelope:

NL Renten Service       
Deutsche Post AG       
04078 Leipzig

Please use the pre-printed return envelope.

As a rule, you do not receive a certificate of life if you live in one of the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. 

Deutsche Post AG’s Renten Service regularly reviews compliance with the conditions of payments to pension beneficiaries residing abroad on behalf of your insurance provider (in accordance with section 119 of Book 6 of the German Social Security Code - SGB VI).

A certificate of life shows that you are still eligible to receive your pension payments. Any changes to your name, address or marital status can be indicated in Part A of the certificate of life.

If you are entitled to German pension payments from a German statutory pension or accident insurance provider and live abroad, you will usually receive the certificate of life form by the end of July together with your pension adjustment notification. You will find a return envelope for your completed and certified certificate of life enclosed in this letter.

Important note: If you have already received your pension adjustment notification and a certificate of life form was not enclosed, then you do not need a certificate of life.

If you have not received a pension adjustment notification or a certificate of life from us by mid-August, you can download the “Certificate of Life/Nationality” from the Download Center.

The form is available in 27 languages.

If we have not received your certificate of life by the end of August, you will receive another request from us. If the usual mail transit times overlap, you do not need to respond to the second request.

The certificate of life must be submitted no later than mid-October 2022.

That does not apply if your original certificate of life has been returned to you with a request for additional information. In this case, please return the completed original version by December 31, 2022.

If you have already received your pension adjustment notification and a certificate of life form was not enclosed, then you do not need a certificate of life.             

Certificates of life are generally not required if you live in one of the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

If you live in a country other than those listed above or have not received anything from us by mid-August, you can download the “Certificate of Life/Nationality” from the Download Center.

The form is available in 27 languages.

Important note: Please do not send us any completed, certified certificates of life before June 2022.

If Renten Service does not receive your certificate of life on time, we will send you a friendly reminder in September.

If you do not respond to the reminder by mid-October, your pension payments will be suspended as of November 30. Pension payments will not resume until you submit a certificate of life.

If you submit your certificate of life to us in a timely fashion shortly thereafter, your payments can be quickly resumed. You will also be reimbursed for all payments that you missed.

Otherwise Renten Service will return the payment order for your pension to your insurance provider. Should resumption of payment be necessary after that, you must contact your insurance provider. The address of your pension insurance provider can be found on your pension notice or your pension adjustment notification.

Renten Service contact information:

Deutsche Post AG
NL Renten Service
04078 Leipzig
Germany

Phone: +49 221 56 92-777
Fax: +49 69 6530 1510 865
E-mail: LB2022@deutschepost.de

You will need your pension ID card to receive discounts at cultural events, etc. We therefore recommend that you carry your pension ID card together with your personal ID in your wallet.

Additional information on the pension ID card is available on the Deutsche Rentenversicherung website.

The new eco-friendly, reinforced pension ID card is valid immediately. You may only use the ID card as long as you are entitled to a pension.

Additional information on the pension ID card is available on the Deutsche Rentenversicherung website.

If you require a replacement for your pension ID, please contact the Renten Service in writing and include your Postrentennummer (insurance policy number). You can find this number on your most recent adjustment notification, for example.

You can also reach us via our contact form. Please be aware that creating the new pension ID card will take some time.

Please notify us of the death in writing and provide the Renten Service with the name, the date of death, and the insurance policy number of the deceased. If possible, please include a death certificate with this notification.
 

Pensions paid incorrectly for the period after death will be reclaimed. Please do not close the account until the necessary transactions have been made. Please send checks back to the Renten Service.

To apply for a widow's/widower's pension, please contact the insurance provider most recently responsible for payment of the pension. The information and consulting offices of the insurance providers or the insurance offices of the communal/municipal governments can help you in applying.

What is an advance payment on a pension for widows/widowers?

The advance payment is paid on the death quarter.

The death quarter is the time period until the end of the third calendar month after the month in which the insured spouse/life partner died.

A pension in the full amount of the insurance pension of the deceased is paid for this period, meaning that the advance payment is three times the amount of the monthly pension paid out for the month of death (without several payment components such as the contribution subsidy amount for voluntary/private health insurance and the child-raising benefit amount).

The own income of the widow/widower is not offset on the death quarter.

What are the requirements for an advance payment on a pension for widows/widowers?

• The application must be submitted to the Renten Service within 30 days of the death of the pension beneficiary.
• If the application is submitted late, processing by the Renten Service cannot be guaranteed. Later submission of the application, together with the application for a widow/widower’s pension, is possible when submitted to the pension insurance provider.
• An original copy of the death certificate in which the widow or widower is listed as the spouse/life partner of the deceased must be enclosed.
• The widow/widower or life partner must have their domicile or habitual residence in Germany.
• The pension for the deceased pension beneficiary must have been paid on a monthly basis via the Renten Service.
• The deceased’s pension payment cannot be paid to a welfare recipient or similar.
• The marriage or civil partnership must have been in effect for at least one year at the time of death.

In some cases, the relevant pension insurance provider must first decide whether or not to make advance payment on the widow/widower’s pension (e.g., in cases of pension splitting between spouses and similar).

How do I apply for an advance payment on a pension for widows/widowers?

You can apply for advance payment using our change form. Please complete the form and send a signed printout of it together with the original copy of death certificate to:

Deutsche Post AG
Pension Service Branch
13497 Berlin, Germany

Your funeral home can also help you apply for the advance payment.

Will I have to pay the advance payment back?

The advance payment is a part of the widow’s/widower’s pension.

If the advance payment results in overpayment, the amount overpaid will be withheld by the pension insurance provider from the future widow’s/widower’s pension.

Where can I get answers to additional questions on advance payment on the widow’s/widower’s pension?

Please contact the pension insurance provider responsible for you with your questions. They will be able to help.

The address of the pension insurance provider can be found in the adjustment notification of the deceased pension beneficiary or online at: www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de.

Payments to an account in Germany:
Please notify us of the new IBAN, bank name, and account owner in writing. You must also include your insurance policy number. You can find your insurance policy number on the last page of your pension adjustment notice, for example.

Deutsche Post AG
Renten Service Branch
13497 Berlin

You are also welcome to use our change notification form.

Payments to an account outside of Germany:
The Renten Service needs a completed payment declaration / payment authorization that has been validated by your bank and signed. Download the form in your language from the Download Center.

Deutsche Post AG
Renten Service Branch
13496 Berlin

Due to the current situation regarding the global corona crisis, your bank’s confirmation of the Zahlungserklärung (payment declaration)/Zahlungsermächtigung (payment authorization) can be waived as an exception. In this case, please send us a copy of your bank statement for this bank account (not older than thirty days) together with the Zahlungserklärung (payment declaration)/Zahlungsermächtigung (payment authorization). In this exceptional situation, we will also accept transmission of the documents by fax (+49 221 5692-778) or e-mail sent to: w.ausland@deutschepost.de.

Update: For accounts with Italian banks, confirmation by the bank will be required again, effective August 1, 2020.

Please notify us of your new address in writing and include your insurance policy number. If you live in Germany::

Deutsche Post AG
Renten Service Branch
13497 Berlin

If you do not live in Germany:

Deutsche Post AG
Renten Service Branch
13496 Berlin

You can also notify us online using our change notification form.

Please notify us of your account data.

For payments into a German account, please use the online notification of change form or the Renten Service change form “Notice of change and requests in the Deutsche Post Pension Service” (form available in German only)

For payments into a foreign account, please use Zahlungserklärung (payment declaration)/Zahlungsermächtigung (payment authorization) for pension payments from the Federal Republic of Germany to a foreign country

The Renten Service will change your payment to a bank payment. We will notify your responsible pension insurance provider about the change in payment method.

Note:
Your pension insurance provider is generally responsible for eliminating fees, adjusting the payment amount or instituting exemptions. The address of your pension insurance provider can be found on your pension adjustment notification.

The pension is always paid on the last working day of a month and must be credited to your account by the bank managing your account by the end of this day (11:59 pm). If the payment has not been credited to your account by then, please notify us in writing and be sure to include your insurance policy number. Please also indicate as precisely as possible the month for which your pension was not paid.
 

In urgent cases, you can also reach us on the phone:

For pensioners who reside in Germany: 0221-5692-444
For pensioners who do not reside in Germany: 0049-221-5692-777

Please contact your health insurance provider directly. If you do not know who your health insurance provider is, please contact the relevant pension insurance provider, e.g. Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund, Deutsche Rentenversicherung Schwaben, Deutsche Rentenversicherung Rheinland, etc.

Since January 1, 2005, those without children who are covered by compulsory statutory long-term care insurance pay a surcharge on the regular premium.  Excluded from the surcharge are those without children who were born prior to January 1, 1940, irrespective of whether they actually have or ever had children.

As of January 1, 2022, the surcharge will increase by 0.1 percentage points, from 0.25% to 0.35%. The regular premium will remain at 3.05%. The new statutory long-term care contribution for those without children thus amounts to 3.4% as of January 1, 2022.

Please contact your responsible insurance provider should you have questions pertaining to how your contribution is calculated. See your pension notices for information on your insurance provider.

Click here for an overview of all insurance providers in Germany.

Pensioners who reside in Germany can contact the tax office responsible for them.

Pensioners who do not reside in Germany can contact the following tax office, which is responsible for them:

Finanzamt Neubrandenburg (RiA)
Postfach 110140
17041 Neubrandenburg
Telefon: +49 395 44222 47000
Telefax: +49 395 44222 47100

www.finanzamt-rente-im-ausland.de

E-Mail: ria@finanzamt-neubrandenburg.de

Since 2005, retirement income has been taxed when it is paid out. More and more pensioners are therefore required to submit a tax return. 

You can apply for a pension receipt notification from Deutsche Rentenversicherung that will help in completing the tax forms “Anlage R” and “Anlage Vorsorgeaufwand zur Steuererklärung” of German tax returns. This service is free of charge. 

The pension receipt notification includes personal data on the pension recipient including their tax ID number, pension amount and reference period.

After your initial application, the pension receipt notification will be sent to you automatically every year between mid-January and late February of the following year.

You can request that a pension receipt notification be issued to you through the online services for policy holders > here at Deutsche Rentenversicherung.

Further information:
Service brochure “Policy holders and pensioners: information about tax law”

Federal Central Tax Office pension receipt notification procedure 

Please contact the pension or accident insurance provider responsible for you. All of the required information for the respective contacts is available under the following links.

Pension insurance providers
Accident insurance providers

The basis for these fees are the legislative amendments taking effect as of December 1, 2021, in connection with Section 47 (1) of the German Social Insurance Code (SGB) I and Section 118 (2b) of the SGB VI, which apply to statutory pensions.

Your pension insurance provider generally decides whether to charge fees or issue exemptions. The address of your pension insurance provider can be found on your pension adjustment notification.

Should you not have an account, we would like to inform you that every consumer in Germany has the right to a basic bank account. This means that anyone legally resident in the EU is entitled to open a basic bank account (Payment Accounts Act). Every financial institution that offers checking accounts for consumers is therefore obligated to conclude a basic bank account agreement with you. Having a basic bank account makes it possible to arrange bank transfers and direct debits as well as to make and receive payments.

If you wish for your pension to be paid into a bank account in the future, you can find all the required information on changing your account or payment method here.

By order of your responsible pension insurance provider.

The name and address of your responsible pension insurance provider can be found on your pension adjustment notification.

Please voice your concerns directly to your responsible pension insurance provider. The corresponding address can be found on your pension adjustment notification. 

The German Basic Pension Act entered into force on January 1, 2021. Since mid-July 2021, Deutsche Rentenversicherung (German statutory pension insurance fund) has been verifying whether the conditions for the basic pension supplement have been met for each pension recipient on a case-by-case basis.
 
The entitlement check for pensioners receiving social security benefits, such as a housing allowance or basic benefits for old age and reduced earning capacity, was concluded according to schedule by December 2021.

The relevant social security institutions will receive notification from Deutsche Rentenversicherung to confirm the existence of a basic pension period of 33 years in accordance with Section 76g (2) of the German Social Security Code VI (Sozialgesetzbuch VI – SGB VI) as part of the calculation of supplements from earning points on the basis of longstanding insurance contributions.

Renten Service is unable to respond to written inquiries concerning the existence of a basic pension period of 33 years. Please send any written inquiries to the responsible pension insurance provider.

The free Deutsche Rentenversicherung hotline (0800 1000 4800) is open for inquiries Monday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Fridays until 3:30 p.m.

Responsible handling of your data is required in accordance with the provisions of the German Social Security Codes (including SGB I, VI, VII, X), the German Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz) and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For more detailed information on data protection and your rights, please visit our websites www.deutschepost.de/datenschutz and Overview of data protection at Renten Service.