Tens of thousands of Irish people have spent time working in Germany — students who stayed on after college, engineers and scientists in the pharma and automotive sectors, academics on research contracts, and professionals seconded by multinationals. Many of them built up German pension contributions for years before returning to Ireland, and most have no idea those contributions are sitting in a German pension account waiting to be claimed.
If you worked in Germany and paid into the German statutory pension system, you almost certainly have pension entitlements there — separate from, and in addition to, whatever you build up in Ireland. This guide explains how the German system works, how it interacts with your Irish PRSI record, and the practical steps to find out what you are owed.
How EU Pension Coordination Works Between Ireland and Germany
Under EU Regulation 883/2004, any EU citizen working within the EU is covered by the social security rules of one country at a time — the country where they are physically working. If you moved from Ireland to Germany to take up employment, you stopped paying PRSI and started paying into the German system. When you came back to Ireland, the reverse applied.
The key document that formalises this is the A1 certificate, which confirms which country's social security system covers you at any given time. For most employees, this is handled automatically by their employer. The practical effect is that you cannot be double-taxed for social security, but you also accumulate separate records in each country you work in.
At retirement, each country calculates and pays its own pension independently. Germany pays your German pension to your Irish bank account. Ireland pays your Irish state pension separately. Both land in the same account; you do not need to choose between them. For a broader overview of how this works across all EU countries, see our EU pension coordination guide.
The German Pension System: Deutsche Rentenversicherung
Germany's statutory pension is run by Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV), a federal body. All employees in Germany are automatically enrolled. There is no opt-out.
The contribution rate is 18.6% of gross salary, split equally between employer and employee — so you pay 9.3% and your employer matches it. These contributions are compulsory and go directly into the DRV system.
How German Pension Points Work (Entgeltpunkte)
Unlike Ireland's flat-rate state pension, Germany's statutory pension is earnings-related. Every year you work in Germany, you earn "Entgeltpunkte" — income points. The number of points you earn in a given year depends on how your salary compares to the German national average.
If you earned exactly the German average wage, you earn 1.0 point for that year. If you earned twice the average, you earn 2.0 points. If you earned half the average, you earn 0.5 points. The formula is straightforward: your earnings divided by the annual national average earnings equals your points for that year.
At retirement, your total accumulated points are multiplied by the current "Rentenwert" (pension value per point) to give your monthly pension. In 2026, one Entgeltpunkt is worth approximately €39.32 per month (West Germany rate; East Germany has its own rate converging toward parity). The Rentenwert is adjusted annually.
This means someone who earned the German average for 10 years accumulates 10 points and receives roughly €393 per month from Germany at retirement. Someone who earned twice the average for 10 years gets roughly €786 per month. A high-earning professional — a pharmaceutical researcher, software engineer, or finance worker — can accumulate significant pension entitlements even from a relatively short period of German employment.
The Minimum Qualifying Period
To receive any German pension at all, you need a minimum of 5 years (60 months) of contributions. This is called the Wartezeit — the waiting period. If you have fewer than 60 German contribution months, you normally cannot draw a German pension. This is where totalisation with Ireland becomes important (see below).
German Retirement Ages
| Pension type | Age | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Standard retirement (Regelaltersrente) | 67 | Minimum 5 years contributions (60 months) |
| Early retirement with reductions | 63 | 35 years of contributions; pension is reduced |
| "Rente mit 63" (no reduction) | 63 | 45 years of contributions — including childcare, unemployment, and certain other recognised periods |
| Disability pension (Erwerbsminderungsrente) | Any age | 5 years contributions plus medical criteria |
For most Irish people who worked in Germany for a period — rather than their entire career — the standard retirement age of 67 is the relevant threshold.
Totalisation: When Your Irish PRSI Record Helps in Germany
If you worked in Germany for fewer than 60 months — say, three years — you would normally fall short of the German minimum qualifying period. This is where totalisation under EU Regulation 883/2004 applies.
Totalisation allows Germany to count your Irish PRSI contributions alongside your German contributions to determine whether you meet the German minimum qualifying period. If you have 36 German months and enough Irish PRSI weeks to cover the remaining shortfall, Germany treats you as having met the 60-month minimum.
Totalisation: When Your German Contributions Help in Ireland
The same logic works in reverse for your Irish state pension. To receive a full Irish contributory state pension, you need 2,080 PRSI contributions (40 years). To receive any Irish pension, you need a minimum of 520 contributions (10 years).
If you spent a significant portion of your career in Germany and your Irish PRSI record is short, your German contribution years can be used — under totalisation — to help you meet the Irish qualifying threshold. Crucially, you must have at least 52 genuine Irish PRSI contributions for totalisation to apply; you cannot use German contributions alone to access an Irish pension.
In practice, this matters most for Irish people who emigrated to Germany young and returned late in their careers with a thin Irish PRSI record.
Taxation: How German Pension Is Taxed in Ireland
If you are an Irish tax resident when you reach retirement age, your German pension is taxable in Ireland. The Ireland-Germany Double Taxation Agreement (originally 1962, updated) governs how this works.
Under the DTA, German state pension income is generally taxed in Ireland as your country of residence. Germany may still withhold tax at source in some cases, but you can claim a credit against your Irish tax liability to avoid being taxed twice. In practice, you should notify the German pension authority of your Irish tax residency so they apply the correct withholding treatment.
Your German pension must be declared on your Irish tax return (Form 11 for self-assessed taxpayers, or through the PAYE system). Revenue Ireland treats it as foreign income. A tax advisor familiar with cross-border German-Irish situations can ensure you are not overpaying.
Private German Pensions: Riester and Rürup
Beyond the state system, Germany has two government-subsidised private pension schemes: Riester-Rente (for employees) and Rürup-Rente (for self-employed). If you contributed to either while working in Germany, those pots remain invested and will pay out at retirement regardless of where you live.
However, as an Irish resident, you cannot make new contributions to Riester or Rürup — these schemes require German tax residency. If you have existing balances, leave them where they are and factor them into your overall retirement income planning. They are generally not transferable to an Irish pension.
For future pension savings while living in Ireland, you should focus on Irish pension options — personal pensions, PRSAs, or occupational schemes — where Irish tax relief applies.
Who This Affects
This guide is relevant to any Irish person who:
- Worked in Germany as an employee and paid German social insurance contributions
- Studied in Germany and worked part-time (if earning above the Minijob threshold of €538/month, you would have paid contributions)
- Was seconded to Germany by an Irish or multinational employer — check whether your A1 certificate kept you in the Irish system or moved you into the German one
- Worked in the pharmaceutical sector (BASF, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim), automotive (BMW, Mercedes, VW), technology (SAP), or finance
- Did a research fellowship or academic post in a German university
Note: Minijobs (earnings below €538/month) have their own rules. Since 2013, Minijob workers are automatically enrolled in the pension system at a reduced rate unless they opt out. If you opted in while doing a Minijob in Germany, you have some contributions — though the amounts are typically small.
Comparing the Two Systems Side by Side
| Feature | Germany (DRV) | Ireland (State Pension) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Earnings-related | Flat-rate contributory |
| Contribution rate | 18.6% of gross (split employer/employee) | PRSI — varies by category (typically 4% employee) |
| Minimum qualifying period | 60 months (5 years) | 520 weeks (10 years) |
| Standard retirement age | 67 | 66 |
| Full pension requirement | No fixed cap — more contributions equals higher pension | 2,080 contributions (40 years) |
| How to check your record | deutsche-rentenversicherung.de (eRV portal) | MyWelfare.ie |
| Administered by | Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) | Department of Social Protection |
How to Find Out What You Are Owed: Practical Steps
Step 1: Create an Online DRV Account
Go to deutsche-rentenversicherung.de and register for an online account (eRV — elektronische Rentenversicherung). You will need your German social insurance number (Rentenversicherungsnummer), which appears on old payslips, your German tax card, or any DRV correspondence you received while living in Germany.
Step 2: Request a Rentenauskunft
A Rentenauskunft is a formal pension information statement. It shows your complete DRV record: every contribution period, your total Entgeltpunkte accumulated, and a projection of what your monthly pension will be at different retirement ages. You can request this online or by writing to DRV at Ruhrstr. 2, 10709 Berlin.
Step 3: Check Your Irish PRSI Record
Log in to MyWelfare.ie with your MyGovID and view your PRSI contribution history. Confirm your total contributions and note any gaps. This tells you where you stand on the Irish side of the equation.
Step 4: Get a Bilingual Regulated Advisor
Cross-border pension coordination is genuinely complex — it involves two pension authorities, two tax authorities, and at least one bilateral treaty. A regulated financial advisor with experience in German-Irish situations can model your total retirement income, identify whether totalisation applies to your case, and advise on how to optimise your overall position.
Key Things to Remember
- Your German pension contributions cannot be refunded or transferred — they stay in the DRV system and are paid as a monthly pension at retirement.
- Germany pays your German pension directly to your Irish bank account in euros, usually around the first of the month.
- You do not need to live in Germany to claim your German pension — you can apply from Ireland.
- There is no deadline to claim your German pension, but you must actively apply — it does not start automatically.
- Both pensions — German and Irish — are paid simultaneously and independently. You receive both in full (subject to pro-rata calculations if your records are short).
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