How are the 60 contribution months counted?

The count runs in calendar months: a month with mandatory contributions counts as a full month, however many days you worked in it. More periods count than most people expect. Months of regular employment count, months on unemployment benefit (ALG I) count, and child-raising periods count as well, up to three years per child. A minijob counts if it paid into the pension system; if you opted out of contributions, it does not. For citizens of treaty countries such as India, Turkey or the US, months insured at home can be added to the German total, which is often what pushes a case over the line. Sitting at 59 months and deciding whether to take one more contract is exactly the situation where you should pull your insurance record first: at 60 months, a treaty citizen loses the refund permanently.