How much money can I recover?

Your refund is 9.3% of your monthly gross salary, up to the contribution ceiling, multiplied by the number of months you paid German pension contributions. Example: 36 months at EUR 4,000 gross comes to 4,000 × 9.3% × 36 = EUR 13,392. The 9.3% is your employee half of the 18.6% contribution rate that has applied since 2018 (earlier years had slightly higher rates); your employer's half stays with the Deutsche Rentenversicherung. Minijobs and jobs in the reduced-contribution band (Übergangsbereich) return less, because you paid a smaller share there, and citizens of most treaty countries can claim at most 59 months. Fundsback clients receive EUR 12,926 on average. The free Pension Check and our refund calculator apply the formula to your own figures.