I moved to Germany from abroad. Do my earlier working years count?

That depends on whether there's a social security agreement between Germany and your country of origin. For EU countries, EU coordination applies. For many non-EU countries there are bilateral agreements. For Ukraine there is none in force (as of 2026). When in doubt: ask the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (German pension authority).

I was self-employed for several years and paid no contributions. What happens to those years?

They don't count as contribution years and bring no pension points. They also don't count toward the qualifying period. If you still want to meet the required qualifying periods, you can make voluntary back-payments for certain past periods.

Can I pay voluntary contributions into the statutory pension?

Yes. Voluntary contributions are possible for Germans living abroad, for self-employed people who aren't subject to compulsory insurance, and for others. They increase your pension points and can help you meet qualifying periods. Back-payment for past years is possible under certain conditions.

How exactly is the deduction for early retirement calculated?

0.3% per month before regular retirement age. For retiring 4 years early (at 63 instead of 67): 4 × 12 × 0.3% = 14.4%. That's the maximum deduction for the long-term insured pension. It's permanent and applies for the entire time you draw a pension.

My pension statement shows a different number than the one here. Why?

The pension statement uses your actual contribution history and projects it into the future. The model figures here are average examples for other people. Your actual pension points are in your pension statement: divide them by 42.52 to work out your approximate monthly gross pension at today's pension value.

The pension gap: same question, very different answers

How big is your pension gap? The answer depends on how long you've worked in Germany, whether you had contribution gaps, and whether you want to stop early. Two cases with concrete model figures.

The annual pension statement is a letter with a number on it. Most people put it away. Too abstract, too many assumptions, too far off. Yet that number answers one of the most important financial questions you can ask about yourself. The problem: for most people the number is filed in the wrong place, because it doesn't show what actually lands in your account.

The figures below are model calculations. Your pension gap depends on your actual income history, your contribution record, and your retirement goals. Miravel works it out from your own data.

The same gap. Two very different situations.

The pension gap isn't a number that's the same for everyone. It depends on how long you've paid contributions in Germany, whether you had gaps, and when you want to stop. Two examples show how differently the answer turns out.

Olena, 38. Four years in Germany. Ten years working in Ukraine.

Olena is 38, earns €38,000 gross a year, and has lived in Germany for four years. Before that she worked for ten years in Ukraine and paid into the Ukrainian pension scheme. She's wondering: do those years count for Germany too?

The answer is no. There is no social security agreement in force between Germany and Ukraine (as of 2026). The Ukrainian contribution years don't count toward the German qualifying period. In pension terms, Olena starts from zero.

German contribution years until 67: 33 years (4 so far, 29 more until standard retirement age)
Entgeltpunkte (pension points) per year at €38,000 gross: around 0.73 points (€38,000 ÷ average wage of €51,944, 2026)
Pension points accumulated after 33 years: around 24 points
Gross pension per month: 24 × €42.52 (pension value from July 2026) = around €1,020
After deducting health and long-term care insurance contributions (around 12.5%): around €893 net
Last net income at €38,000 gross: around €2,150
Monthly gap: around €1,255

Olena's gap isn't just large, it's structural. It can't be fully closed by earning more in the remaining years, because the contribution period is simply shorter. For many people who moved here, that's the real surprise.

Martin, 47. Twenty contribution years. Five years self-employed without contributions. Wants to retire as early as possible.

Martin is 47, earns €55,000 gross, and has paid 20 years of contributions into the statutory pension scheme (GRV, gesetzliche Rentenversicherung) so far. In between there were five years of self-employment without contributions. He wants to stop working as early as possible.

Earliest possible retirement: 63. For that he needs at least 35 contribution years (the qualifying period for the long-term insured pension). If he works until 63, he'll have 36 years, just enough. Earlier than 63 isn't possible: the deduction-free pension for the very long-term insured (45 contribution years) doesn't start until 65 for his birth year.

Contribution years until 63: 36 (20 now + 16 more)
Pension points per year at €55,000 gross: around 1.06 points (€55,000 ÷ €51,944)
Pension points after 36 years: around 38 points
Deduction for retiring 4 years early (63 instead of 67): 4 × 12 × 0.3% = 14.4%
Gross pension with the deduction (from 63): 38.1 × €42.52 × 0.856 = around €1,387
Net pension after health and long-term care insurance (around 12.5%): around €1,214. Gap to the last net income of around €3,000: around €1,786
If he works until 67 instead: 40 contribution years, around 42.4 points, gross pension around €1,801, net pension around €1,576. Gap: around €1,424
Permanent difference between retiring at 63 and 67: around €362 less per month

The deduction is permanent. It doesn't only apply until Martin turns 67, it applies for the rest of his life. Over 20 years of drawing a pension, that adds up to around €87,000.

What a pension point is, in one sentence

You collect one Entgeltpunkt (pension point) per year if you earned exactly the average wage of all insured people (2026: €51,944 gross). Earn half that, and you get 0.5 points. More points only count up to the contribution ceiling (2026: €101,400 gross a year): anyone earning that much or more collects the maximum of around 1.95 points a year. From July 2026, each point is worth around €42.52 of monthly pension.

Why 48 percent rarely applies to you

The 48% is a political target, not a personal promise. It applies to someone with 45 contribution years and exactly the average wage: no parental leave, no part-time, no gaps, no time abroad. That person is rare. For everyone else, the actual replacement rate is lower. The 48% guarantee is set in law until 2031.

What retiring early costs you permanently

The deduction of 0.3% per month before standard retirement age sounds small. Added up: 1 year early = 3.6%, 2 years early = 7.2%, 4 years early = 14.4% (the maximum for the long-term insured pension, which starts at the earliest at 63). This cut applies for the rest of the time you draw a pension, not only until standard retirement age. On top of that come the missing pension points from the contribution years you didn't work. So retiring early hits you twice.

Why isn't the annual pension statement enough?

The pension statement shows three projections: at your current rate, with assumed income growth, and with earlier retirement. It shows gross, not net. It assumes your record so far, not whether you'll work part-time, take parental leave, or have gaps in the future. And it shows no gap, only a number.

What these numbers don't capture yet

Inflation: what €1,000 can buy today, it will buy much less of in 25 years. The pension is adjusted regularly, but it isn't indexed to inflation.
Tax: above a certain pension level, income tax applies. The taxable share rises with your birth year.
Health and long-term care insurance: people in the statutory scheme pay, as pensioners, around 7.3% for health insurance plus half of the supplementary contribution (around 1.45%) and around 3.6% for long-term care insurance, together roughly 12.4%.
Time worked elsewhere in the EU: if you've worked in another EU country, those periods can be counted, but only on application.
Basic income support in old age: people with a very low pension are entitled to basic income support in old age under SGB XII, a separate programme for pensioners, not Bürgergeld.

Frequently asked questions

Miravel simulates your personal pension gap: with your income, your contribution years, your plans. You see where the gap is, what affects it, and which scenarios make the difference. Start for free.