Several years of construction work in Munich in the 90s, followed by work in Poland – do you have any rights from those German years? Almost certainly yes: thanks to EU coordination, insurance periods from Poland and Germany sum up, and each country pays its part of the pension. German pensions are transferred to Poland without any deductions due to residence, and as of July 1, 2026, they have increased by 4.24%. There are only a few traps that few people talk about: the German pension is taxed in Germany (mandatory declaration to Finanzamt Neubrandenburg – even from 300 euros of pension!), the Polish bank will deduct 9% for health insurance, and the 13th and 14th pensions from ZUS may be 'counted' towards German benefits. We explain everything step by step.
Basics of the German Pension
- Minimum contribution period (Wartezeit): 5 years – and here is the first good news: Polish insurance periods count towards those 5 years (EU coordination). Even 2 years of work in Germany + Polish contribution period = right to a partial German pension.
- Retirement age is increasing to 67 years: those born in 1959 retire at 66 years and 2 months, 1960 – 66+4, 1961 – 66+6, and from 1964 onwards – a full 67 years. (Early pensions for long-term insured persons are separate paths – 35/45 years of contributions, which also include EU periods.)
- Amount: point system – one year of work for the average German salary gives 1 point (Entgeltpunkt); from July 1, 2026, a point is worth 42.52 euros per month (increase from 40.79 euros, +4.24%). Pension = points × point value. A typical 'Polish' partial pension for a few years of work is usually several hundred euros (the average transfer to Poland is about 350 euros per month according to DRV data).
- Grundrente (supplement for long-term, low-earning individuals): requires 33 years of contributions – periods from EU countries count; granted automatically, without an application, after an income test.
How to Apply: One Application for Both Countries
You submit one application – in the country of residence
Living in Poland, you submit an application for both pensions (ZUS + German) at ZUS – the case is handled by the specialized International Agreements Implementation Department at the ZUS Branch in Opole (dedicated to Polish-German matters; the application can be submitted at any facility, ZUS will forward it). Living in Germany – similarly through Deutsche Rentenversicherung. The institutions exchange data electronically between themselves.
Each country calculates differently and pays its part
Both institutions perform a double calculation: a purely domestic benefit and a proportional one (theoretical pension for the entire career × share of periods from that country) – and pay out the more favorable variant. Periods shorter than 12 months do not expire – they are taken over by the country with the longer contribution period.
Do Kontenklärung – the sooner, the better
Even before reaching retirement age, apply to DRV for account clarification (Kontenklärung, form V0100, free of charge – also online): you will receive a Versicherungsverlauf, which is the official insurance history, and you will have time to supplement missing periods with documents (Lohnsteuerkarten, work certificates, employer confirmations). Undocumented gaps will result in a permanently lower pension.
Receiving Both Pensions in Poland: Three Traps
| Trap | What is the reality |
|---|---|
| Tax – Finanzamt Neubrandenburg | The PL–DE agreement (Article 18, paragraph 2): the statutory German pension of a person residing in Poland is taxed only in Germany – and you must submit a German tax return to Finanzamt Neubrandenburg (the office responsible for all non-resident pensioners; it also provides a service in Polish: finanzamt-rente-im-ausland.de/pl). In Poland, the pension is exempt. Beware of the reverse error: Polish banks can be overly zealous and deduct Polish PIT from German pensions – this is incorrect, file a complaint. |
| Health insurance contribution from the German pension | If you live in Poland with both a Polish and a German pension, you are subject to NFZ – and the Polish bank, to which the German pension is credited, deducts 9% health insurance contribution (after confirming NFZ coverage). This is legal and must be factored into your budget. |
| Exchange rate and account | DRV transfers without deductions 'abroad' – but currency conversion and fees depend on your bank. An EUR currency account in a Polish bank usually wins. |
The reverse scenario – a ZUS pensioner living in Germany: the Polish pension is taxed only in Poland, and in Germany, it only affects the rate (Progressionsvorbehalt). A fair warning from practice: the 13th and 14th pensions from ZUS may be 'counted' for Poles in Germany towards German benefits determined by German law (especially those dependent on income, such as Grundsicherung) – the amounts of 'bonus' pensions may therefore not actually increase the household budget.
Family and Disability Pensions
- Witwenrente (widow's pension) operates cross-border: a widow living in Poland can receive a German pension from her husband (small or large – large from the age threshold, which is increasing and in 2026 is 46.5 years), with a German income test; the application is submitted through ZUS. Procedures after the death of a loved one are described in the guide on ZUS matters from abroad.
- Disability pension: each country assesses disability according to its own medical criteria – you can receive a pension in one country and a refusal in another; periods are summed, but decisions are not mutually binding.
German Updates 2026 – in Brief
- Adjustment from July 1, 2026: +4.24% (point value 42.52 euros) – clearly above forecasts.
- Aktivrente from January 1, 2026: a retiree who reaches retirement age and works in Germany can earn up to 2000 euros per month without income tax – an interesting option for 'returning retirees' seasonally working in Germany.
- Pension package: guarantee of benefit levels (48%) extended to 2031; from 2027, planned adjustment of Mütterrente (parenting periods for children born before 1992).
Checklist for anyone who worked in Germany: (1) do Kontenklärung at DRV now – do not wait until you are sixty; (2) gather documents from your German years (Lohnsteuerkarten, contracts, Meldebescheinigungen); (3) submit one pension application in your country of residence; (4) after receiving the German pension, remember to declare to Neubrandenburg (service in Polish) and the 9% NFZ contribution deducted by the bank; (5) we describe tax settlements between countries more broadly in the guide on taxes between Germany and Poland.
Sources
| Source | Type | Status / Reliability |
|---|---|---|
| Deutsche Rentenversicherung: adjustment 2026 (+4.24%, point 42.52 EUR) | Official announcement | Primary source |
| DRV: pension and abroad (summing EU periods) | Official website | Primary source |
| Your Europe: state pensions abroad (coordination rules) | Official website | European Commission |
| powroty.gov.pl: pension after working abroad (ZUS Opole) | Official service | gov.pl |
| ZUS: pensions and benefits – international agreements | Official website | ZUS |
| Finanzamt Neubrandenburg: pension from abroad (service in Polish) | Official website | German tax administration |
| getsix: taxation of pensions in the PL–DE agreement (Article 18) | Tax office | Reliable discussion |
| Prawo.pl: 13th and 14th pension and benefits in Germany | Legal press | Reliable |
| Regulation (EC) 883/2004 – coordination of social security | Legal act | EUR-Lex |
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