For Germany, the Agreement covers Wage Earners' Pension Insurance, Salaried Employees' Pension Insurance, Miners' Pension Insurance, Steelworkers' Supplementary Pension Insurance, Farmers' Old-Age Security, and taxes that finance Germany's sickness insurance and long-term-nursing care programs.
Note: The Agreement allows U.S. nationals, stateless people and refugees to make voluntary social security contributions to the German program if they meet certain conditions. These contributions may help a person qualify for a regular German benefit or increase the benefit amount.
You can get more information on making voluntary contributions by writing to either the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund or Deutsche Rentenversicherung Nord at the addresses below.
Pension Insurance for Wage Earners and Salaried Employees (Federal)
Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund
10704 Berlin
GERMANY
Pension Insurance for Wage Earners and Salaried Employees (International)
Deutsche Rentenversicherung Nord
Freie-und Hansestadt-Hamburg
Friedrich-Ebert-Damm 245
22159 Hamburg
GERMANY
Self-employed workers who work only in the United States are assigned U.S. coverage. Self-employed workers who work only in Germany are assigned German coverage. However, workers normally self-employed in one country who transfer their trade or business to the other country for five years or fewer will remain covered under the country from which the worker transferred the self-employment activity.
To establish your exemption from coverage under the U.S. Social Security system, your employer in Germany must request a certificate of coverage (form D/USA 101) from the local German Sickness Fund that collects your social security taxes in Germany. The same information required for a certificate of coverage from the United States is needed to get a certificate from Germany except that you must show your German social security number rather than your U.S. Social Security number.
If you are self-employed and would normally have to pay social security taxes to both the United States and German systems, you can establish your exemption from one country’s taxes.
If you will be covered by the United States, write to the Social Security Administration at the address shown in the section titled, Requesting a certificate of coverage by mail.
If you will be covered by Germany, write to the local German Sickness Fund that collects your German social security taxes.
Be sure to provide the following information in your letter:
Under U.S. Social Security, you may earn up to four credits each year depending on the amount of your covered earnings. For example, in 2022, you receive one credit for each $1,410 of your covered annual earnings up to a maximum of four credits per year. For more information, see How You Earn Credits (Publication No. 05-10072).
Under the German system, credits are measured in months. To simplify the information in the table, requirements are shown in years of credits.
Retirement or old-age benefits
United States
Germany
Worker—Full benefit at full retirement age.* Reduced benefit as early as age 62. Required work credits range from one and one-half to 10 years (10 years if age 62 in 1991 or later).
Worker-male or female—Benefits payable at:
*Full retirement age is 66 for people born in 1943-1954 and will gradually increase to age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Disability benefits
United States
Germany
Worker—Under full retirement age* can get benefit if unable to do any substantial gainful work for at least a year. One and one-half to 10 years credit needed, depending on age at date of onset. Some recent work credits also needed unless worker is blind.
Worker—Benefit payable at any age if work capacity reduced to less than 50 percent. Must have 60 months of coverage at any time prior to onset of disability. In addition, must have either 36 months of contributions based on covered work in the five years immediately before onset (this requirement is deemed met if disability results from work accident) or 60 months of coverage before 1984 and contributing continuously since January 1, 1984.
The severity of the disability determines whether the worker receives an occupational incapacity benefit or a higher total disability benefit.
*Full retirement age is 66 for people born in 1943-1954 and will gradually increase to age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Family benefits to dependents of retired or disabled people
United States
Germany
Spouse—Full benefit at full retirement age* or at any age if caring for the worker’s entitled child under age 16 (or disabled before age 22). Reduced benefit as early as age 62 if not caring for a child.
Spouse—No Provision.
Divorced spouse— Full benefit at full retirement age.* Reduced benefit as early as age 62. Must be unmarried and have been married to worker for at least 10 years.
Divorced spouse—No Provision.
Children—If unmarried, up to age 18 (age 19 if in an elementary or secondary school full time) or any age if disabled before age 22.
Children—No Provision.
*Full retirement age is 66 for people born in 1943-1954 and will gradually increase to age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Survivors benefits
United States
Germany
Surviving Spouse—Full benefit at full retirement age* or at any age if caring for deceased’s entitled child under age 16 (or disabled before age 22).
Surviving Spouse—Benefit payable at any age if not remarried and worker had five years of coverage or was entitled to benefits before death.
Divorced Surviving Spouse—Same as surviving spouse if marriage lasted at least 10 years.
Divorced Surviving Spouse—Benefit payable to dependent former spouse at any age if not remarried before the worker’s death and marriage was dissolved prior to July 1, 1977. (If not dependent on worker at time of death, benefit may still be payable if other conditions are met.) Worker must have had five years of coverage or was entitled to benefits before death.
Children—Same as for children of retired or disabled worker.
Children—Orphan’s benefit until age 18, or if attending school or in vocational training, until age 27. Worker must have had five years of coverage or was entitled to benefits before death.
Lump-sum death benefit—A one-time payment not to exceed $255 payable on the death of an insured worker.
Lump-sum death benefit—No Provision.
*The full retirement age for survivors is age 66 for people born in 1945-1956 and gradually increases to age 67 for people born in 1962 or later.
Special benefits from Miners’ Pension Insurance
United States
Germany
Apart from the already listed pension benefits from the German Pension Insurance, there are also special benefits from the Miners’ Pension Insurance. Specific details concerning these benefits may be obtained from the Federal Miners’ Pension Insurance Fund at the address shown in the section titled, “German Insurance Agencies.”
If you have social security credits in both the United States and Germany, you may be eligible for benefits from one or both countries. If you meet all the basic requirements under one country’s system, you will get a regular benefit from that country. If you do not meet the basic requirements, the Agreement may help you qualify for a benefit as explained below.
If you live in the United States and wish to apply for United States or German benefits:
You can apply with one country and ask to have your application considered as a claim for benefits from the other country. Information from your application will then be sent to the other country. Each country will process the claim under its own laws—counting credits from the other country when appropriate—and notify you of its decision.
If you have not applied for benefits before, you may need to provide certain information and documents when you apply. This includes:
You may wish to call the social security office before you go there to see if you need any other information.
Each country pays its own benefit. U.S. payments are made by the U.S. Department of Treasury each month and cover benefits for the preceding month. German benefits are paid monthly, in advance, through the German Postal System. For more information, contact the German authorities at the address in the section titled, “For more information.”
For more information about Germany’s social security programs, contact any branch office of a German insurance agency or a German diplomatic post or refer to the table below. Do not worry if you are not sure which German insurance agency to contact. If you do not write to the proper one, the agency will forward your inquiry or application to the correct one.
German Insurance Agencies
If your most recent social security tax was paid to the:
Write to:
Pension Insurance for Wage Earners and Salaried Employees (Federal)
Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund
10704 Berlin
GERMANY
Deutsche Rentenversicherung Nord
Freie-und Hansestadt-Hamburg
Friedrich-Ebert-Damm 245
22159 Hamburg
GERMANY
Miners’ Pension Insurance, Pension Insurance for Railroad Workers, or Pension Insurance for Mariners
Deutsche Rentenversicherung
Knappschaft-Bahn-See
Dezernat II.7.2
44781 Bochum
GERMANY