Social security

Here you will receive information about your rights and obligations in the field of social security, including in connection with pensions.

State social security

The social security system in Germany provides protection against the major risks. If you are employed in Germany and subject to compulsory social security contributions, you are generally a member of the following statutory insurance schemes:

• The statutory health insurance covers the costs of doctor visits as well as many medications and therapeutic measures.
• The statutory long-term care insurance provides basic financial security in the event that you are permanently in need of care due to illness.
• The statutory accident insurance covers the costs of medical treatment and reintegration into working life after an occupational accident or in the event of occupational diseases. It pays wage replacement benefits during incapacity for work as well as pensions for permanent health damage, including survivor benefits.
• The statutory pension insurance provides rehabilitation benefits and pays pensions in the event of old age, reduced earning capacity, or death.
• The statutory unemployment insurance pays an income under certain conditions while job hunting and supports the job search through counseling and placement services.

Membership in the statutory social insurance funds costs a fixed percentage from your income. You bear part of the costs, and your employer bears the other part. The costs are deducted directly from your wages.

If you are in dependent employment in Germany, there is generally a statutory insurance obligation in the German social security system.

AttentionThere are exceptions to this principle for certain forms of work. For example, for certain dispatched persons, cross-border commuters and cross-border commuters, Seasonal workers, marginally employed workers and persons who work in several EU countries.

Your employer must Register for Social Security. That means the employer must provide the following information to the relevant health insurance fund:

• Your name
• Your address
• Your insurance number
• Your nationality
• Your salary and job details

This notification ensures that the employer pays the required social security contributions. To enable the employer to fulfill its obligations, you must provide the employer with all necessary details and information. You are therefore subject to a Duty to cooperate.

AttentionThe employer must provide you with a copy of the reported data. In the event of a violation of the Reporting obligations both the employer and you can be sanctioned.

In some industries, the employer must submit a notification even before employment begins:

• in the construction industry,
• in a restaurant or hotel,
• at a forwarding company,
• in the transport and associated logistics industry,
• in the building cleaning industry
• in the meat industry
• in the sex trade and
• in the guarding and security industry.

This means that you, too, must provide the required information as part of your Duty to cooperate You must do this before starting work and always carry your ID with you in case you are asked to show it.

More information about Reporting and contribution procedure find out more languages at German Pension Insurance. Health insurance funds also offer information on their websites.

TipUpon registering for social security, you will receive a Social Security number, which you will keep for a lifetime. With the help of the social security number, the data required for determining your pension is compiled and kept ready. Therefore, keep this number in a safe place.

As employees, you are generally covered by the statutory pension insurance scheme compulsory insurance.

TipIf you have a low-wage employment can you work (minijob) upon request be exempted from mandatory pension insurance.

The pension insurance includes various services:

• The pension is intended to financial security in old age. To be eligible for an old-age pension, a person must have reached a certain age and have accumulated a certain minimum number of pensionable periods.
• The pension insurance program also provides support if, during your working life, you with reduced earning capacity ...that is, if you are no longer able to work—or can only work part-time—due to an illness or disability. In that case, provided you meet the personal and insurance-related requirements, you will receive Rehabilitation Services, to restore their earning capacity or a Disability Pension, if, due to your health condition, you are unable to work—or can work only to a limited extent—for the foreseeable future.
• In addition, the pension insurance program offers comprehensive Protection for Surviving Family Members. It pays pensions to the widows, widowers, and orphans of deceased insured persons.

To be eligible for the standard old-age pension, you must have been born no later than 65th year of life determining. For subsequent birth cohorts, the standard retirement age will be gradually raised to 67th year of life raised. From the year 2029, this age limit will then apply to everyone born in 1964 or later. However, the statutory pension insurance knows Other Old-Age Pensions, which allow for early retirement under specific personal circumstances—such as having a severe disability—and/or having made contributions to the statutory pension insurance system for many years.

A basic principle of the pension insurance system is this: The more contributions you make, the longer you make them, and the higher they are, the higher your future pension will be. In addition to the Periods of contribution Periods spent raising children or caring for family members may also be counted as income from employment. In addition, „non-contributory periods“ are taken into account for various circumstances, such as attending school.

Periods of Insurance in Other Countries

If you were employed in other EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland, the periods of insurance you completed in those countries will be taken into account toward meeting the waiting periods.

Attention: Please note that the statutory pension is lower than your income while you are working. To maintain your standard of living in retirement, you should supplement the statutory pension insurance with an employer-sponsored and/or private pension plan.

If you have worked in one or more EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland, the following applies: Each country in which you have accumulated more than one year of insurance coverage will pay a separate pension, as soon as you have reached the respective retirement age of the country in question. The amount of the pension depends on there periods of insurance coverage. To determine eligibility for a pension, all periods of insurance completed in the respective countries are taken into account. You will receive a summary notice regarding the decisions made by the individual countries, known as Form P1. This notice is issued by the pension agency to which you submitted your pension application.

Pension Application

Den Pension Application Submit your application in the country where you live, unless you have never worked there. In that case, submit your application in the country where you were last insured. If you submit a pension application in one country, it applies to all countries where you have completed periods of insurance.

You will receive your pension regardless of where you are located within the countries listed.

• How do I apply for my pension?
• Multilingual information on living and working in Germany

These support services assist you in exercising your rights and fulfilling your obligations in the European Single Market.

• EURES-Germany: Working and Living in Europe
• Equality Body for EU Workers (EU-GS))