Do not close your German account right away: refunds trickle in for months. Pension contributions can sometimes be refunded — after 2 years.
✓ Verified: 15/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
For transfers and later refunds from abroad, a multi-currency account is cheapest — for example Wise↗: you keep your German IBAN after leaving.
Leaving mid-year usually means you overpaid income tax — the return reclaims it, and you can file from abroad.
I applied for the contribution refund once 24 months had passed since my compulsory insurance ended — my half of the pension for the Germany years came back. The pension insurer accepts the application from abroad by post.
Before leaving, make sure the pension insurer and tax office have your foreign address or a trusted person in Germany: decisions and refunds come by post, and an undeliverable letter stalls payment for months.
Possibly: non-EU citizens moving to a third country can be refunded their share of pension contributions, no earlier than 24 calendar months after leaving compulsory insurance (§ 210 Abs. 2 SGB VI) — not from the date of departure. The employer share is not refunded.
Often yes and often worthwhile: the departure year brings a refund (incomplete work year, relocation deductions). Filing from abroad is possible; leaving sometimes creates an obligation — check.
Citizens of non-EU countries without a pension agreement: yes, the employee share is refunded — 9.3 percent of gross across all your years, half of the 18.6 percent total rate; § 210 (3) SGB VI refunds exactly what the insured person bore themselves. ⚠️ The deadline is more precise than usually written: under § 210 (2) SGB VI the 24 calendar months run from **leaving compulsory insurance**, not from your departure, and no new compulsory insurance may have arisen in that time. If you stopped working months before moving, your clock started earlier. EU citizens get no refund; the periods count towards a future pension.
After the deposit refund, the last utility statement and the tax refund — in practice 6–12 months after leaving. Online banks can be run from abroad for free.
File it as usual — often with a refund, since the year is incomplete. State your foreign address and account.