International Programs
Totalization Agreement with Germany
Introduction
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.
Internet: https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/Nord/DE/Home/home_node.html
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
Internet: https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/Bund/DE/Home/home_node.html
Pension Insurance for Wage Earners and Salaried Employees (International)
Deutsche Rentenversicherung Nord
Freie-und Hansestadt-Hamburg
Friedrich-Ebert-Damm 245
22159 Hamburg
GERMANY
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Eliminating dual coverage for self-employment
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.
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German certificates for employees
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.
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German certificates for self-employed workers
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:
- Full name (including maiden name for a married woman);
- Date and place of birth;
- Citizenship;
- Country of permanent residence;
- U.S. and German social security number;
- Nature of self-employment activity;
- Dates the activity was or will be performed; and
- Name and address of your trade or business in both countries.
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Monthly benefits
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.
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Retirement or old-age benefits |
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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:
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*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 |
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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.
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Family benefits to dependents of retired or disabled people |
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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.
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Survivors benefits |
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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). Reduced benefit as early as age 60 (or age 50 if disabled) if not caring for a child. Benefits may be continued if remarriage occurs after age 60 (or age 50 if disabled). |
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. If marriage ended after June 30, 1977, benefits may be payable based on the former spouse’s own insurance record. Former spouse must be unmarried and raising a child entitled to benefits. |
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.
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Special benefits from Miners’ Pension Insurance |
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United States |
Germany |
None |
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.” |
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How benefits can be paid
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.
- Benefits from the United States - If you do not have enough work credits under the U.S. system to qualify for regular benefits, you may be able to qualify for a partial benefit from the United States based on both United States and German credits. However, to be eligible to have your German credits counted, you must have earned at least six credits (generally one and one-half years of work) under the U.S. system. Since the U.S. Social Security program did not begin until 1937, any German coverage earned before that year cannot be counted. If you already have enough credits under the U.S. system to qualify for a benefit, the United States cannot count your German credits.
- Benefits from Germany - Social security credits from both countries can also be counted, when necessary, to meet the eligibility requirements for German benefits. To be eligible to have your United States and German credits counted, you must have at least 18 months of coverage credited under the German system.
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Claims for benefits
If you live in the United States and wish to apply for United States or German benefits:
- Visit or write any U.S. Social Security office.
- Phone our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. any business day. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call our toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.
- Complete SSA-2490-BK (Application for Benefits Under a U.S. International Social Security Agreement) and mail to your local Social Security Administration office.
If you live in Germany and wish to apply for U.S. or German benefits, contact:
Federal Benefits Unit
United States Consulate General
Giessener Strasse 30
60435 Frankfurt
GERMANY - Any German social security office to file for U.S. 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:
- The worker’s United States Social Security number.
- German social security numbers.
- Proof of age for all claimants.
- Evidence of the worker’s U.S. earnings in the past 24 months.
- Information about the worker’s coverage under the German system.
You may wish to call the social security office before you go there to see if you need any other information.
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Payment of benefits
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.”
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For more information about Germany's social security programs
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.
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German Insurance Agencies |
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If your most recent social security tax was paid to the: |
Write to: |
Pension Insurance for Wage Earners and Salaried Employees (Federal)
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Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund |
| Pension Insurance for Wage Earners and Salaried Employees (International) | Deutsche Rentenversicherung Nord |
Miners’ Pension Insurance, Pension Insurance for Railroad Workers, or Pension Insurance for Mariners |
Deutsche Rentenversicherung |