Pension in Germany for Ukrainians

This page is for Ukrainians of retirement age in Germany, and for people who work here and are thinking about their future pension. It covers the conditions for a German pension, why your Ukrainian work record does not count, what support there is for older people, and how not to lose your Ukrainian pension.

# When can you get a German pension?

The standard old-age pension (Regelaltersrente) is granted under two conditions: at least five years of contributions to the German pension insurance, and reaching retirement age. For foreign nationals the age limits are the same as for German citizens.

The pension is paid from the month after the conditions are met, if you apply no later than the end of the third calendar month after that. If you apply later, the pension is paid only from the month of your application.

# Does your Ukrainian work record count?

No. The social security agreement between Germany and Ukraine was signed in Kyiv on 7 November 2018, and in 2020 Germany passed an act approving it, but Ukraine has not ratified the agreement. There is no notice of its entry into force in the Federal Law Gazette: we checked the issues from 2023 to 2026. The German Pension Insurance (DRV) explicitly states that for it Ukraine is a country without an agreement (“vertragsloses Ausland”), and that years worked in Ukraine do not count toward the minimum five-year insurance period for a German pension. The only exception is for recognized late resettlers of German origin (Spätaussiedler).

While the agreement is not in force, you contact your regional DRV office about pension matters. If your last contribution in Germany went to DRV Bund, you contact DRV Bund, and if you paid even one contribution to DRV Knappschaft-Bahn-See, you contact that office.

# How is a German pension calculated?

The pension is calculated in points (Entgeltpunkte). A year of work at the average German wage gives one point; lower or higher earnings give proportionally fewer or more points. Each month of raising a child earns 0.0833 points.

The monthly pension equals the total points multiplied by the pension value (aktueller Rentenwert) and by adjustment factors. From 1 July 2026 the pension value is €42.52; a year earlier it was €40.79. So one year of work at average earnings gives about €42.52 of old-age pension a month before deductions.

The supplement for a long insurance record with low earnings (Grundrente) is calculated only if you have at least 33 years of qualifying periods. Since only German years count, it is most likely out of reach for people who arrived recently (this is our conclusion; the DRV has made no separate statement on it).

# What support is there for older people without a pension?

If you have reached retirement age and do not have sufficient means, you can get basic support in old age (Grundsicherung im Alter) from the social welfare office (Sozialamt). Holders of a § 24 permit, and people who have a Fiktionsbescheinigung after the identity check procedure, have full access to it. Back in 2022 the pension insurance announced that people from Ukraine of retirement age can apply for this support in the same way as German pensioners.

The amount of support is set by the same standard rate as for Grundsicherungsgeld: in 2026, €563 a month for a person who lives alone, plus housing costs. A trip abroad of up to four weeks does not take away the right to this support.

Anyone who receives an old-age pension, including a Ukrainian one, and has access to that money, as a rule does not receive Grundsicherungsgeld from the Jobcenter (the employment office that grants basic income support), however small the pension. In 2025 the government explained that the exclusion is not limited to German pensions: a foreign pension closes access if it is similar to a German old-age pension (it is paid by a public body, it is linked to age and it replaces earnings), and this is checked in each case. Such people turn to the Sozialamt, and the Ukrainian pension counts as income.

If the bill to move some Ukrainians to payments under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act (AsylbLG) is passed in its current wording, people of retirement age who were first issued a § 24 permit after 31 March 2025 will receive AsylbLG payments (€455 for one adult) instead of basic support in old age. As of 12 October 2026 this is only a bill, and the current rules apply.

# How do you receive a Ukrainian pension while living in Germany?

The Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) continues to pay pensions to people who live abroad temporarily, on two conditions: you complete physical identification every year by 31 December, and you have an account with a Ukrainian bank. The pension is transferred only to accounts at authorized banks in Ukraine.

Under Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 299, people living abroad temporarily are those who spend at least 183 days a year abroad, or who received temporary protection or refugee status because of Russia’s aggression and have not obtained documents for permanent residence abroad under Article 4 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Procedure for Exit from Ukraine and Entry into Ukraine of Citizens of Ukraine”.

You can complete identification in three ways:

1. online on the PFU portal (portal.pfu.gov.ua) or in the PFU app with Diia.Signature;
2. by video call (Google Meet, Signal, Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp, Zoom); you can book a call online or by phone at 0800 503 753, (044) 281 08 70, (044) 281 08 71;
3. at a Ukrainian embassy or consulate: they issue a certificate that the person is alive, and it is sent to the PFU.

If you do not complete identification by 31 December, payment stops from 1 January. It resumes if you complete identification within a year after it stopped. The missed amounts are then paid under the pension insurance law: for no more than three years, with 12 months paid at once and the rest in monthly installments no larger than the monthly pension.

# Is a Ukrainian pension taxed in Germany?

Under the 1995 agreement for the avoidance of double taxation, which applies for 2025 and 2026, pensions for past employment are taxed by the state that pays them. We did not find an official explanation of how the German tax office treats a resident’s Ukrainian pension. Under the new agreement, signed on 19 May 2026, pensions from social insurance will be taxed only by the country that pays them, but this agreement is not yet in force. More on the page Taxes in Germany for Ukrainians.

# Can you receive a German pension in Ukraine?

Yes. In 2024 the pension insurance announced that, through the Deutsche Post pension service, it also pays pensions to accounts at banks in Ukraine. If a payment does not go through, you can give another account, for example one abroad.

# What mistakes should you avoid?

• Expecting your Ukrainian work record to help you get a German pension: the agreement is not in force.
• Missing the PFU identification by 31 December: payment will stop from 1 January.
• Not telling the Jobcenter or the Sozialamt about your Ukrainian pension.
• Applying for a German pension late: the pension is then paid only from the month of your application.