Pension: This is how community service and military service count for retirement

14 years ago, compulsory military service in Germany was suspended. From 2027, young men will now be patterned for their suitability by law, even if military service should remain voluntary.

Some older semesters will remember their own time in military or community service. In addition to experiences for life, military and community service providers were also able to gain points for the pension. The same applies to today’s voluntary services. But how exactly do you benefit? The most important questions and answers.

Until June 30, 2011, the compulsory military service, which could be met by military service, had been fulfilled for men in Germany. Basic military service last lasted six months, in the 1960s it was up to 18 months. The time of the basic military service was completely counted as a contribution time for the pension. In addition, times can come for military exercises if the employer has not paid any salary during this time.

Anyone who has performed civil service instead of military service will also receive this time as a contribution time in pension insurance. Civil service could be performed by December 31, 2011.

However, according to German pension insurance, other social services are not taken into account, but which the obligation to pay civil service was fulfilled. These include the service:

Wehr and civilian service providers did not have to deposit into the pension fund themselves. Instead, the federal government paid the contributions to the pension fund. The amount of the contributions was not based on the (comparatively low) military gold or civilian money, but based on a defined fictional income. This is based on the average earnings of all social security employees and has been steadily adapted over the years.

The compulsory military service was suspended on July 1, 2011, but since then you can continue to volunteer for military service. Up to 23 months of voluntary military service are possible. The federal government also takes on the contributions to the pension insurance based on a fictitious income for volunteers.

As of January 1, 2020, the conditions were improved here again: since then, fictional earnings have been 80 percent (previously 60 percent) of the assumed average income. 2025 the reference variable is 3745 euros a month, 80 percent of which is 2996 euros.

Anyone who does a voluntary social year (FSJ), voluntary ecological year (FÖJ) or a federal voluntary service (BFD) also collects plus points for retirement. The employer only pays the contributions to the pension insurance (as well as unemployment, health and nursing insurance).

In contrast to military service, the voluntary services for the contribution calculation are only credited to actual earnings (“pocket money”) plus any non -cash payments (accommodation, meals, work clothes, traffic).

Even if the contribution payments are not particularly high: the well -written insurance period alone can be valuable at the end of working life to get 35 or 45 years with which you can retire. The voluntary services last 6 to 18 months and 24 months in exceptional cases. FSJ and FÖJ are possible up to the age of 27, the BFD without restriction.

Actually not. Bundeswehr, Federal Office for Community Service or the employer of the voluntary service concerned must report the service times from the pension insurance, where they are stored in the personal pension account.

But mistakes happen. Therefore, one should check whether the times are correctly stored in the insurance process of pension insurance. An overview can be requested from the responsible pension insurance institution.