Your company pension plan belongs to you and is as flexible as you need it to be.

During this time, no contributions will be paid to the insurance company via your employer. You can decide for yourself whether you want to suspend the payment of contributions or transfer the contributions from your account. Regardless of how long the contract was suspended, you can resume paying contributions immediately after your maternity/parental leave entitlement.

No, you don't have to pay the contributions yourself. It's your decision whether to suspend them or continue paying. Your employer typically doesn't contribute during this time either.

That's actually quite straightforward. Just let us know in advance, and we'll take care of the rest for you! However, it is important that you start your occupational pension scheme again immediately after resuming your employment, especially if you are on extended parental leave. Otherwise, it may be the case that your contract can no longer be saved with new contributions and therefore an additional contract must be concluded for future contributions.

This is always the case if something changes to the contribution amount during this time. Missing contributions have an impact on your future pension amount. However, as the effects are to be seen in relation to the entire term of the contract, they are usually not very large - depending on the duration of the contribution reduction / contribution waiver.
However, there is a special feature here: if your company pension plan also provides benefits in the event of a loss of your ability to work (e.g. in the event of occupational disability), it is usually necessary to pay the contributions privately so that the insurance cover is not lost during maternity/parental leave.

That's us, whether you're currently working or on parental leave. We're here for you! You can send us a message via the contact page or schedule a short meeting right away.

If your employment continues, for example, due to long-term illness without continued payment of wages, your employer will not transfer contributions for occupational pension provision during this period. If you do not take over the payment of contributions yourself, they will be suspended during the period without continued payment of wages and will automatically resume when your wage payments resume.

You can then temporarily take over the contribution payments yourself so that there are no gaps in your retirement benefits. In this case, you transfer the contributions from your own account. It's important that you inform us beforehand so that we can notify the insurance company accordingly and ensure that the money is correctly accounted for.

Yes, there are options to pause your contribution payments during your illness. If your employment continues due to long-term illness without continued wage payment, your employer will not transfer contributions for company pension during this time. If you do not take over the contribution payment yourself, it will be paused during the period without wage payment and will automatically resume when your wage payment is resumed.

This is always the case if something changes to the contribution amount during this time. Missing contributions have an impact on your future pension amount. However, as the effects are to be seen in relation to the entire term of the contract, they are usually not very large - depending on the duration of the contribution reduction / contribution waiver.
However, there is a special feature here: if your company pension plan also provides benefits in the event of the loss of your ability to work (e.g. in the event of occupational disability), it is usually necessary to pay the contributions privately so that the insurance cover is not lost during your illness.

"It is possible to reduce or suspend contributions. It is important to note that the insurance terms specify deadlines for later increases or resumption of contribution payments. Therefore, always inquire about these deadlines if you only want to temporarily reduce your contribution."

Payment breaks or reductions in contributions have a long-term effect on the amount of your pension, as less capital is accumulated and therefore only a small pension or payout may be available at retirement age.
Particular caution is required if your company pension plan also provides benefits in the event of the loss of your ability to work (e.g. in the event of occupational disability). Payment breaks can then lead to a loss of insurance cover and a restoration of full insurance cover without a new health check and/or higher contributions is then only possible within certain time limits.

To resume your contribution payments, simply get in touch with us. Let us know in good time and we'll take care of the rest for you. You can arrange a meeting with us directly on our contact page or send us a message.

If you no longer wish to make further contributions, you can terminate your agreement on deferred compensation. Your contribution payments will then be suspended and your contract balance will continue to participate in the performance of your plan.

The tax and social security advantages associated with your company pension plan are only granted on condition that the contract is reserved for the pension plan. For this reason, even if you terminate the deferred compensation, the contract value cannot be paid out until you reach retirement age.

As is so often the case, there are exceptions:

In connection with the termination of your employment, the contract value can be paid out upon request after you leave. However, this is only possible if the contract balance is still low. This is the case if the monthly pension to be paid at retirement age based on your current contract value does not exceed the current amount of 59.33 euros (as of 2026). Please note: The amount paid out must then also be taxed in the same year and additional contributions for health and long-term care insurance may apply. We recommend that you continue your company pension with your new employer if you change jobs. You are even legally entitled to do so within 12 months of leaving your old job!

Another exception – which is independent of the balance in your contract – applies if you leave Germany permanently and, in this context, you request a refund of your contributions to the statutory pension insurance. The possibility of such a refund only exists for countries outside the European Union and also depends on which home country you are returning to. You can get more information about this from the German Pension Insurance.

The benefit payable in the event of your death according to the insurance contract can, for tax reasons, only be paid to the so-called survivors, and in particular to the following individuals:

Your spouse or registered partner in a civil partnership Your children, as long as you are still entitled to child benefit for them Your named life partner or partner in an unregistered civil partnership (de facto life partnership)* Further details, such as the order of beneficiaries, can be found in the insurance conditions of your direct insurance policy.

If there are no survivors within the tax-allowed group of individuals, the insurance company will pay a death benefit (currently up to 8,000 EUR) to your heirs or to another person named by you upon request.

*) In addition, further requirements must be met, e.g., a shared household, to effectively establish a beneficiary designation in favor of a life partner.

Please let us know whom you would like to designate as your beneficiary and the familial relationship (e.g., life partner, sibling, mother) they have to you. We will then assess whether and to what extent designation is possible and provide you with the necessary application if required. For your spouse and children, designation usually does not require a separate application, as they are already designated as beneficiaries according to the insurance contract.

Sort this out right from the start so your funds can be allocated clearly.

If you do not specify any beneficiaries, your surviving dependants will receive the insurance benefit in accordance with the conditions. If there are no surviving dependants, benefits will be paid in accordance with the provisions on death benefits. (See also question: Who is the beneficiary in the event of death?)

Yes, you can change your beneficiaries within the permitted group of persons (see question: Who is a beneficiary in the event of death?). Please inform us of any changes in good time so that we can take the necessary steps.