German pension refund agencies: fees and coverage compared

If you paid into the German pension system and then left, several agencies offer to apply for a refund of those contributions and keep a share of what is paid out. We set three that publish their fees beside what we do. Many of these firms also file the paperwork or move the money, which we do not. We compare them with us on four things only: identification, price, coverage and who keeps the money. We never hold client money and we never take a share of it. Every fee below is quoted from the agency's own page, read on 20 October 2026, and listed with its address in the sources at the end.

The three agencies, in their own words

Pension Redemption

Pension Redemption GmbH works with contributions paid "while working in Germany, Switzerland or Denmark". Its page states: "Our fees are 14,8% of the refunded amount". The same page says the rate "is currently reduced to 9,5% as a summer offer".

PR Pension Refund

PR Pension Refund GmbH states "10% commission on the refunded amount". It also states "We do NOT have a minimum fee." and, for large refunds, "we will charge a maximum fee of 2,800€".

Germany Pension Refund

Germany Pension Refund is "a private service operated by ATLAES GmbH". Its pricing page states "Our service fee is 9.75% of your refunded amount", "Capped at €2,500 including VAT" and "Low fee. No minimum. Never more than €2,500."

What we do instead

We identify pensions you may have left in the countries you worked in, across 41 countries, using official sources. We identify only. You then contact each fund, or apply, yourself. We do not give financial advice. For Germany, as for every country we cover, our report names what may exist and the official route to it.

The Country Pension Identification Report is $99 for one country. The Enhanced Pension Identification Report is $129 for two countries. The Global Pension Identification Report is $149 for three or more countries. If our report finds nothing material, you get a full refund. The refund terms are on our pricing page.

Worked example

Take a made-up case: someone worked in Germany for three years, left, and the refund would come to €6,000. Each figure below is the provider's own published rate applied to that refund. None of the caps is reached.

• Pension Redemption at 14,8%: €888, or €570 at its 9,5% summer offer
• PR Pension Refund at 10%: €600
• Germany Pension Refund at 9.75%: €585
• PensionHunter: $99 for the Germany report, about €88. You then make the application yourself.

Converted figures use the European Central Bank's euro reference rates of 19 October 2026, read on 20 October 2026, and are approximate.

Comparison table

When a percentage costs less

A percentage falls with the refund and a flat fee does not. On the same rates, Pension Redemption's 14,8% costs less than our fee only on a refund under about €590, PR Pension Refund's 10% under about €880, and Germany Pension Refund's 9.75% under about €900.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper for a German refund of €6,000? On that made-up figure our $99 report, about €88, costs less than each agency's published rate, which comes to €585, €600 or €888.

Do you make the refund application? No. We identify only. You make the application yourself, and we never receive or hold the money.

Why would anyone pay a percentage then? Because the agencies also prepare and file the application and follow it up, which we do not. That work is what their fee pays for.

Do you cover more than Germany? Yes. One report can cover any of the 41 countries we cover, and the Global report covers all of them for $149.

Do you take a share of what is paid out? No. We charge a flat fee per report and never take a share of any pension or refund.

Sources

Every fee on this page, quoted from the provider's own page, with the date we read it.

• Pension Redemption GmbH, its page: "Our fees are 14,8% of the refunded amount" (read 20 October 2026).
• Pension Redemption GmbH, its page: "which is currently reduced to 9,5% as a summer offer" (read 20 October 2026).
• Pension Redemption GmbH, its page: "while working in Germany, Switzerland or Denmark" (read 20 October 2026).
• PR Pension Refund GmbH, its page: "10% commission on the refunded amount" (read 20 October 2026).
• PR Pension Refund GmbH, its page: "we will charge a maximum fee of 2,800€" (read 20 October 2026).
• PR Pension Refund GmbH, its page: "We do NOT have a minimum fee." (read 20 October 2026).
• Germany Pension Refund (ATLAES GmbH), its page: "Our service fee is 9.75% of your refunded amount" (read 20 October 2026).
• Germany Pension Refund (ATLAES GmbH), its page: "Capped at €2,500 including VAT" (read 20 October 2026).
• Germany Pension Refund (ATLAES GmbH), its page: "Low fee. No minimum. Never more than €2,500." (read 20 October 2026).
• Germany Pension Refund (ATLAES GmbH), its page: "a private service operated by ATLAES GmbH" (read 20 October 2026).
• European Central Bank, euro reference rates: "USD US dollar 1.1225" (rates of 19 October 2026, read 20 October 2026).

Where to start

The official route for each country we cover is listed in our directory of official pension portals. Our free check asks where you worked and when, and shows which countries may hold a pension for you. Our pricing page shows what a report costs.