Working in Germany and Canada. Which benefits can you get in both countries Pension payment even abroad Your contact persons

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1 Working in Germany and Canada Which benefits can you get in both countries Pension payment even abroad Your contact persons

2 Statutory pension is and remains the most important component for old-age security. Competent partner in matters regarding old-age provision is the Deutsche Rentenversicherung. It serves 52 million insured persons and more than 20 million retirees. The brochure is a part of our extensive consultancy services. Information. Advice. Assistance. The Deutsche Rentenversicherung. 3 rd Edition (7/2015)

3 Working without borders Have you worked in Canada for some time or do you want to emigrate there? Are you a Canadian citizen currently working in Germany? You are probably asking yourself how working in different countries will later on have an impact on your pension. After all, Canada and Germany have different systems of social security. This is true, but we can reassure you. Germany and Canada have concluded a treaty in order to intercept potential disadvantages for you. In this brochure, you will find out what the German-Canadian social security agreement is, how it affects German law and what you are entitled to in Canada. However, if you still have questions, you can contact us at any time. This brochure was compiled with the greatest care. However, we cannot assume liability for the correctness of the information on foreign law. Please consult your appropriate competent local authority for binding legal information.

4 Contents One country two contracts How am I insured? Be a voluntary member in Germany Reimbursement of German contributions Can I undergo rehabilitation? Pension how the treaty helps you German pension - the basic requirements The right German pension for you 31 Miners special benefits from the miners association 32 Benefits from Canadian pension insurance Commencement of pension and pension application Pension even abroad How is my health insured as a pensioner? Your contact persons Just one step away: Your pension insurance

5 One country two contracts Canada is made up of ten provinces and three territories. Each province is governed by a provincial government which can establish its own laws especially in the domain of social affairs. Quebec is the only province with its own Pension Insurance. On November 14, 1985, Germany and Canada concluded a social insurance agreement which came into effect April 1, Furthermore, since April 1, 2014, a social security agreement has existed in connection with the province of Quebec. The agreement of April 20, 2010 has now replaced the earlier agreement of May 4, Please note: On April 20, 2010, a new agreement was signed with Quebec. It will become valid soon. However, there have been no fundamental changes in pension insurance. The treaty is aimed at every person who was covered by the German or Canadian pension insurance at any time. The treaty applies to people who live in Quebec or those who have paid contributions to Quebec s pension insurance. Some regulations of the treaty/agreement only apply to German and Canadian citizens as well as to refugees and stateless persons. Both agreements also cover surviving dependents who derive benefits from these persons surviving dependants pensions are also included. Please note: Since the treaty and the agreement are very similar, this brochure will focus only on the treaty. We will be making you aware of particularities in relation to Quebec. The treaty refers to the statutory pension insurance in Germany and to the Canadian national pension system Old Age Security OAS and the contribution-related system Canada Pension Plan. The agreement includes Quebec s own contribution related system Régime de rentes du Québec/Quebec Pension Plan. Since April 1, 2014 the agreement also includes accident insurance.

6 How am I insured? According to the agreement, then the provisions of the country in which you work apply fundamentally. If you work in Germany, the German legal provisions will apply for you. The Canadian provisions will not apply. If you work in Canada, compulsory insurance solely conforms to Canadian law. However, there are exceptions. Posting If you are working for your German employer for a limited period in Canada, i.e. you have been posted by your employer - compulsory insurance during the first 60 calendar months will conform to the German legal provisions. You will continue to be covered by the German pension insurance. If the duration of the posting is extended to more than those 60 months, or if it is clear from the beginning that it will last more than five years, then the Canadian provisions will apply from the 61 st month, or from the beginning of employment. This also applies to self-employed persons. Agreement of exception You can also continue to be covered by the German pension insurance for longer than the 60 calendar months if you and your employer apply for this. The competent authorities in Germany and Canada can make alternative provisions on the applicable legal provisions. This is then a so-called agreement of exception. You have to file the application together with your employer. In Germany, your contact person is the GKV-Spitzenverband Deutsche Verbindungsstelle Krankenversicherung Ausland (DVKA). The addresses of DVKA and the competent authorities in Canada can be found as from page 49. Please note: If during employment in Canada you are still obligated to make insurance contributions in Germany, this compulsory insurance also applies for unemployment insurance, alongside the pension insurance, and in Quebec also for accident insurance. Due to the German regulations (so-called radiance) you may also need to take other insurances with regard to social security, such as nursing care insurance and health insurance. This decision is made by the health insurance company to which your employer pays social insurance contributions. Please understand that we can only give you an overview of the treaty in this publication. If you have further questions (e.g. regarding employees in civil service or on a ship under the Canadian flag) please contact your pension insurance company in Germany or Canada. You will find the addresses in the chapter as from page 48.

7 Our tip: On the DVKA website you can find out more about the issue of posting and agreement of exception during employment in Canada/Quebec under the Arbeiten im Ausland column. Compulsory separate-proposal insurance If during your employment in Canada you are not obligated to make insurance contributions in Germany, for example, because you were not posted, you can compulsorily insure yourself in the statutory pension insurance upon application. Your employer should file the application. Your employer then pays the contributions for you. You can also come to an agreement with your employer in which you pay a share of the contributions. Please note: There is a possibility of compulsory insurance in Canada in addition to compulsory separate-proposal insurance in Germany. Hence, it can lead to double contributions for you or your employer respectively. In this case, consult your German pension insurance office. You will find the addresses on pages 48 and 49.

8 Be a voluntary member in Germany With voluntary contributions, you can increase your German pension, acquire a pension entitlement for the first time or cover loopholes. If you live in Germany and you do not have to pay any compulsory contributions, you can voluntarily make contributions to German pension insurance irrespective of your nationality. To do this, you have to be at least 16 years old. As a German, you can always insure yourself voluntarily irrespective of your residence worldwide. Our tip: Further information is contained in our brochure titled Freiwillig rentenversichert: Ihre Vorteile. The brochure is available only in German. Irrespective of one s nationality and residence, anyone who has paid at least one voluntary contribution before October 19, 1972 can get insured in Germany. If you are Canadian and you live in a member state of the European Union, you can voluntarily insure yourself if you have already made a contribution to German pension insurance. If you live in Canada or outside the European Union, you can make voluntary contributions if you have already paid contributions to German pension insurance for 60 months. The regulations also often apply to refugees and stateless persons. Please inform yourself. Voluntary contributions: Your advantages With voluntary contributions, you can fulfil the qualifying period for German pension. However, you can maintain your insurance cover for pension due to partial or full reduction in earning capacity. Our tip: For these pensions, it can be of importance to cover the period from January 1, 1984 up to today consistently with so-called periods of maintenance of entitlements. If you stop making contributions to statutory German pension insurance but you still want to claim one of these pensions, you should let us advise you in advance about your possibilities. You can determine the amount and number of your voluntary contributions yourself. However, there are lowest and highest amounts. You are not bound to the amount of contribution you select. You can change the amount of contribution anytime in the future or stop the payment entirely. You can pay voluntary contributions for the current calendar year only until March 31 st of the following year.

9 Payment of dues Before making voluntary payments, your application has to be approved first. Thereafter, it is advisable to make cashless payment either by debiting your account or that of an authorised representative held at a bank in Germany. It is also possible to transfer the money from within and abroad. Please note: The insurance office does not assume any bank fees, transfer charges or any other charges for bank transactions. For payments from abroad, you should transfer the amount in Euro in order to preclude exchange rate differences. Your contact persons If you would like to apply for voluntary insurance, please get in touch with the insurance office which administers or lastly administered your insurance account. If you live in Germany and you have never paid contributions to statutory pension insurance in Germany, you can file an application with any insurance office. You are not sure about which insurance office is responsible for you? Ask us. You can use our toll-free service telephone in Germany or use our address worldwide. Please read our chapter titled Information. Advice. Assistance.

10 Reimbursement of German contributions If you only worked for some time in Germany and made contributions and you are now returning to your home country, you might want a refund of your German contributions. You will find out in this chapter whether there is this possibility for you. However, you should reconsider this step very well. If your premiums are refunded, the insurance relationship will be terminated. According to the fundamental idea, this can however only happen if you have diverged from the sphere of influence of the German Pension Insurance or you cannot derive any claims from your contributions. You can apply for a refund if you have withdrawn from German insurance liability you cannot be insured in Germany voluntarily at least 24 months have lapsed since withdrawal from German insurance liability. The waiting period of at least 24 calendar months has to be adhered to. In the meantime, renewed insurance liability may not be assumed. The insurance liability in a member state of the European Union or in a country with which Germany has concluded a social security agreement can be equated to the insurance liability in Germany in this context. There is then no possibility of contributions being refunded. Please get advice in this regard. Our tip: You can find out whether you can be insured voluntarily in Germany in the chapter titled Be a voluntary member in Germany. It doesn t play any role whether you really want to insure yourself voluntarily. If you have reached the regular pension age and have made the contributions for less than five years, you can apply for a refund. Behind this regulation lies the idea that you are not entitled to a pension with less than five years of contribution. The contributions will then be refunded without the waiting period of 24 calendar months. The regular pension age will be increased gradually from 65 to 67 years. Our tip: The insurance periods in Canada/Quebec will also be credited against the five years. Even periods for which you did not pay the contributions yourself (e.g. periods of child-raising) will be considered. Thus, you are still possibly entitled to a German pension. Periods from other countries with a treaty can also count. Survivors can apply for a refund of contributions of the deceased person if this person had not already paid contributions for five years. Insurance periods from Canada/Quebec will also be taken into consideration for the examination here. The German contributions cannot be paid back if you already receive a foreign pension and this pension can only be paid because German and foreign contributions were summed up.

11 Please note: The contributions cannot be refunded if you have already received a non-cash benefit or payment from them. This could have been for instance payment for medical rehabilitation. Contributions which you have made after the payment can be refunded. If your contributions are refunded, your insurance relationship with German pension insurance will be terminated fully. You cannot assert any claims on periods accumulated up to this point in time. Our tip: Please let yourself be advised thoroughly before you apply for a refund of contributions. A later pension can be a more favourable alternative for you. The contributions can only be refunded upon application. You can file the application informally with any German insurance office or even with a local German embassy or consulate. Since you may also file your application in your native language, you do not have to engage an authorised representative or an interpreter. The addresses of the German insurance offices can be found in the chapter titled Information. Advice. Assistance. Please note: The contributions are regularly not refunded to the full amount! Employees for instance only get their share of the compulsory contributions. For voluntary contributions, only half the amount is refunded and contributions which you did not help to pay will not be refunded at all. This includes credits for bringing up children. Interest is also not paid for the contributions. German nationals Basically, as a German you can apply for a refund of your German contributions if you have reached the regular pension age and have paid less than 60 contributions.

12 Can I undergo rehabilitation? Benefits for medical rehabilitation and for re-integration into working life are among the benefits of German Pension Insurance. Rehabilitation benefits should help to prevent or overcome diseases and disabilities so that you can be fit for everyday life and your career. Benefits for re-integration into working life involve, for example, handicapped-friendly building alterations at the workplace or re-training and further training. In order to get benefits for medical rehabilitation or re-integration into working life, you must meet some requirements such as a specific minimum insurance period among others. According to the treaty, you can meet the minimum insurance period through your German as well as your Canadian contribution periods. Please note: If you live abroad, you must be compulsorily insured in German Pension Insurance when filing the application. Moreover, you cannot demand rehabilitation benefits if you reside in Canada. You can find further details in our brochures Medizinische Rehabilitation: Wie sie Ihnen hilft and Berufliche Rehabilitation: Ihre neue Chance.

13 Pension how the treaty helps you The treaty ensures that if you have worked in Germany and Canada disadvantages will not emerge in pension matters. On the contrary the agreement actually helps you receive pension from both countries. According to the treaty, your German and Canadian insurance periods can be totalled up. That way, your Canadian insurance period can be added to the pension from German pension insurance for which you have not completed a sufficient insurance period. In this way the requirements may perhaps be met after all. Two pension entitlements The addition of German and Canadian insurance periods for your pension entitlement does not, however, result in a full pension. In fact, both states check whether you meet the requirements for a German or Canadian pension. If the conditions of entitlement are present in both countries, you will obtain a pension from Germany and also one from Canada. If you (initially) meet the requirements of just one of the contractual states, then you will receive just this one pension. Pension calculation Although your German and Canadian insurance periods will be totalled up, your German pension will be calculated solely on the basis of your German insurance periods. The Canadian pension is calculated only on the basis of your insurance periods in Canada. Our advice: You will find more information about the pension calculation in our free brochure: Pension: How it is calculated.

14 German pension the basic requirements In order to receive a German pension, you generally must fulfil certain requirements. Apart from having reached a certain age for an old-age pension, for all pensions you must have completed a stipulated minimum insurance period (qualifying period) as well. The requirement for each German pension is that you have made contributions for a certain period of time, respectively that creditable periods of insurance exist. This minimum insurance period also referred to as a qualifying period amounts to 5, 15, 20, 35 or 45 years depending on the type of pension. The following are valid for the qualifying periods of 5 and 15 years: contribution periods (compulsory and voluntary contributions) substitute qualifying period (e.g. periods of political persecution in the German Democratic Republic), periods from an adjustment of pension rights or pension splitting as well as periods from supplements for a marginal part-time employment (so-called minijob). Further information regarding the German periods is available in the brochure titled Rente: Jeder Monat zählt. For the 35-year qualifying period in Germany, also creditable periods and periods to be taken into consideration count. Creditable periods are for instance periods when you were sick, fell under the protection of expectant and nursing mothers or were jobless. Periods when you were in school or studying can also be creditable periods. Periods to be taken into consideration are periods of child-raising or nursing care. The following count for the qualifying period of 45 years: compulsory contribution periods for an insured employment or activity substitute qualifying period (e.g. periods of political persecution in the German Democratic Republic), periods from an adjustment of pension rights or pension splitting as well as periods from bonuses for marginal part-time employment periods to be taken into consideration. voluntary contributions if at least 18 years of obligatory contributions from an insurable employment or self-employment are concerned as well as periods regarding unemployment benefit as a result of bankruptcy or cessation of business and regarding sickness benefits and transitional payments Certain periods cannot be considered (for example periods of school education), periods when unemployment benefit II or unemployment assistance were received and periods from pensions rights adjustment or pension splitting. Voluntary contributions that had been made during the last two years before the German pension began and which were simultaneous to creditable periods during unemployment also cannot be considered: Further information regarding the German periods is available in the brochure titled Rente: Jeder Monat zählt.

15 Our tip: According to the treaty, your Canadian insurance period can also be totalled up with your German insurance period for the qualifying period. Special requirements pursuant to insurance law In some German pensions you must meet special, additional requirements pursuant to insurance law. Here, you must have paid sufficient compulsory contributions for an insured employment or freelance work during certain periods of time (e.g. within five years.) This applies, among others, to the pension for reduced earning capacity and old-age pension due to unemployment/old age part-time employment. Please read the chapter: The right German insurance for you. You can certainly also meet the required compulsory contributions with compulsory contributions in Canada. Please note: In the Old Age Security in Canada, insurance periods can arise under certain circumstances due to your stay there. The so-called residence periods will be taken into account if you have lived in Canada since you were born or you have Canadian citizenship or a long-term residential permit as an immigrant. With the residence periods, however, the special requirements pursuant to insurance law cannot be met. However your contribution periods to the Canada Pension Plan or the Quebec Pension Plan can help you here. If, through no fault of your own, you cannot account for certain months (e.g. due to pregnancy or sickness) within the stipulated period of time, the basic period of time will be extended by this number of months in the past in order to consider other compulsory contributions. According to the treaty, the period can be extended by: acquiring Canadian disability benefit or retirement pension, acquiring Canadian benefits due to illness, unemployment or occupational injury and raising children in Canada.

16 The right German pension for you The German Pension Insurance pays pension due to reduced earning capacity, retirement pension and the so-called pension due to death. In this chapter, you will find out under which conditions you can claim one of these pensions. In the chapter Pension how the treaty helps you, you will find out how you can meet certain requirements for a German pension even with Canadian insurance periods. At this point, we would like to inform you about the benefits you can get from German pension insurance. Our tip: If you would like to know for which German pension you already meet the requirements, request pension information from your pension insurance company. You will find all the information there. Pension will decrease In Germany you have to reckon with permanent pension will decrease if you get old-age pension prior to your regular pension age. For each month that you claim pension in advance, your pension will be reduced by 0.3 percent (by 18 percent at the most). Example: Maria F. will be 61 years old on June 27, Her retirement pension for women should commence on July 1, 2012 brought forward by four years. The pension will decrease for this pension amounts to 14.4 percent. In order for you to be able to determine the amount of your decrease, you can decide when your pension commences. However, before you settle for a certain retirement pension, keep in mind that it won t be possible to change to another retirement pension (with fewer reductions). The decision you make is permanent. Please seek advice. This is also important because in some cases there are exceptions. For the pensions due to reduction of earning capacity and all old-age pensions prior to reaching the regular pension age additional earnings can have a negative impact on the amount of pension. Income will be credited against pensions due to death. Read more about this as from page 30. Pension due to reduced earning capacity You can get this pension if you are partially incapable of work due to illness or disability, fulfil the qualifying period of five years or you fulfil it in advance (for instance due to an accident at work) and had paid compulsory contributions for three years for an insured employment or activity in the last five years prior to becoming partially incapable of work or have fulfilled the qualifying period of five years before January 1, 1984 and each month starting from January 1, 1984 until the event of insurance occurs is covered with periods for which pension entitlements have been secured. The pension will be paid only until you have reached the regular pension age.

17 Your pension office will check on the basis of medical documents whether you are partially or fully incapable of work. You will receive pension due to full reduction of earning capacity if you can work three hours a day in the general job market. If you can work more than three hours but less than six hours daily, you will get pension because of partial reduction of earning capacity. Basically, you will get pension due to reduction of earning capacity for a limited period three years at the most. It can be extended if the health restrictions are still present. Our advice: In the brochure titled Erwerbsminderungsrente: Das Netz für alle Fälle, you will find full particulars on pensions due to reduction in earning capacity. This also contains further information regarding particularities for handicapped people. Regular old-age pension You have a right to regular old-age pension if you have reached the age of 63 and have completed periods of insurance for 45 years. For those who were born in 1953 and later, the pension age increases gradually from 63 years to 65 years. For those who were born in 1964 and later, the regular pension age is 65 years. As a drawer of regular old-age pension, you can earn extra income without restriction and you don t have to fear reductions. Please note: There may be exceptions for people who are in an old-age part-time work programme or in case of early retirement payments for laid-off miners. Please ask your pension office for advice. They will be happy to help you. Note Detailed information regarding all old-age pensions is contained in the brochure titled Die richtige Altersrente für Sie. Old-age pension for persons insured over a long period You receive this old-age pension if you have fulfilled the qualifying period of 35 years. Retirement age is calculated by your year of birth: If you were born before 1949, retirement age is 65. For the birth cohorts between 1949 and 1963, retirement age is increased progressively so that those born in 1964 and later can claim an old age pension without deductions at 67 years of age. However, they may also receive this old-age pension from the age of 63 already, provided they are willing to pay pension will decreases of 0.3 per cent per month. If they were born in 1964 or later, the decrease amounts up to a maximum of 14.4 per cent. Please note: There may be exceptions for people who are in an old-age part-time work programme or in case of early retirement payments for laid-off miners. Please ask your pension office for advice. They will be happy to help you.

18 Retirement pension for severely handicapped persons If you are severely handicapped, you can receive an early pension if you complete the qualifying period of 35 years. According to German law, as a severely disabled person, you have to be recognised with a disability of at least 50 percent (you have to be able to present a certificate). If you reside in Canada the Bremen Pension Office ( will ascertain the degree of disability. If you reside in another country, you can find out from the pension office which German pension office is responsible for you. Under Canadian law the definition of severe disability is not comparable. For persons who were born before 1952 the minimum age for this pension is 63 years. You can also claim this pension at the age of 60, however you would have to take pension deductions up to a maximum of 10.8% per month into account. If your birth year is from 1952 to 1963, the minimum age for a deduction free pension will be raised progressively from 63 to 65 years. For those born from 1964 onwards, the minimum age is 65. You can claim it at 62 years of age, however you must reckon with pension reductions of 0.3 percent for each month (maximum 10.8 percent) that the pension is being drawn ahead of time. Our tip: If you were born before November 16, 1950, and were severely disabled, unfit for work or income as of November 16, 2000 you have, under certain circumstances, a right to a pension free of deductions at the age of 60. Please enquire at your pension office. Retirement pension for women Women can draw this pension if they were born before For those born after 1952 this pension no longer exists. The minimum age for this pension is 65 years. If you want to draw old-age pension prior to your 65 th birthday, you must reckon with pension deductions of 0.3 percent per month The qualifying period is 15 years. In addition you must have paid compulsory contributions for 10 years after your 40 th birthday. Retirement pension because of unemployment or old age part-time work You can get this pension if you were born before 1952 and have fulfilled the qualifying period of 15 years. In addition you must have paid compulsory contributions for insurable employment or work for 8 years during the 10 years before the commencement of pension. At the commencement of pension you must be unemployed, or upon reaching 58 years and six months you must have been unemployed for a total of 52 weeks or have been in old-age part-time employment as per the German Act on old-age part-time work for two years. The mimimum age for this pension is 65 years. You can claim it beforehand, however, you have to accept pension deductions of 0.3 percent for each month in which the pension is being paid ahead of time. Pension for widows and widowers Upon the death of the spouse, a widow s or widower s pension can be paid if the deceased spouse drew pension until the time of death or completed the qualifying period of five years or this period is completed ahead of time (for example due to an accident at work). Moreover, the surviving spouse may not have remarried.

19 Please note: Same-sex partners who live in civil union are equal to partners of a valid marriage. In order to draw pension, the spouses must have been married for at least a year at the time of death. This minimum period of a year doesn t apply if you were married before January 1, 2002 or the marriage was not contracted due to provision reasons (for example upon the accidental death of the spouse). The widow s or widower s pension can be paid as minor or large pension. In order to receive a large pension, the surviving spouse must have reached the 45 years (gradual increment to 47 years for death occurring from 2012 to 2029) or has to be partially or fully incapable of work or must be raising his/her own child or a child of the deceased person who has not reached 18 years, or has to take care of his/her own child or a child of the deceased person in domestic community who is unable to take care of himself/herself due to physical, mental or psychological disability. If none of these requirements are fulfilled, a minor widow s or widower s pension will be paid. This will be paid for 24 calendar months at the most after the death of the insured person. It is 25 percent of the insured person s pension. The large widow s or widower s pension will be paid permanently. It is 55 percent of the insured person s pension. If you married before January 1, 2002 and a spouse was born before January 2, 1962, the widow s or widower s pension will be 60 percent of the insured person s pension. If pension splitting was done, the surviving spouse has no right to a widow s or widower s pension. Our tip: If a widow or widower remarries, the right to a survivor s pension ceases to apply. Lump-sum settlement can be paid upon application. Detailed information regarding all survivors pension is available in the brochure titled Hinterbliebenenrente Hilfe in schweren Zeiten. Orphan s pension Children receive an orphan s pension (half-orphan s pension) after the death of a parent if they drew pension until the time of death or completed the qualifying period of five years at the time of death or this period was completed ahead of time (for example due to an accident at work). Natural and adopted children of the deceased person as well as stepchildren, foster children, grandchildren and siblings who were primarily supported by him/her and who have been taken into his/her household will obtain the orphan s pension. Orphan s pensions will be paid until the 18 th birthday. The pension can be paid up to the 27 th year of life if the person is in schooling or vocational training or is serving a voluntary social year, a voluntary ecological year, a voluntary military year or is disabled and cannot fend for themselves. Our tip Amongst others the EU Voluntary Service Erasmus +, Young Internationals Voluntary Service and the development aid voluntary service weltwärts count as voluntary service.

20 Other pensions due to death If you were divorced after June 30, 1977 and your former spouse is dead, you can claim a child-raising pension. This will be paid from your own insurance periods if you are raising a child. The same applies to civil unions. You may claim a widow s or widower s pension after the last but one spouse if you remarried or formed a civil union after the death of your former spouse and the new connection was annulled or nullified (e.g. due to death). If you divorced prior to July 1, 1977, a divorced spouse s pension can be paid under certain conditions. Details regarding these pensions are available in the brochure titled Hinterbliebenenrente: Hilfe in schweren Zeiten. Pension and income If you are drawing an income apart from a pension due to reduction in earning capacity or an old-age pension prior to reaching the regular pension age, you may not exceed certain additional earning ceiling. German and foreign remuneration and earned income have a similar effect. You are not allowed to earn more than EUR 400 per month. If you exceed this additional earning ceiling, the pension will be paid as a partial pension or not at all. In the event of pensions due to death, the widow's or widower's income can also have a negative impact on the pension. Please note: More detailed information can be found in our brochure: Altersrentner/Erwerbsminderungsrentner/Hinterbliebener: So viel können Sie hinzu verdienen. Please contact your pension office. They will be happy to help you.

21 Miners special benefits of the miners association In German law, there are special regulations and a specific pension insurance company for those working under a miners association due to the stress and risks that they are exposed to. The miners pension insurance offers special benefits to miners in addition to the pension from the statutory pension insurance: Pension for miners whose ability to work has been reduced through mining, Pension for miners who have reached the age of 50, Retirement pension for miners who have worked underground for a long period of time, Miners association compensatory payment. Our tip: For more details, please contact the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Knappschaft- Bahn-See. You will find the addresses on page 54. You can find more detailed information in our brochure: Bergleute und ihre Rente: So sind Sie versichert

22 Benefits from the Canadian pension insurance If you lived or worked in Canada, you could have a right to old-age pension or invalidity pension. If you are a survivor of a person who worked in Canada, you can receive a survivor s pension. However, at this point we can only give you an overview of the Canadian benefits. Further information is available in English and French from the Canadian authorities. The addresses are available as from page 50. The Canadian pension insurance system is laid out in two parts. For old age security, you are insured via the tax-financed Old Age Security programme (OAS) as a Canadian or socalled legal resident. Besides the OAS, a contribution-related pension insurance system for employees/employers and freelancers the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) has been in existence since 1966, which pays retirement pensions, disability benefits and pensions to surviving dependants. If you work in the province of Quebec, pay your contributions to Quebec Pension Plan QPP (in French: Régime de rentes du Québec). You have to pay the contributions from your annual income when you reach the age of 18. The employer and employee share the contributions, whereas freelancers pay their contribution alone. The contributions are collected by the tax administration. OAS benefits In Canada, anyone who is 65 years old or older and has lived in Canada for at least 10 years after his/her 18 th birthday receives a pension. The minimum retirement age has also been raised in Canada: for persons born after April 1, 1958 it will rise progressively from 65 to 67 years of age until April From January 2029 onwards the retirement age is 67. If one lives outside Canada, a residence period of at least 20 years in Canada after the 18 th birthday is expected so that the OAS pension can be paid abroad. Please note: In order to meet the 10 or 20 years respectively, the periods in which you were insured in or lived in Germany can be considered according to the treaty. This doesn t lead to a higher pension since, as a result of the treaty, each contractual country only calculates the benefits from its insurance periods. You can prove periods of usual residency in Germany through registration confirmations. The pension insurance office in Germany will inform the Canadian pension insurance office (Service Canada) about your German insurance periods. In order to receive a full retirement pension you must have a residence period of at least 40 years in Canada after your 18 th birthday. If you fulfil the minimum requirement for an old age pension claim (10 respectively 20 years), but if you have lived in Canada for fewer than 40 years, then you can only get a proportionate pension. Our advice: The OAS pension is adjusted quarterly (January, April, July, October). The adjusted amount is calculated according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI is determined by Statistics Canada and based on the cost-of-living trend.

23 Income-dependent benefits from the OAS If you are receiving pension from the OAS, you can apply for the following additional benefits if you are in need: a supplement to guarantee a minimum income (Guaranteed Income Supplement - GIS), the allowance (Allowance ALW) for senior citizens between 60 and 64 years who are spouses of partners of OAS-authorised persons and who fulfil residence requirements, the allowance for survivors (Allowance for the Survivor ALWS) for senior citizens between 60 and 64 years who are widowed and meet the residence requirements. The income including additional services may not exceed a certain limit. Please note: You may only claim additional benefits if you live in Canada. If you leave Canada, the additional benefits will continue to be paid for a maximum of six months from the month following departure. Benefits from CPP/QPP CPP and QPP pay almost the same benefits. If you have worked in Quebec then you have paid your contributions to the QPP and the QPP will pay your pension. If you have worked in another province, you have paid your contributions to the CPP and the CPP will pay your pension. If you have contribution periods in both systems, the total contributions will be taken into account. You will then receive benefits based on your contributions to the QPP and the CPP. Retirement pension You have a right to retirement pension if you paid at least one contribution and you have reached the age of 65. You can claim the pension upon reaching 60. In QPP, you must fulfil a minimum insurance period of one year if you want to get pension at 60. Please note: For each month that you claim pension before your 65 th birthday, the reduction will be effective for the duration of pension receipt. The deduction continues to exist during the total time of receipt of a pension. For more detailed information concerning reductions please see: or regarding the QPP If you receive pension after your 65 th birthday, it increases by 0.7 per cent every month (maximally by 42 per cent) Also on this issue you will find more information under and The amount of the old-age pension depends on how much and how long you had contributed to QPP and CPP before you applied for it. If you work beyond the age of your old-age pension commencement, you can increase your pension through so-called post-retirement benefits (PRB). You are eligible for this if you are between 60 and 70 years of age you work and pay contributions to the CPP you receive an old-age pension from the CPP/QPP The employer and employee share the contributions, freelancers pay their contribution alone. The QPP also foresees a supplement to your pension for every year that you continue to work while receiving a pension. For more detailed information please see:

24 If you get your pension after your 65 th birthday, it increases by 0.7 percent for each month (maximum by 42 percent) that you postpone the commencement of your pension (maximum up to the 70 th birthday). For more detailed information in this regard, please also see: or regarding the QPP Besides your retirement pension as from 65 years, you can earn extra money without limits. You then won t have to make any contributions. Pension at 65 amounts to approximately 25 percent of your average insured monthly salary during your entire insurance period. Our tip: Your annually insured premiums are listed in the Statement of Contributions. You can have the statement sent to you by your Canadian pension insurance office or obtain it online at Disability Benefit In order to obtain a disability benefit, you must be invalid according to the definitions of CPP, not be older than 65 years have made contributions to CPP have paid contributions for at least 4 years in the last 6 years prior to onset of reduction of earning capacity or only 3 years if you were insured for a total of at least 25 years. Through the agreement your German contribution periods can also be considered. According to CCP, you are invalid if you are seriously physically or mentally ill in the longer term. Seriously means that you will never be capable of working any more. In the longer term means that this condition exists for an indefinite period or until death. In QPP, the minimum insurance period is completed if you have at least two years of contributions within the last three years or have at least five years of contributions within the last ten years or were insured for at least half of the duration for which you held insurance membership (minimum two years). In addition you must have a reduced earning capacity as defined by the QPP. The criteria are similar to those of the CPP. You can only receive a disability benefit at the longest until the age of 65, since at that time you are eligible to claim an old-age pension from the CPP/QPP. You can draw invalidity pension until your 65 th birthday at the most since you then have a right to old-age pension from CPP/QPP. Our advice: CPP also offers different integration measures so that you can regain a foothold in professional life. Please consult the Canadian Pension Plan. Child pensions (Benefits for children of contributors with a disability) For children of an invalidity pensioner a child pension is paid until he/she reaches 18 years of age. If he/she is in school or university, the CPP benefits will be paid on until he/she reaches 25 years of age. QPP benefits end on the 18 th birthday.

25 Widow s/widower s pension (Survivor s pension) Upon the death of an insured person, you, as a widow/widower or partner, can receive a survivor s pension if you cohabited with the insured person. The deceased person must have made contributions to CPP/QPP for at least one third of the contribution period. This minimum number varies between 3 and 10 years and it depends on the age of the deceased person at the time of death. Our tip: Through the treaty, even German contribution periods of the deceased person will be considered. This also applies to same-sex partners. If you are younger than 35 years, do not have a reduced earning capacity and are not raising any child, you cannot receive widow s/widower s pension as a survivor. If you are older than 35 but younger than 65, you will be paid a reduced pension. Survivors who are 65 and above will get 60 percent of the deceased person s retirement pension. The QPP does not stipulate any age requirements for survivors. The amount of the benefit depends on the age of the survivor whether the survivor has a reduced earning capacity or whether the survivor is raising a child. Orphan s pension (Benefits for children of deceased contributors) The children of the deceased insured person can receive an orphan s pension until they are 18 years old. If they are in school or university (not vocational training), the orphan s pension from the CPP will be paid until they reach 25 years of age. The orphan s pension from the QPP will only be paid until the 18 th birthday. Death benefit Death benefit is paid as a one-time contribution to the person who pays the funeral costs. This is usually the partners or heirs of the deceased person. The deceased person must have made a minimum number of contributions to CPP/QPP. This minimum number varies between 3 and 10 years and it depends on the age of the deceased person at the time of death. Please note: Even here, German contribution periods of the deceased person will be considered. The death benefit amounts to six times the monthly amount of the deceased person s retirement pension, maximum 2,500 Canadian Dollars. Combining benefits If, as a survivor, you are receiving your own old-age or invalidity pension besides your widow s/widower s pension, both benefits will be combined by CCP or QPP respectively to result in one benefit up to a certain maximum amount. As a result you will receive just one monthly pension. One more word on taxes If you receive a Canadian pension, you have to pay income tax (Non-Resident-Tax) even if you do not live in Canada. Considering the German-Canadian double tax treaty, this

26 amounts to 15 percent for pensioners who live in Germany. This amount will be deducted monthly from your pension. You can obtain further information from Canada Revenue Agency International Tax Services Office Client Service Division Post Office Box 9769 Station OTTAWA, ON K1G 3Y4 CANADA Telephone ( ) Fax ( ) Internet The website is available in English and French. Please note: If you live in Canada and you are receiving a German pension, you have to declare this to the Canadian fiscal authorities as per the German-Canadian double tax treaty. On the internet, more information is available on the website of the Canadian fiscal authorities (Canadian Revenue Agency) at According to German fiscal law, your German pension can also be taxed in Germany. Further information on pension taxation in Germany is available at Our brochure Versicherte und Rentner: Informationen zum Steuerrecht gives you an overview of German pension taxation.

27 Commencement of pension and application for pension You have to apply for your German as well as your Canadian pension. In this chapter, you will find out where you can apply for your pension and when your Canadian and German pension commences. Commencement of pension Your German pension usually commences on the first day of the calendar month in which you meet the requirements for pension. If you file your application after three calendar months, the pension will commence with the month of application. Example: Olivia J. will turn 65 on July 12, As from this period in time, she has met all requirements. If Olivia J. files her application for pension within three calendar months (up to October 31, 2015), her pension will commence on August 1, The pension application will, however, be received by the pension insurance office in November Her German pension will therefore commence on November 1, There are other regulations for the pension due to reduced earning capacity and surviving dependants pension: a time-limited pension due to reduced earning capacity is paid as from the 7 th calendar month following the onset of reduced earning capacity. If the application is filed later than seven calendar months, the pension will commence with the month of application. A surviving dependants pension is also paid retroactively for up to twelve calendar months before the month in which the pension is applied for. In Canada, you receive the old-age pension (Old Age Security OAS) as from the month after your 65 th birthday. If pension is applied for later after reaching the age of 65 the pension will be paid for up to eleven months retrospectively. Even if you fulfil the requirements at an earlier date, you cannot claim OAS before your 65 th birthday. Old-age pensions from CPP/QPP can be received as from the beginning of the month after your 60 th birthday at the earliest. The application for pension should be filed in good time prior to the desired commencement of pension since the pension will be not be paid retrospectively for pension applications between the 60 th and 65 th year. If you apply after your 65 th birthday the pension will be paid retroactively for eleven months at the most. Pension application You can file your German pension application at your German pension office. If you live in Germany, then you may also apply for your Canadian pension at a German pension office or even at all other authorities where you can file an application in Germany (e.g. the municipal/town administration, the insurance office or even your health insurer). The information centres of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung will gladly assist you. If you live in Canada, please contact Service Canada regarding where you can file your application for a Canadian and a German pension by , telephone or on-site. If you live in Quebec, please contact the Régie des rentes du Québec. Further contact information is available on page 50. Through the treaty, your application for a Canadian pension is considered as an application for a German pension at the same time. This also applies the other way round. This is why you will be asked on the German claim form whether you have insurance periods in foreign countries.