Dear all,I spent my first...

Hi Luigi,

I spent 4 years in Germany  with a Marie Curie Fellowship for my PhD, and when I left they informed me from my Institute that I had 2 options: if I would work at least one more year in Germany, I could get a pension from there, or I could transfer my pension years to my home country Greece, since all EU countries have agreements that allow it. Maybe this could be an option for you.

Ioanna

Hi Luigi,

I spent 4 years in Germany  with a Marie Curie Fellowship for my PhD, and when I left they informed me from my Institute that I had 2 options: if I would work at least one more year in Germany, I could get a pension from there, or I could transfer my pension years to my home country Greece, since all EU countries have agreements that allow it. Maybe this could be an option for you.

Ioanna

Does anyone know about study years? I recall that once I got a paper form from some German authority to count my study years as work experience towards pension, as I was leaving I lost the paper. Where could I get it?

thank you and kind regards

Maria

Hello Luigi, I spent several years in Italy, initially with a Marie Curie IEF. To understand my eventual pension, I went to a Patronato. They considered the time I had spent working in other countries (Ireland, also Canada), once properly documented, as counting towards my Italian pension; that is to say, they counted the number of months I'd worked, anywhere, which got me over the minimum required to receive a pension in Italy. However, in Italy I will only receive the portion corresponding to the years I worked in Italy; I must separately arrange to get benefits in Ireland, and in Canada... and now in France. I will spend my retirement doing that, basically!

As I understand the European (or trans-Atlantic?) pension system, Germany should also take into consideration your contributions in other countries. So even if they too have a minimum number of contribution-years in order to receive a pension, as does Italy, you should receive a small pension from Germany. Athough given the likely bureaucracy involved, it would probably be simpler if you could get reimboursed for your contributions... If that is even possible, it would be interesting to know.

Cheers, Daniel

Thank you Joanna and Daniel. very useful. Unfortunately, Daniel, you ask the right question to which I have no answer. Can I get my money back from Germany? I suspect that is impossible. But who is the right office to ask?

The small pension you mention, Daniel, sounds quite unrealistic. Do you have any ground for that suggestion? I knew about the 5 year requirement, as Joanna said.

Sorry I had missed Ioanna's comment. Well, as I say, Italy took into account my contributions elsewhere, to get me over whatever the minimum is; so I'd assumed Germany would do the same. In my inquiries, I encountered no suggestion that I could 'transfer' my pension, either from other countries to Italy, or out of Italy to another country. Each country pays its own part of the total, is how I understood it. However, I have yet to test that against the public administrations of Ireland or France... I don't even know what the European system is, actually, it seems to be more a network of agreements, supported by inter-agency requests for documents certifying contributions, which are recognised by all parties. The best would be to ask at a Patronato, but they are likely to tell you that for a German pension, you have to ask in Germany.

Cheers, Daniel

Intersting conversation. I worked 4 years in Italy including 3 years as marie curie early stage researcher. I have around Euros 38,000 in Italian INPS. I knocked every door to get this money transfered to my other pension account in home country but could not get any luck. What is the way? Is it possible? I have moved to USA now. Thanks, Shikhar

Hi All,

The pension systems in Europe are very diverse. Qualifying periods to get a pension at retirement age range from 0 years in Belgium to 5 years in Germany. When such qualifying periods are not reached, it is possible under certain circumstances to get a refund. Mostly you must be living in a country that does not have a bilateral agreement on the payment of pensions or not be paying into the pension system in such a country. For example, Ireland has bilateral agreements with all EU countries and Australia, Canada, New Zealand, The United States of America, Quebec, Republic of Korea and Switzerland.

Many details on pensions for mobile researchers are on the website https://www.findyourpension.eu/

There are two separate issues here:

1. Researchers who work for more than the qualifying period in the whole EU qualify for a pension in each country that they worked in. Paying into the statutory pension system in any EU country counts for the qualifying period in all other countries.
    
2. Researchers who work for less than the qualifying period in the whole EU can reclaim the employee contributions to their pension. What they typically cannot do is reclaim the employer contribution. This is very unfair for our members because the employer does not pay this contribution. It comes from the project grant in exactly the same way as the employee contribution. We should try to get something done that both contributions are refunded. This is mainly a problem for our members from non-EU countries, who often leave Europe before the satisfy the qualifying period.

I was thinking of inviting both https://www.findyourpension.eu/ and http://www.resaver.eu/ to the GA and let them explain their visions for pensions for mobile researchers. Resaver is a supplementary pension scheme for mobile researchers, while findyourpension explain how the current system works. Maybe a short talk from each with discussion afterwards and an exhibition stand so that people can call by and ask them to address their questions directly. I met the team from findyourpension last year at the Euraxess Germany network meeting and they are very engaged for mobile researchers and had previously helped me out.

Warm regards,

Brian