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How to stop a pension payment after a beneficiary has passed away?

02.09.2024 - Article
What has to be done when a recipient of a German pension has passed away?
What has to be done when a recipient of a German pension has passed away?© colourbox

When a beneficiary has passed away, the Pension Authority needs to be informed without delay. They will then discontinue the payments. The information should be forwarded as soon as possible by the next of kin/executor.






The following information/documents are required by the German pension authorities:

  • Death certificate of the beneficiary (if possible original)
  • Name and file number of the Pension Authority
  • Name and contact details of the executor of the estate.


If the deceased received the payment by the “NL Renten Service” through the “Deutsche Post”, which is most likely the case, please either immediately send an email or send the information about the passing through the contact form of the NL Renten Service.

The pensioner is entitled to the pension for the month in which he/she passed away. In most cases the pension payment was made at the beginning of the month/end of the previous month. Pension payments which are made after this time must be paid back to the pension authority.

Please note that after the notification of the death has been received in Germany, it can take several weeks until payments will be stopped due to banking procedures. As many pensions are paid at the beginning of a month, overpayments occur regularly. The Pension Authority will try to retrieve the money from the account, to which the pension was paid, directly or will contact the next of kin.

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