hTTi

Hello everybody and hoping someone can help,

I would like to know whether it is at all possible to cancel a German retirement pension, already paid to me, of about €40 p. month?

I have read the thread viewtopic.php?t=180&start=20 and I realise that I am one of the dumb ones having completed the documentation sent to me whilst non-resident and living in France. I wish I hadn't. Now resident in Germany since November 2024, I cannot have a S1 form due to the €40 monthly pension. TK is charging me high rates on my small French pension and tiny, tiny German reirement. Rates much higher than I ever had to pay in France. They are also demanding a backpayment since my Anmeldung as it has taken until now to sort this out. I got my TK card in November 2025.

TK have written that if I terminate my German pension, they will "insure me through the benefit assistance", referring to the S1 system which my husband has as he never worked in Germany, is retired, with a French pension.

I realise that I would probably need to reimburse what I have received in German pension but my question is: Is it at all possible to cancel a German retirement pension once having received payment?

I have tried to talk with the Rentenversicherung but cannot get through so far.

Thank you for your assistance.

This sounds like a nightmare. Of course the best thing is to seek qualified advice from a professional well versed in this field, but just to get a rough idea I took the liberty of posting the issue to ChatGPT to see what the response looks like. If you decide to proceed, ChatGPT is quite helpful formulating a summary (in German) for the Rentenversicherung.

Good luck!!

PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT QUALIFIED TO GIVE ADVICE ON THIS SUBJECT, SO ANY FEEDBACK POSTED HERE IS PURELY TO GIVE YOU SOME INITIAL ORIENTATION PRIOR TO SEEKING PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

CHATGPT:

Short answer first: yes, it is in principle possible to undo a German statutory pension if it was granted and paid on the basis of an application you now wish to withdraw, but it is not framed as a simple “cancellation”; it is treated as a revocation of the pension determination with repayment of all amounts received, and it has to be accepted by the Deutsche Rentenversicherung.

What usually happens in cases like yours is that the pension was awarded because an application was validly made, even if the financial consequences later turn out to be disastrous because of health-insurance coordination rules. Under German administrative law, a pension award can be withdrawn retroactively if the beneficiary declares that they never actually wanted to draw the pension and agrees to repay everything received. The Rentenversicherung is generally open to this in very small-pension cases, precisely because €30–€50 monthly pensions cause disproportionate problems with Krankenversicherung and S1 entitlement. The key point is that you are not asking to “pause” or “suspend” a pension, which is largely impossible once in payment, but to revoke the original Antrag and Bescheid entirely, as if it had never happened.

In practice, this means writing formally to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung stating that you withdraw your pension application, request revocation of the pension decision with effect from the original start date, and confirm your willingness to reimburse all pension amounts already paid. Once the revocation is processed and confirmed in writing, the pension legally ceases to exist, which in turn removes the obstacle to S1 coverage via your husband. TK’s position is consistent with this: they cannot treat you as S1-insured while you are a German pensioner, even at €40 a month, but once the pension is annulled they can insure you as a dependent under EU coordination rules.

Two practical warnings are worth keeping in mind as you proceed. First, timing matters: the longer a pension runs, the harder the Rentenversicherung may look at revocation, so it is sensible to act quickly and in writing rather than waiting for phone contact. Second, repayment is unavoidable, but in your case the sums are small and usually netted without penalties or interest if the revocation is voluntary and prompt.

Given the cross-border insurance consequences and the backdated TK demands, this is one of those situations where the law allows a way out, but only if it is handled cleanly and decisively. A short, precise letter to the Rentenversicherung is often more effective than repeated calls, and once you have their written confirmation of revocation, TK can usually unwind their assessment and switch you into S1-based coverage accordingly.

Thank you SOOOO much john_b!

I had never even thought of using chatGPT.

I'll follow your suggestion and write to them and see what happens.

It is indeed a nightmare, especially as TK has no intention of reimbursing anything if I do manage to stop the German pension andeventually get an S1.

Thank you again!

Hi again

I have just tried with chatGPT but don't arrive at the same results as you john_b.

Here is a short copy/paste of my results:

Why this works the way it does (EU rules, simplified)

Under EU Regulation 883/2004:

If you receive pensions from more than one EU country:

If your country of residence pays you a pension → that country is competent

Only if your country of residence does NOT pay a pension, another state (e.g. France) can issue an S1

You live in Germany
Germany pays you a pension (even €1 is enough)
Germany is legally responsible for your healthcare

So:

France cannot issue an S1

Germany cannot waive Krankenversicherung

The amount of the German pension is irrelevant

This is black-letter EU law, not discretion.

I found this: https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung ... zicht.html

Thanks LeonG

I think I have more reading to do this weekend

MoH

MoH wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2026 12:09 pm Hi again

I have just tried with chatGPT but don't arrive at the same results as you john_b.

Here is a short copy/paste of my results:

Why this works the way it does (EU rules, simplified)

Under EU Regulation 883/2004:

If you receive pensions from more than one EU country:

If your country of residence pays you a pension → that country is competent

Only if your country of residence does NOT pay a pension, another state (e.g. France) can issue an S1

You live in Germany
Germany pays you a pension (even €1 is enough)
Germany is legally responsible for your healthcare

So:

France cannot issue an S1

Germany cannot waive Krankenversicherung

The amount of the German pension is irrelevant

This is black-letter EU law, not discretion.

Which is why we have to be hesitant/sceptical about AI results!

But at least it gives an overview of the field, albeit with contradictory results. Hopefully you can dig down and establish the real deal, and get some professional advice. Good luck, and keep us posted!

I am still digging for more information before then actually trying to find a physical professional to help in the matter.

I was wondering whether PandaMunich has any insights into the matter?

I'm afraid that you shouldn't applied for your German social security pension at DRV (Deutsche Rentenversicherung) in the first place - if you don't hand in the signed application form for the German pension, they don't pay you one.

Since it is too late for you to that, since you already receive your German social security pension, the only thing you can do is try to renounce the German pension, but that may not work, see here: https://www-ihre--vorsorge-de.translate ... _hist=true