Pension payments are threatened to stop
Pensioners should not ignore this letter
July 1, 2026 – 6:27 amReading time: 2 min.
A pensioner reads a letter: The Deutsche Post pension service is sending an important letter these days. (Source: bymuratdeniz/getty-images-bilder)
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About 500,000 retirees currently receive special requests by mail. Anyone who does not comply will lose their pension.
It sounds trite: only those who are still alive will receive it. Interest. So far everything is logical. But this information lies with the Germans pension insurance not for all retirees. There are about 500,000 of them therefore must provide so-called proof of life. If this is not done, pension payments may be stopped.
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Victims will automatically receive the necessary documents by mail by mid-July. They are Notice of Pension Adjustment with which he reports How much will pensions increase on July 1?
Who must provide proof of life?
Proof of life is usually only important for pensioners whose pensions are paid abroad. And only if this is a country with which automatic comparison of mortality data is impossible. This comparison now automatically works for many countries. Then proof of life is not needed there. This applies to:
Pensioners in Germany will also not have to take any action. Pension insurance independently has access to the population register. Only pensioners with a bank account abroad may be asked to provide proof of life. Messages from social networks according to which all pensioners will be in the future Pensioners forced to fill out a life certificate to avoid losing their pension are making a mistake.
Without proof of life, there will be no more pensions from November.
The estimated 500,000 retirees whose inboxes actually receive a request for proof of life must comply. To do this, either send the signed and returned attached paper form to the Deutsche Post pension service by July 31, 2026, or provide proof of life digitally using the Postident app. Step-by-step instructions and an explanatory video can be found on the website Pension service website. Faxing or emailing life certificates is not permitted.
The Deutsche Post pension service is responsible for paying German pension insurance pensions. Anyone who does not provide timely confirmation that they are a foreign pensioner risks having their pension payments stopped on November 30, 2026. The pension will be returned to your account only after you provide confirmation. Anyone who has lost their life certificate form can do this. Here download.