Information for Employees
When should you start thinking about retirement planning? As early as possible!
Make personal contributions
As an employee, you can increase your supplemental pension through your own contributions. You pay these voluntary contributions from your taxable earnings. Your employer withholds these contributions from your net pay and forwards them to BONUS.
Your own contributions may not exceed the amount your employer pays on your behalf. If you apply for the state subsidy under Section 108a of the Income Tax Act (EStG), you can pay up to 1,000 euros per year, even if your employer’s contribution is lower.
You benefit in several ways:
- Your pension will be higher
- You’ll receive a bonus from the tax office equal to 4.25% (as of 2026) of your contributions, and
- only 2.5% insurance tax is withheld (private life insurance policies are subject to at least 4% insurance tax).
Information materials available for download:
DOWNLOADS
- Explanatory Notes to Section 108s of the Income Tax Act (EStG)
- Application for Income Tax Refund under Section 108a of the Income Tax Act (EStG).pdf
- Eigenbeiträge_der_Arbeitnehmenden_2026.pdfInformation über Möglichkeit der Eigenbeiträge in deutscher Sprache
- Employee_Contributions_2026.pdfInformation zu Eigenbeiträgen in englischer Sprache
All the Benefits at a Glance
- No social security contributions
- No income tax
- No capital gains tax—funds held by investment and risk-sharing associations are
exempt from this - Supplementary pension financed in a tax-efficient manner
- In addition, personal contributions may be made—subject to a preferential insurance tax rate of 2.
5% compared to private retirement plans - Premium subsidies for personal contributions up to €1,000 per year
- Early retirement before age 65 is possible through benefits from the pension fund
- Portability of accrued credits upon leaving the company before
reaching retirement age - Transparency—annual overview of the growth of accumulated credits and pension
projections - Insolvency protection
Termination of Employment
Provided you have a vested entitlement, you may choose to either
- leave the balance in the BONUS Pension Fund without making further contributions; the balance will continue to be invested
- to the pension fund, to the employer-sponsored group insurance plan, to an institution as defined in § 5(4) of the Pension Fund Act (PKG), or to a group pension insurance plan offered by your new employer, or
- have it transferred to a pension insurance plan without a right of surrender
- The vested amount may also be transferred to a pension fund in which a vested pension entitlement is already being invested on your behalf, if your new employer does not intend to grant you a pension fund commitment
- be transferred to a foreign retirement plan if you permanently relocate your residence or place of work abroad
- continue to save through the pension fund model with your own contributions (employer and/or employee share) after at least five years of participation
If your balance is less than 15,900 euros (as of 2025) upon termination of employment, the pension fund may pay you a one-time lump-sum settlement.
