Social insurance for seafarers
- Ensuring retirement funding of seafarers
- Application for benefits
- Contributions and benefits
- Start of benefits
- Sea-service on board German-flagged ships
- Exemption from compulsory contributions
- Seafarer's pension
- Overview: Conditions for bridging allowance
Social insurance for seafarers supports retirement of seafarers
The social insurance for seafarers provides a „bridging allowance“ and „benefits paid after reaching the standard minimum pensionable age“ for seafarers before or after their employment or self-employment in the seafaring industry has ended. In doing so, it honours the particular strain of working on board of seagoing ships. The seafarer is offered the opportunity of early retirement by providing a pension payment bridging the period between the retirement from sea service and the start of the standard old-age pension payments. Like this, the social insurance for seafarers provides enhanced social security for seafarers.
The benefits of the social insurance for seafarers are paid all over the world.
Surviving dependents may also receive a one-time payment from the social insurance for seafarers.
Benefits of the social insurance for seafarers require an application
Any benefits of the social insurance for seafarers are only paid upon application. We recommend to submit the application early, prior to retirement from sea-service or to the start of drawing from the pension, as this may affect the start of payments. Generally, a preliminary application can be filed without a specific form, with the relevant form completed and submitted at a later stage. It is further recommended, to file the application in one of the information offices of the Knappschaft-Bahn-See (KBS). Application forms are also accepted by all municipal social security agencies.
For application forms and further information on the social insurance for seafarers please read the website of KBS.
Contributions and benefits
The social insurance for seafarers is financed by the contributions of the insured seafarers and their employers.
The benefits of the social insurance for seafarers are regarded as income which entails compulsory contributions to the statutory health and long-term care insurance.
Furthermore these benefits are regarded as taxable income according to the German income tax law.
Start and amount of benefits from the social insurance for seafarers
As a general rule, the social insurance for seafarers starts paying the bridging allowance one day after the preconditions have been fulfilled, but not before the application has been filed. The benefits before and after having reached the standard minimum pensionable age are paid as of the month the preconditions have been fulfilled. If the application is filed later, the benefits will start as of the application month.
Seafarers, who have completed the qualifying period for the bridging allowance may receive, in addition to the information on the expected amount of the statutory old-age pension, information on the amount of the bridging allowance. If no such information has been provided, seafarers may inquire at the Knappschaft-Bahn-See, who will also inform about the expected amount of the bridging allowance. To ensure reliability of the information the pension insurance account must have been settled. The information is only valid for the current state of the pension insurance account. Prospective periods of contributions will not be considered, not even as a prediction.
Only the bridging allowance, which serves as a continuous deduction compensation, is recalculated as part of the annual pension adjustments that take effect on 1 July of each year. The gross amounts of all other benefits remain unchanged after they are initially calculated.
The provisions for maintenance settlement in case of divorce and for tax splitting of married couples are not applied to the bridging allowance.
The social insurance for seaferers counts sea-service on board of German-flagged ships
Seafarers earning their wages or training on a sea-going craft, as long as it is not minor employment according to Article 8 of Book IV of the Social Code (Viertes Buch Sozialgesetzbuch - SGB IV), and who are insured in the German pension insurance "Deutsche Rentenversicherung Knappschaft-Bahn-See" are insured in the social insurance for seafarers. Moreover, coastal mariners and coastal fishermen are insured if they are part of their craft's/vessel's crew or if they fish without craft/vessel and regularly employ not more than four employees who are subject to compulsory insurance - as long as they do not practice it as a secondary income.
Seafarers are, under certain conditions, also insured in the social insurance for seafarers during service on board of foreign-flagged ships, in particular during sea service subject to the insurance by power of an area of the law (Ausstrahlungsversicherung) or to mandatory insurance on application.
Seafarers with a public-sector employer may also be insured through the social insurance for seafarers, provided thet the employer submits the appropriate application for a membership in the social insurance for sefarers.
A low-pay employment on board entails no compulsory insurance in the social insurance for seafarers. However, seafarers in the transition zone i.e. the midi job are insured in the social insurance for seafarers. In 2026, this transition zone means wages between 603.01 and 2000.00 € per month.
Follow the link for information regarding sea service in the new federal states.
Exemption from compulsory contributions
Seafarers, who are unable to qualify for the bridging allowance before reaching the standard minimum pensionable age, are on application exempted from paying contributions to the social insurance for seafarers. The exemption becomes effective from the first day of employment, if the application is filed within two months of that day. If the application is filed later, the exemption becomes effective only from the day on which the application is received by the social insurance for seafarers.
Contributions paid to the social insurance for seafarers can not be refunded. This applies also, when it is impossible to fulfill the insurance law requirements for drawing of benefits from the social insurance for seafarers.
A voluntary insurance in the social insurance for seafarers is not possible.
The „seafarer’s pension“: Bridging allowance from the social insurance for seafarers fund
The main benefit of the social insurance for seafarers is the bridging allowance, also known as „seafarer’s pension“. The bridging allowance at the age of 56 is paid in the same amount as a regular old-age pension, however, without supplementary periods and periods pursuant to international and supra-national law taken into account. It is calculated on the basis of the insurance account in the German statutory pension insurance as it stands at the start of the payment of the bridging allowance. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to have the pension insurance account settled as soon as possible and to assist the Knappschaft-Bahn-See (KBS) in their efforts in this respect.
Overview: Conditions for the bridging allowance
The bridging allowance at the age of 56 is paid, if the following preconditions are fulfilled:
|
Bridging allowance after the age of 56 |
Difference in balance |
Deduction compensation |
Lump sums |
Benefits paid before reaching the standard minimum pensionable age |
Benefits paid after reaching the standard minimum pensionable age |
|
|
Reaching the age of 56 |
X |
X |
X |
|||
|
Retirement from sea service |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
No Entitlement to pension |
X |
X |
||||
|
Social insurance law requirements are met |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Completion of the qualifying period |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Filing of application |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
No Entitlement to unemployment benefit I |
X |
|||||
|
No temporary bridging allowance |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Entitlement to continiuous deduction compensation |
X |
|||||
|
Receipt of an early full old-age pension with an unreduced entry factor |
|
X |
|
|||
|
Reaching the standard minimum pensionable age |
X |
|
X |
The bridging allowance and supplementary assistance can at the earliest be received at the age of 56.
In general, the compensation for a pension deduction is paid to supplement an old-age pension which is reduced by deductions due to early retirement, i.e. at the earliest from the age of 60.
If a reduced earning capacity pension is paid, from which deductions are made due to early drawing, the compensation is paid at the earliest at the age of 56. Benefits paid before reaching the standard minimum pensionable age are paid at the earliest from the beginning of the full early retirement pension without any reductions. Benefits paid after reaching the standard minimum pensionable age are paid at the earliest from the standard minimum pensionable age as applicable to the insured individual.
Benefits are only paid after retirement from employment in the German or foreign seafaring industry. The date of retirement from sea service is marked by the end of the last employment in seafaring, with any remaining entitlements to leave taken into account.
Later periods of unemployment or illness are irrelevant to the end of employment. A once established end of employment remains valid even in case of renewed employment in the seafaring industry.
The general entitlement to benefits remains unaffected. The benefits are however postponed during the new employment in the seafaring industry and will be resumed when it has ended.
With regard to the benefits paid before and after standard retirement age, new employment as a seafarer has no effect. The benefits are paid continuously without interruption for the entire eligibility period.
The bridging allowance can only be paid if and as long as no entitlement to a full reduced earning capacity pension or to a full standard old-age pension (even with deductions) exists.
If one of these pensions is not claimed, even though it could be, the entitlement to a bridging allowance no longer exists. In such a case, a separate decision will be taken on a possible payment of a deduction compensation.
The benefit paid before reaching the standard minimum pensionable age is paid in addition to a full, unreduced old-age pension before reaching the standard retirement age. The amount of this benefit is limited to half of the old-age pension granted.
The benefits paid after reaching the standard minimum pensionable age are paid while a full old-age pension is drawn provided that the standard minimum pension age has been reached. They are calculated, similar to the bridging allowance (56 years of age), in the same way as a standard minimum pensionable age. The amount is also limited to 50 per cent. The calculation is based on the individual standard minimum pensionable age.
The benefits paid before and after reaching the standard minimum pensionable age are on principle only granted for no more than 24 months. Resuming work as a seafarer after benefits have started before or after reaching the standard minimum pensionable age has no effect on the receipt of benefits.
The social insurance law requirements are fulfilled, if at least 108 months (= 9 months) of employment in the German seafaring industry (including high-sea and coastal fishing) or of self-employment as coastal mariner/ fisherman are reached after the month of completing the age of 37.
The relevant point in time (completing the age of 37) is moved forward by periods of unemployment, if these are considered in the pension insurance as periods of contribution payment or as periods for allocation and are experienced at an age of at least 50 years.
The qualifying period is complete after 240 calendar months (20 years) of qualifying sea service.
Qualifying sea service comprises periods of compulsory insured employment in the seafaring industry or self-employment as coastal mariner/ fisherman according to the statutes of the social insurance for seafarers.
Not considered for the qualifying period are periods of voluntary contributions to the statutory pension insurance, periods for allocation, i.e. e.g. periods of education (also at nautical colleges), illness, unemployment and child-raising) as well as periods of contribution payment due to drawing of unemployment benefits, sickness benefits, injury benefits or transitional allowance, even if they follow directly to periods of sea service.
Sea service on foreign-flagged ships, which are not covered by statutory insurance according to the statutes of the insurance, is also irrelevant in respect of the qualifying period.
No bridging allowance can be paid if an entitlement to unemployment benefits exists or unemployment benefit is not paid because it has not been applied for, no registration as unemployed has been made or an entitlement to sickness benefits instead of unemployment benefit exists.
Availability for the labour market
Entitlement to unemployment benefits is lost if the unemployed person does not avail himself of all opportunities for vocational integration or does not fully cooperate in placement attempts of the employment agency. Availability of the unemployed person must neither be restricted with regard to the kind of employment nor to its duration. Seafarers’ availability is however not regarded as being restricted, if their continuation of sea service is no longer reasonable. This can be caused by health problems, but also by private circumstances such as marriage, marital crisis or difficulties in child-raising. It is therefore important to point out such reasons when applying for unemployment benefit.
The application for employment at the responsible employment agency must be periodically renewed at intervals not exceeding three months, either in person, in writing or by phone.
Stay abroad
If an entitlement for unemployment benefit exists, it can be drawn up to three months in another member state of the European Union, of the European Economic Area (EEA) or in Switzerland for job seeking purposes (transfer of entitlement). Drawing of such benefit requires proof of entitlement to the responsible unemployment agency abroad by means of form PD U2, whcih you must apply for at the responsible German employment agency before going abroad.
Reliable information in this regard is available only at the responsible employment agency.
Member states of the European Union and of the European Economic Area
Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Principality of Liechtenstein, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Cyprus.
Based on agreements with the European Union, the above-mentioned regulations regarding unemployment benefit also apply in relation to Switzerland, as well as to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
Duration and amount of unemployment benefit
As long as an entitlement to unemployment benefit exists it has to be fully realized. Therefore, the responsible employment agency should be contacted first, especially as unemployment benefit is normally higher than the bridging allowance. As employment ashore is no obstacle to payment of a bridging allowance there is no reason to quit or to reject an offer for such employment.
Unemployment benefit put on hold / periods of exclusion
The entitlement to unemployment benefit is put on hold, if the previous employment was quit by the employee. During such period of exclusion a bridging allowance is paid by the social insurance for seafarers. The entitlement to unemployment benefit is also put on hold, if the previous employment ended prior to the agreed period of notice with payment of compensation. A bridging allowance is paid for this period of exclusion, if the relevant confirmation by the unemployment agency is submitted.
No bridging allowance is paid during periods of exclusion imposed due to other reasons, e.g. delayed registering as unemployed, payment of wages beyond the duration of the employment or compensation for leave (payment for unclaimed holidays). In the last two cases the date of retirement from sea service is marked by the end of payment of wages or of the unclaimed holidays.
The social insurance for seafarers grants no further benefits if an entitlement to temporary bridging allowance has already existed in the past.
The benefit paid before reaching the standard minimum pensionable age is calculated in the same way as the granted full old-age pension. Its amount is capped at half that amount. The benefit paid after reaching the standard minimum pensionable age is limited from the outset to a benefit period of 24 months.
The benefits paid after reaching the standard minimum pensionable age are calculated in the same way as a standard old-age pension, similar to the bridging allowance (56 years of age). The amount is however limited to 50 per cent. The calculation is based on the individual standard minimum pensionable age.
The benefits paid after reaching the standard minimum pensionable age are limited from the outset to a benefit period of 24 months.
When an insured person passes who met the general conditions for the bridging allowance at the time of his death, the surviving partner may apply for a one-time payment of money for surviving dependants of 6,000 Euros as a "One-time benefit due to death" (Einmalige Leistung wegen Todes). Prerequisite for the payment is a legally-binding marriage or partnership (civil union) at the time of death.
