Bemühungen melden: Ausbildungsplatzsuche kann Rentenansprüche sichern

If young people and young adults are still looking for a suitable apprenticeship position, they should inform the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit). The reason is that, under certain circumstances, this effort can help secure period credits in the statutory pension insurance, according to the German Pension Insurance (DRV).

These period credits benefit individuals aged between 17 and 25 years. However, if the individual is older, they can only have their search recognized if they have been employed or self-employed immediately prior to the search and have paid contributions to social insurance.

For period credits to be recognized, the job search must last at least one calendar month, regardless of whether the individual has a school leaving certificate or whether the Agentur für Arbeit pays benefits during that period. Period credits are times when insured individuals do not pay contributions to the statutory pension insurance, such as during illness, unemployment, or apprenticeship periods.

They help prevent gaps in the employment biography, assist in reaching the 35-year waiting period for an early retirement pension, and are taken into account during the pension calculation.