You will only receive money from the statutory pension insurance if you have submitted the relevant application. The German pension insurance recommends doing this three months before retirement.
From the age of 55, your insurance history will be sent to you automatically every three years. If the application is submitted later, the pension usually only begins in the month in which the application was made - so you have to forego a lot of money. Depending on the type of pension, there are different deadlines to consider. Pensions from your own insurance are old-age pensions, disability pensions and child-care pensions. A three-month deadline generally applies to them - provided all the requirements for the pension are met. The situation is different with survivors' pensions - i.e. orphans', widows' and widowers' pensions. The following applies: If the pension is applied for later than twelve months after the date of death, it will be paid twelve months retroactively. If you discover an error, you should file an appeal. You have one month to do this.