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Foreign pension and a mortgage in Poland: does the bank count a German or other EU pension?

How Polish banks treat a pension from Germany or another EU country in a mortgage application: currency conversion, documents from the foreign pension office, tax and pensions from two countries.

KredytPolska editorial team
Updated:

In short

A pension from abroad, such as a German statutory pension (Rente), can be income for a mortgage in Poland, but only some banks accept it. The bank converts it to złoty cautiously, often counting only part of it, and wants the decision of the foreign pension office and proof of payments to your account. With a pension of 1,200 € net and a 10-year term, counting 20% less of the pension means about 33,000 zł less loan. German pensions rose by 4.24% on 1 July 2026, so bring the latest adjustment notice.

What the bank checks

A statutory old-age pension is paid for life, so a bank treats it much like a pension from the Polish ZUS. What it counts is the net amount that actually reaches your account, after tax and contributions deducted abroad. Because the pension is in euro and the loan usually in złoty, the bank also allows for exchange-rate risk, as the Polish supervisor’s Recommendation S requires. How much a given bank deducts, and from which countries it accepts pensions, is set in internal procedures that banks do not publish, so it is worth asking several banks or a mortgage expert first.

Example: 1,200 € of pension

A 65-year-old with 1,200 € net, no other loans, in a bank where the loan must end by the age of 75 (a 10-year term). At 4.25 zł per euro, with the instalment tested at 8.5% and capped at 40% of income: counted in full, the pension supports about 165,000 zł; reduced by 10%, about 148,000 zł; reduced by 20%, about 132,000 zł. This is an illustration, not the rule of any specific bank. At 6% the instalment on 165,000 zł over 10 years is about 1,827 zł: 36% of the pension at 4.25 zł per euro, but 40% if the złoty strengthens to 3.85.

Pensions from two countries

Under EU coordination rules you apply in your country of residence, and each country calculates and pays its own part of the pension for the years you were insured there. Someone who worked in Poland and Germany therefore gets two decisions and two payments. A bank that accepts foreign pensions adds both; one that does not counts only the Polish part.

German pension: indexation and tax

According to Deutsche Rentenversicherung, German pensions rose by 4.24% on 1 July 2026 and the pension point value went from 40.79 € to 42.52 €; the adjustment notices (Rentenanpassungsmitteilung) were sent by the end of July 2026. Under the Poland–Germany tax treaty (art. 18(2)), payments from German statutory social insurance to a resident of Poland are taxed only in Germany. Company and private pensions, and treaties with other countries, may follow different rules.

Documents to prepare

The pension decision (for Germany: Rentenbescheid), the latest adjustment notice, bank statements for 3–6 months showing the payments, the ZUS decision if you also get a Polish pension, and a Polish translation if the bank asks for one. Pensions from outside the EU are not covered by EU coordination rules, so ask the bank first whether it accepts them.

The full description in Polish: Emerytura z zagranicy a kredyt hipoteczny. General rules for foreigners are in the guide mortgage for foreigners.

Frequently asked questions

Will a Polish bank count my German pension as income?

Some banks will, on the basis of the pension decision (Rentenbescheid), the latest adjustment notice and bank statements. Others do not accept foreign pensions, so compare several offers.

How does a bank convert a pension in euro to złoty?

At a rate it sets itself, often more cautious than the NBP average rate, or by counting only part of the pension. In our example with 1,200 € net over 10 years, counting 20% less lowers the loan by about 33,000 zł.

I get a pension from ZUS and from Germany. Will the bank add them up?

A bank that accepts foreign pensions adds both, assessing each under its own rules. A bank that does not accept them counts only the ZUS pension.

Sources

  1. Your Europe (European Commission): State pensions abroad
  2. Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Rentenanpassung 2026 (German)
  3. Poland–Germany double tax treaty, Journal of Laws 2005 No. 12 item 90, art. 18 (Polish)
  4. Act on mortgage credit, art. 6 (ISAP, Polish)
This guide describes general rules and typical bank practice as of October 2026. Details

It is not legal or tax advice and not a bank offer. Each bank sets its own criteria, and the lending decision is always made by the bank.

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