State-subsidised Riester pension savings that a member may withdraw (“Altersvorsorge-Eigenheimbetrag”) to buy the Pflicht-Geschäftsanteile of a housing eG for a flat they live in, or to repay a loan taken for those shares. § 92a Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 3 EStG names this use expressly; “begünstigte Wohnung” includes the “Genossenschaftswohnung einer eingetragenen Genossenschaft”.
- Eligible use: first-time purchase of a self-used home or co-op shares; minimum withdrawal €3,000 (€6,000 for conversion works within 3 yr, €20,000 for barrier-free or energy retrofits). Either up to 75 % or 100 % of the balance.
- Subsidy inside the contract: Grundzulage €175/yr, Kinderzulage €185 (child born before 2008) / €300 (born 2008 or later), one-off €200 Berufseinsteiger bonus under 25 (§§ 84–85 EStG); plus Sonderausgabenabzug.
- Gates: the flat must be the Hauptwohnung / Mittelpunkt der Lebensinteressen (EU/EEA); natural person with a certified Riester contract; the co-op must be an eingetragene Genossenschaft. No income cap for the withdrawal.
- Price: the withdrawn amount is booked on a Wohnförderkonto, notionally +2 %/yr, taxed in retirement (spread over ~25 yr or 70 % lump-sum). Leaving the co-op / giving up self-use triggers the “schädliche Verwendung” rules.
- Path: apply to the Zentrale Zulagenstelle (ZfA) via the contract provider before the share purchase; no bank involved.
- Kumulierung: freely combinable with kfw-134 (equity vs. loan) and with wohnungsbaupraemie and state Genossenschaftsanteil grants.
Related
- kfw-134 — the loan for the same shares
- genossenschaft-shares, eg-cooperative — what is bought and from whom
- wohnungsbaupraemie — the other tax-favoured savings route into shares
Detail
Open question (not a fact): the federal private-pension reform debated 2025/26 (Altersvorsorgedepot) — whether it changes Wohn-Riester withdrawal rules could not be verified today; figures above are the law text as of 2026-09-10.