Aufhäuser returned to West Germany in 1951 and became chairman of the Berlin branch of the German Salaried Employees' Union. He held this position until retiring in 1959. He also rejoined the SPD and served as a delegate at the 1954, 1956, and 1958 party congresses, advocating for the party to fight against capitalist interests and calling for a new economic order. Aufhäuser died in Berlin in 1969 at the age of 85.
