Building up your pension in the Netherlands

 If you work in the Netherlands, you can build up a pension in 2 ways:

• You accrue a basic pension under the

  Dutch State Pension Act (AOW).
  This is regulated automatically through your
  wage tax
  .

• You often build up additional pension with your employer. 

Have you fled Ukraine and are over 67? Then you are of the age where you would normally get a pension in the Netherlands. However, because you did not work in the Netherlands, you will not get a pension. You will receive living allowance from the Dutch government.

If you have fled Ukraine and are working in the Netherlands, you will automatically build up AOW for every year you have worked. The longer you work in the Netherlands, the more AOW you build up.

The final amount of the AOW depends on:

• The number of years of built up AOW.

• Your (living) situation at the time you are entitled to AOW. If you live alone, you will get more AOW. If you live together or are married, you will get less AOW.

Do you work in salaried employment? Then you usually build up a supplementary pension. Even if you work through an employment agency. According to Dutch law, employers are not obliged to save for your pension. But most employers do.

You and your employer save your pension together through a

Your employment contract or the collective labour agreement (CLA) will tell you how this is arranged for you. You can always ask about this when discussing your employment contract.

Your retirement age varies by occupation and year. In 2024, most people stop working at age 67. If you do heavy work, you may be able to retire earlier.

Do you live in the Netherlands? If so, you will receive a letter from the

To get your extra pension, you have to contact your pension fund or insurer yourself. You can choose when you retire and tell them the time from which you want to receive your pension. If you retire earlier than the retirement age, you will receive less pension per month.