Am I entitled to a pension?

In Belgium, we have three pension pillars:

1. your statutory pension forms the first pension pillar.
2. you are an employee or a contractual civil servant? In this case, your employer may build up a supplementary pension or a group insurance for you. As a self-employed worker or as an employee, you may do so yourself. This is the second pension pillar.
3. If you make contributions to a pension fund, we call this the third pension pillar.

On mypension.be, you can consult:

• how much your Belgian retirement pension will be and when you can retire;
• how much your supplementary pension in Belgium already is.

Discover on mypension.be how much your statutory retirement pension will be and whether your have a supplementary pension.Opens in a new window

For your statutory pension, we mainly look at the periods in which you worked and at the periods in which you did not work but that are considered as worked periods. These make up your personal retirement or old-age pension. In addition, there are 'derived entitlements': benefits you may be entitled to, but that are based on someone else's career, such as is the case for the survivor's pension.

• Am I entitled to a retirement or old-age pension?
• Am I entitled to 'derived entitlements' that are based on someone else's career, such as is the case for the survivor's pension?
• Am I entitled to another benefit?

Am I entitled to a retirement or old-age pension?

You already have a Belgian retirement pension as an employee or as a civil servant after having worked one day (or one trimester in the case of the self-employed).

To be entitled to a minimum pension, you need to have worked for at least thirty years. A maximum pension still only exists for civil servants.

Find out more about the calculation of the:

• Employee pension
• Civil service pension
• Self-employed worker pensionOpens in a new window
  
  

Am I entitled to 'derived entitlements' that are based on someone else's career?

You may also be entitled to a benefit that is based on someone else's career.

• Survivor's pension
  • A survivor's pension is a benefit for the spouse after a decease. It does not matter whether the deceased had already retired or not.
  • The amount depends on several factors, including the number of persons entitled to the benefit.
  • Find out more about the survivor's pension.
    
    
• Transitional allowance
  • A transitional allowance is a temporary benefit for a spouse who does not meet the age condition for the survivor's pension.
  • We calculate the transitional allowance in the same way as the survivor's pension.
  • Find out more about the transitional allowance.
    
    
• Pension as a divorcee (only on the basis of a career as an employee)
  • Under certain circumstances, you are entitled to a retirement pension on the basis of your ex-spouse's career as an employee.
  • We calculate the retirement pension as a divorcee in the same way as the regular retirement pension. For the years during the marriage period, we calculate the pension on the basis of your ex-spouse's career, as though you yourself have exercised this activity.
  • Find out more about the pension as a divorcee.
    
    
• Pension as de facto separated spouse (only on the basis of a career as an employee)
  • You may be entitled to a pension as de facto separated spouse if you do not share your place of primary residence with your spouse or if you are legally separated.
  • You are entitled to half of the household rate pension at most.
  • Find out more about the pension as a de facto separated spouse.
    
    
• Orphan's pension (only on the basis of a career as a civil servant)
  • Full orphans, regardless of whether they are legitimate or adopted children, may be entitled to a survivor's pension in the civil service scheme.
  • The amount of the survivor's pension for orphans is derived from the survivor's pension. If there are children from another marriage who are also entitled to the survivor's pension, the survivor's pension is shared between the entitled parties.
  • Find out more about the survivor's pension for orphans.
    
    

Am I entitled to another benefit?

Other benefits you may be entitled to under certain circomstances:

• The Guaranteed Income for Elderly Persons (GIEP)
  • The GIEP is a benefit for people who have reached the statutory retirement age and who do not dispose of the necessary financial means.
  • The amount of the GIEP depends on your means of support.
  • Find out more about the Guaranteed Income for Elderly Persons.
    
    
• Physical incapacity (only for civil servants)
  • As a civil servant, you may retire due to physical incapacity in the following cases:
    • the competent medical service (in most cases Medex) has declared you to be physically incapacitated. Depending on the date, you may be entitled to a:
      • temporary pension due to physical incapacity (from 1.1.2025 up to and including 31.12.2027)
      • temporary inability to work benefit (from 1.1.2028)
      • pension due to definitive physical incapacity (phased out from 1.1.2025)
    • after having turned 63, you have been ill for 365 calendar days.
  • The calculation is made in accordance with the usual retirement pension rules.
  • Find out more about the retirement pension due to physical incapacity
    
    
• civilian victims of terrorism
  • Victims of terrorist acts may be entitled to:
    • a reparation pension;
    • the repayment of medical care in consequence of acts of terrorism;
    • the national solidarity scheme.
  • The entitled parties of a terrorism victim (for example the spouse or child) or an indirect victim (heir or relative to the 2nd degree) can also count on assistance.
  • Find out more about the assistance you can count on and how to file an application.
    
    
• Military war pensions (indemnity pensions)
  • Are you a military victim and did you suffer physical and/or psychological damage? If so, you can apply for an indemnity pension.
  • Find out more about the indemnity pensions (only for military victims).
    
    
• Civilian victims of war
  • War invalids of certain terminated conflicts (and their persons entitled), people who fall within the national solidarity scheme and victims of racial persecution can count on assistance.
  • Find out more about civilian victims of war.
    
    
• Industrial accidents interest
  The industrial accidents interest is an allowance that is paid by the Pensions Service to the staff members of the federal, community or regional administrations who have been recognised as victims of an occupational accident or occupational disease. The interest may originate from an occupational accident, an accident on the way to or from work, or an occupational disease.
  Find out more about the industrial accidents interest.