NLFRDEEN
EN
NLFRDE
Official information and services: belgium.be Belgian Federal Public Services

Guaranteed minimum pension for childminders

Why has the entitlement to the guaranteed minimum pension for childminders been relaxed?

Before 2003, childminders did not build up a pension because they did not pay social contributions.

In 2003, the legislation changed. Since then, childminders also build up a pension.

Childminders who spent the greater part of their career working as a childminder before 2003 and who are now approaching the statutory retirement age, can never prove the 30 career years that are required to be entitled to a guaranteed minimum pension.

To remedy this problem, the access to the guaranteed minimum pension is now being relaxed for childminders.

Does the relaxed entitlement to the guaranteed minimum pension for childminders apply to me?

This change only applies if you:

  • worked for at least 156 full-time days a year as a childminder between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2032
    and
  • retired or will retire between 1 January 2023 and 2 January 2033.

What changes for my future pension if I was or am a childminder?

Periods as a childminder that fall before 2003 are not taken into account for your pension because you did not pay social contributions.

These periods thus are also not taken into account to check whether you meet the conditions to receive the guaranteed minimum pension. This change in the regulations attempts to compensate for this. The number of years of at least 156 full-time days as a childminder between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2032 is increased.

This increase is carried out by multiplying the number of years of at least 156 full-time days as a childminder by a fraction. The numerator of this fraction is 45 and the denominator is the number of years between 1 January 2003 and 31 December of the year preceding the year in which you reach the statutory retirement age. This increased number of years will determine whether you meet the career conditions for the guaranteed minimum pension.

Example:

Els worked as a childminder:

  • for 23 years from 01.01.1980 until 31.12.2002. These years are not taken into account for the pension because she did not pay contributions.
  • for 18 years of at least 156 full-time days from 01.01.2003 until 31.12.2022 (she stopped working for 2 years).
  • In 2023, she reaches the statutory retirement age and she retires.

Without this new measure, only the 18 years between 2003 and 2022 would be taken into account for the calculation of the career condition for the guaranteed minimum pension. Thus she does not meet the conditions for the guaranteed minimum pension.

With this new measure, we multiply the 18 years by 45 (= full career duration) and we divide it by the number of years between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2022:
18 X 45/20 = 40,5. This is rounded up to 41.
Her 18 years are thus transformed into 41 years.
Thanks to this increase, she now meets the career condition for the guaranteed minimum pension.

Please note:

  • This increase in the number of years is solely used to check whether you meet the career conditions to gain access to the guaranteed minimum pension.
  • For the eventual calculation of the amount of the guaranteed minimum pension, the normal rules apply, and we only take the actual number of years into account.
    Find out more about the guaranteed minimum pension

Does the relaxed entitlement to the guaranteed minimum pension also apply to my survivor's pension if my deceased spouse was a childminder?

This measure also applies to your survivor's pension if:

  • your deceased spouse had already retired and that retirement pension had started between January 2023 and January 2033;

  • your deceased spouse had not retired yet and
    • passed away before 01.01.2033
      and
    • your survivor’s pension started after 31.12.2022.

Do I have to file an application?

My pension was investigated before 2023 but was not paid

If you want to retire after 31.12.2022, you once again have to file an application:

  • if you apply between 01.01.2023 and 30.06.2023, your pension can, with retroactive effect, start from 01.01.2023 at the earliest.
  • if you apply after 30.06.2023, your pension can start the month following the application at the earliest.

Find out here how you can apply

My pension was investigated and paid before 2023

In this case, you are not entitled to an adjustment.
This new measure only applies to pensions that start between 01.01.2023 and 31.12.2032.

My pension starts in 2023 or later

You do not have to do anything.
We will automatically investigate whether this amendment of the law impacts your pension. You will receive a letter about this in the course of 2024. This is because we need time to adapt our programmes to this new measure.