Guaranteed minimum pension
When calculating your retirement or survivor's pension, we can, under certain conditions, raise your pension amount to a guaranteed minimum amount.
- an additional condition of effective employment on top of the career condition;
- a revaluation of part-time work as an employee before 2002.
Important:
- The additional condition of effective employment does not apply if you:
- have already retired or will retire before 1 January 2025
- were born before 1963
- were born between 1963 and 1968 and if you already have a career of 30 years as an employee or 20 admissible years as a civil servant on 1 January 2025
- are or were a childminder and retire between 2023 and 2033
- receive the guaranteed pension for physical incapacity
- You fall within the transitional measures
- if you were born between 1963 and 1968 and do not yet have a career of 30 years as an employee on 1 January 2025
- if you were born between 1963 and 1968 and do not have 20 admissible years as a civil servant on 1 January 2025
- You were born in 1969
- When am I entitled to the guaranteed minimum retirement pension and how is it calculated?
- When am I entitled to the guaranteed minimum survivor's pension and how is it calculated?
- When am I entitled to the minimum transitional allowance?
- What is the amount of the guaranteed minimum pension?
- Frequently asked questions
When am I entitled to the guaranteed minimum retirement pension and how is it calculated?
I am an employee or I have a mixed career as an employee and as a self-employed worker
To determine whether you are entitled to a minimum pension as an employee, we take the following into account:
- the duration of your career;
- the number of days that count towards the pension in every calendar year of your career.
Please note: your career fraction as a self-employed worker is taken into account for the verification if you are entitled to the minimum pension as an employee, but it is not taken into account for the calculation of the amount.
The conditions distinguish between:
- a minimum pension for a full-time employment;
- a minimum pension for a part-time employment.
To meet the conditions for a full-time minimum pension, you need to:
- have a career that corresponds with at least 2/3 of a full career; and each of these career years should count at least 208 days
and - have effectively worked for 5 000 days during your full career (new regulation)
Additional information:
- 2/3 of a full career is a career of 30 years for nearly all employees. Only seafarers, miners and aircrew members have different career conditions.
We take all career years as an employee and as a self-employed worker into account if these were performed in:- Belgium;
- a country of the European Economic Area;
- the United Kingdom;
- Switzerland;
- a country with which Belgium has concluded a bilateral agreement on social security.
- For the 5 000 days we also take your civil service career into account
Examples:
When am I entitled to the guaranteed minimum retirement pension and how is it calculated?
Jacques worked full-time as an employee for 25 years (7 800 days).
He has:
- a career of 25 years of at least 208 days;
and - 7 800 effectively worked days.
He is not entitled to the minimum pension because he does not have a career of 30 years of at least 208 days.
Jacques worked full-time as an employee for 12 years (3 744 days) and afterwards he received a full-time unemployment benefit for 30 years.
He has:
- a career of 42 years;
and - 3 744 effectively worked days.
He is not entitled to the full-time minimum pension because he does not meet the condition of 5 000 effectively worked days.
Pascal worked full-time as an employee for 20 years (6 240 days) and afterwards he worked as a self-employed worker for 23 years (92 trimesters or 7 176 days).
He has:
- a career of 43 years;
and - 13 416 effectively worked days.
He is entitled to the full-time minimum pension as an employee because he meets both the condition of a 30-year career and the condition of 5 000 effectively worked days.
You meet all these conditions?
In this case, we calculate your guaranteed minimum pension by multiplying the amount for a full career by your career fraction as an employee.
For this calculation we do not only take the career years of at least 208 days into account, but also those of at least 52 days.
Françoise has a career of 30 full-time years (312 days a year or 9 360 days), 10 part-time years (156 days a year or 1 560 days) and 2 years of minimal employment (40 days across the 2 years). She is entitled to a full-time minimum pension because she meets both conditions:
- a career of at least 30 years of 208 days;
and - 10 960 effectively worked days (9 360 + 1 560 + 40).
We calculate her minimum pension by multiplying the minimum amount for a full career by her career fraction of 40/45 (her number of years of at least 52 days a year).
Pascal worked full-time as an employee from 1980 up to and including 2005, which amounts to 26 years (8 112 days).
From 2006 up to and including 2017, he worked as a self-employed worker, which amounts to 12 years (3 744 days).
Please note: the career fraction as a self-employed worker is solely taken into account to verify whether you are entitled to the minimum pension, but is not taken into account for the calculation of the amount.
Find out more about the calculation of the minimum pension for the self-employed on the NISSE website.Opens in a new window
He is thus entitled to a full-time minimum pension for a mixed career, as in total, he has:
- a career of 38 years (26 + 12);
and - 11 856 effectively worked days (8 112 + 3 744).
For the calculation of his minimum pension amount, we thus solely take his career as an employee of 26 years into account. We take every year of at least 52 days into account for this calculation.
To meet the conditions for a part-time minimum pension, you need to:
- have a career that corresponds with at least 2/3 of a full career; and each of these career years should count at least 156 days
and - have effectively worked for 3 120 days during your full career (new regulation)
Additional information:
- 2/3 of a full career is a career of 30 years for nearly all employees. Only seafarers, miners and aircrew members have different career conditions.
We take all career years as an employee and as a self-employed worker into account if these were performed in:- Belgium;
- a country of the European Economic Area;
- the United Kingdom;
- Switzerland;
- a country with which Belgium has concluded a bilateral agreement on social security.
- For the calculation of the 3 120 days we also take your civil service career into account.
- To check whether you meet the conditions and to calculate the minimum pension, we convert the part-time employment into full-time employment. The number of part-time employment days are thus converted into a lower number of full-time employment.
days on the basis of the number of working hours. Example: 26 days of part-time employment are converted into only 13 days.
Examples:
Michel worked half-time as an employee for 12 years (1 872 days) and afterwards he received an unemployment benefit for 30 years. He has:
- a career of 42 years;
- 1 872 effectively worked days.
He is not entitled to the part-time minimum pension because he does not meet the condition of 3 120 effectively worked days.
Anne worked half-time as an employee for 12 years (1 872 days) and afterwards as a self-employed worker for 23 years (7 176 days).
Anne is not entitled to the full-time minimum pension, because she does not have a career of 30 years of at least 208 days.
But she is entitled to the part-time minimum pension, because she has:
- a career of 35 years of at least 156 days a year (condition of a career of at least 30 years is met);
and - 9 048 effectively worked days (condition of at least 3 120 effectively worked days is met).
You meet all conditions?
In this case, we calculate your minimum pension as a part-time employee by multiplying the amount for a full career with your career fraction as an employee, which may be raised by the revaluation of your part-time employment before 2002. The career fraction for a minimum pension for part-time employees is expressed in days.
Example of the calculation of a part-time minimum pension:
Françoise worked full-time for 5 years (312 days a year or 1 560 days in total), part-time at 4/5 for 10 years (250 days a year or 2 500 days in total) and half-time for 20 years (156 days a year or 3 120 days in total).
She is not entitled to the full-time minimum pension, because she does not have a career of 30 years of at least 208 days. (only 5 + 10 = 15 years).
But she is entitled to the part-time minimum pension, because she has:
- a career of 35 years of at least 156 days (5 + 10 + 20 = 35 years);
and - 7 180 effectively worked days (1 560 + 2 500 + 3 120)
We calculate her minimum pension by multiplying the full-time minimum amount by her career fraction, of which:
- the numerator contains the number of days as an employee, therefore 7 180 days;
and - the denominator contains the maximum number of days an employee career can have, which is 14 040 (45 x 312 days).
I am a civil servant
You are entitled to the guaranteed minimum if you:
- are at least 60 years old and have 20 admissible years
and - you effectively worked for 189 months during your full career (new regulation)
and - are an established civil servant at the time of your retirement
For the calculation of the 189 months, we take every career year as an employee, as a self-employed worker and as a civil servant into account in the following countries:
- Belgium;
- a country of the European Economic Area;
- the United Kingdom;
- Switzerland;
Please note: you will only receive the guaranteed minimum amount for a pension stemming from a main office (you work at least part-time as a civil servant).
The following pensions do not entitle one to a guaranteed minimum:
- a pension stemming from an additional public office;
- a deferred pension;
- an immediate pension, if you do not have the 20 admissible years that would have entitled you to a pension.
We calculate the amount of the minimum pension on the basis of:
- the reason for your retirement:
- age limit or seniority;
- physical incapacity.
- your civil status:
- married;
- single.
Effective employment condition (from 01.01.2025)
- an additional condition of effective employment on top of the career condition;
- a revaluation of part-time work as an employee before 2002.
Important:
- The additional condition of effective employment does not apply if you:
- have already retired or will retire before 1 January 2025
- were born before 1963
- were born between 1963 and 1968 and if you already have a career of 30 years as an employee or 20 admissible years as a civil servant on 1 January 2025
- are or were a childminder and retire between 2023 and 2033
- receive the guaranteed pension for physical incapacity
- You fall within the transitional measures
- if you were born between 1963 and 1968 and do not yet have a career of 30 years as an employee on 1 January 2025
- if you were born between 1963 and 1968 and do not have 20 admissible years as a civil servant on 1 January 2025
- You were born in 1969
- General conditions
- Days that are taken into account - that are not taken into account
- Transitional measures
- Exceptions
- Long-term periods of absence for medical reasons
General conditions for effective employment
To meet the condition of the effectively worked number of days, you have to:
- for a full-time minimum pension:
- have worked for 5 000 full-time days as an employee
- have worked for 5 000 full-time days for a mixed career (employee, self-employed worker, civil servant)
- have worked for 189 months if you only have a career as a civil servant
- have worked for 64 quarters if you only have a career as a self-employed worker. Find out more on the NISSE website
- for a part-time minimum pension as an employee, have worked for 3 120 full-time days.
Which days do or do not count as effectively worked days?
To reach the required number of effectively worked days, some periods in which one did not work are taken into account. In the table below, you will find the periods that do and do not count:
| Count as effectively worked days | Do not count as effectively worked days |
|---|---|
| Worked days and days of leave |
|
| Admissible periods of absence during which you retain your full wages (e.g. holidays and periods of illness before exhausting the number of sick leave days). | / |
| Days for which you receive a severance pay or termination payment | / |
Periods of unemployment that do count:
|
Periods of unemployment that do not count:
|
Time credit:
|
Time credit other than palliative care or care for a disabled child |
Flemish care credit:
|
Flemish care credit:
|
Periods of maternity leave:
|
/ |
|
Foster care leave |
Thematic leave
|
|
| Periods of employment of the unemployed by the provinces, municipalities, public institutions or another employer | / |
| Union assignment with full pay | Unpaid union assignment |
| Periods as an artist that do not yield pension rights | Strike |
| Periods of disability for which you receive an income replacement benefit, even if these periods are not taken into account for the pension calculation as an employee | Periods of disability for which you receive an integration allowance |
| Periods of leave for parental protection for soldiers | / |
| Periods of leave for compelling reasons | Periods that belong to the pension as a divorcee |
| Regularized periods for which the employer had not paid contributions | Regularized study periods |
Pierre worked full-time as an employee for 12 years (3 744 days). Afterwards, he was recognised as disabled and he received a compensation from the DG Disabled Persons for 20 years (6 240 days).
Pierre is thus entitled to the full-time minimum pension, because he meets both conditions:
- a career of 32 years (> 30 years of at least 208 days)
and - 9 984 days that are considered to be effectively worked days (3 744 + 6 240)
Transitional measures
You have to prove fewer effectively worked days if you:
- were born between 1963 and 1968 and do not yet have a career of 30 years as an employee on 1 January 2025
- were born between 1963 and 1968 and do not yet have 20 admissible years as a civil servant on 1 January 2025
- were born in 1969
The required number of effectively worked days gradually increases in relation to your date of birth.
Important: if you are entitled to a survivor's pension, your deceased spouse's year of birth determines whether or not you fall within the scope of the transitional measure for your minimum survivor's pension.
| Year of birth | Number to be proven days as an employee for full-time minimum | Number to be proven months as a civil servant | Number to be proven days as an employee for part-time minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 1 250 | 47,25 | 780 |
| 1964 | 1 500 | 56,75 | 936 |
| 1965 | 1 750 | 66,25 | 1 092 |
| 1966 | 2 250 | 85 | 1 404 |
| 1967 | 2 750 | 104 | 1 716 |
| 1968 | 3 500 | 132,50 | 2 184 |
| 1969 | 4 250 | 160,75 | 2 652 |
For your information:
- a full-time year equals 312 days
- a full career of 45 years equals 14 040 days
Exceptions
- Were or are you a child minder between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2032? In this case, more flexible conditions apply for the calculation of the 30 career years and you do not have to meet the additional condition of 5 000 worked days. Find out more on the page Guaranteed minimum pension for child minders.
- Are you a seafarer, a member of a civilian aircrew or a miner and are you entitled to a fraction with a denominator that is lower than 45? In this case, we calculate the required number of career years in proportion to your denominator.
- Are you an assisting spouse? Since 1 January 2023, a more flexible career condition applies for the minimum pension for assisting spouses. Find out more on the NISSE websiteOpens in a new window.
- Are you retired due to physical incapacity? In this case, you do not have to meet the condition of effective employment.
- Have you been absent for a long time for health reasons? In this case, a special measure applies for this period.
Long-term periods of absence for medical reasons
To prevent people from losing their entitlement to the minimum pension because of their health issues, the following periods in which one did not work due to medical reasons are (partially) deducted from the number of worked days that have to be proven:
- illness
- disability
- occupational accident
- occupational disease
- internment
- periods during which one remained attached to the civil service on a non-active basis due to illness
- any periods of temporary retirement due to physical incapacity
| Duration absence for medical reasons | Calculation number of days to be deducted |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 years | No reduction |
| 5 to 29 years | 3 days of absence for medical reasons = +/- 1 fewer day effective employment to be proven |
| 30 years and more | 2 days of absence for medical reasons = +/- 1 fewer day effective employment to be proven |
For your information:
- a full-time year equals 312 days
- a full career of 45 years equals 14 040 days
Please note: periods of disability are fully equated with periods of effective employment.
When am I entitled to the guaranteed minimum survivor's pension and how is it calculated?
To determine whether you are entitled to the minimum survivor's pension, we take the following into account:
- the duration of the career of your deceased spouse;
and - the number of days that count towards the pension in every calendar year of his or her career.
The conditions distinguish between:
- a minimum pension for a full-time employment of your spouse;
- a minimum pension for a part-time employment of your spouse.
To check the career conditions and to calculate the minimum pension, we convert part-time employment into full-time employment. The number of part-time employment days are thus converted into a lower number of full-time employment days on the basis of the number of working hours.
Example: 26 days of part-time employment only count for 13 days.
- Survivor's pension employee or mixed career employee and self-employed worker
- Survivor's pension civil servant
I have a survivor's pension as an employee or a mixed pension as an employee and as a self-employed worker
If your deceased spouse had already retired and was entitled to a minimum pension as an employee, this entitlement is maintained for the survivor's pension.
If your deceased spouse had not retired yet, a full career equates with a number of years from:
- 1 January of the year of your spouse's 20th birthday until
- 31 December of the year before his or her passing.
The number of years for a full career form the denominator of the career fraction of the survivor's pension.
To meet the conditions for a full-time minimum survivor's pension:
- the career of the deceased spouse should equate with at least 2/3 of a full career and each of these career years should count at least 208 days
and - a number of days of effective employment should be proven in relation to the career fraction (new regulation)
Does your deceased spouse's career meet these conditions?
In this case, we calculate the guaranteed minimum pension by multiplying the amount for a full career by the fraction of your survivor’s pension.
For this calculation we do not only take the career years of at least 208 days into account, but also all the years of at least 52 days.
To meet the conditions for a part-time minimum survivor's pension:
- the career of the deceased spouse should equate with at least 2/3 of a full career and each of these career years should count at least 156 days
and - a number of days of effective employment should be proven in relation to the career fraction (new regulation)
Does your deceased spouse's career meet these conditions?
In this case, we calculate the guaranteed minimum pension by multiplying the amount for a full career by the fraction of your survivor’s pension. The career fraction for a minimum pension for part-time employees is expressed in days.
I have a survivor's pension as a civil servant
When we calculate your survivor's pension and the amount falls below the guaranteed minimum for a survivor's pension, you can get an extra allowance in order to reach the guaranteed minimum amount.
The guaranteed minimum amount is not awarded to:
- the surviving spouse:
- who receives a temporary survivor's pension;
- whose spouse held an additional public office;
- whose spouse received a deferred pension;
- whose spouse received an immediate pension without having 20 years of service;
- the divorcee;
- the orphans.
Transitional allowance
Whether your deceased spouse had already retired or not, for the minimum transitional allowance only the career condition of 30 years applies.
Calculation of this career condition:
We consider the period from 1 January of your spouse's 20th birthday until 31 December of the year before his or her passing to be a full career (= denominator). To be entitled to the minimum pension, your deceased spouse's career should at least amount to 2/3 of the full career (=numerator)
What is the amount of the guaranteed minimum pension?
I am an employee or I have a mixed career as an employee and as a self-employed worker
The amounts of the minimum pension as an employee and of the minimum pension for a mixed career are amounts that are fixed for a full career. For a retirement pension, a full career contains 45 years.
We determine your minimum amount on the basis of the duration of your career or of your spouse's career by multiplying the amounts in the table below by the career fraction.
Examples:
- You have a full career of 45 years? In this case, you are entitled to the full minimum amount
- You have a career of 35 years? In this case, we multiply the minimum amount by your career fraction of 35/45.
I worked part-time before 2002
Before 2002, no general possibility to part-time or full-time interrupt one's career while also receiving benefits existed (and neither did any assimilation for the pension build-up).
If you:
- worked part-time as an employee before 2002;
and - are only entitled to the part-time minimum pension;
your pension entitlements are raised by 25 % for at most 5 part-time career years that fall before 2002.
How is this done?
- For every year before 2002 in which you worked part-time, we raise your number of full-time days by 25 %.
- This raise is limited, when necessary, to 312 full-time days per year.
- Subsequently, we conserve the years (at most 5) that, after this raise, are the most advantageous.
Please note:
- This equation only applies to the calculation of the part-time minimum pension.
- For the entitlement to an early retirement different age and career conditions apply.
I am a civil servant
The amounts in the table below relate to a full-time office.
Please note: if you are married, your spouse's income will partially be taken into account for the calculation of your guaranteed minimum pension.
| Reason for retirement | Married | Single |
|---|---|---|
| Age or seniority | 2 351,89 EUR gross per month | 1 881,58 EUR gross per month |
| Physical incapacity | 62,5 % of the average wage of the last 5 years. The gross amount per month amounts to at least 2 351,89 EUR and at most to 3 104,78 EUR. |
50 % of the average salary of the last 5 years. The gross amount per month amounts to at least 1 881,58 EUR and at most to 2 483,82 EUR. (*) |
| Survivor's pension or transitional allowance | / | 1 856,74 EUR gross per month |
(*)The amount of the guaranteed minimum can, in the case of physical incapacity, never exceed 75 % of the maximum of your last salary scale before your pension.
You have incomplete years of service?
In this case, we can reduce the amount of the extra guaranteed minimum allowance.
| Revenues that are deducted from the extra allowance | Percentage of the reduction |
|---|---|
| Your other pensions or interests | 100 % |
| Interests for an industrial accident compensation or other similar advantages compensating for damages | 50 % |
| Foreign replacement incomes | 80 % |
| Your spouse's income | Partial |
| Profitable activity | Find out more about the allowed limits and the reduction when these limits are exceeded on the page Earning an additional income |
As a married pensioner who held a full-time office, you are guaranteed a basic minimum amount. From 01.09.2026, you will receive a monthly gross amount of 993,53 euros.
Frequently asked questions
No, you must meet 2 conditions: have a career of 30 years and have effectively worked for 20 years.
No, these are the conditions for obtaining a minimum pension.
To retire early, you must meet other age and career conditions.