Pension bonus 2026
A new pension bonus has been introduced under entirely new conditions.
- What is the pension bonus?
- What are the pension bonus conditions?
- Which days are taken into account for the pension bonus?
- How much is the pension bonus?
- How can I check whether I meet the conditions?
- Frequently asked questions
What is the pension bonus?
The bonus is an increase of your gross pension amount if you postpone your retirement until after your statutory retirement date and if you meet certain career conditions.
What are the pension bonus conditions?
As of 1 January 2027, you will be able to build up a pension bonus if you postpone your retirement until after your statutory retirement date and meet the following 3 conditions:
- You have a career of 35 years of at least 156 worked days,
- You have 7,020 days on which you worked across your entire career,
- You are not receiving a Belgian pension yet.
Valerie was born in 1960. Her statutory retirement age is 66. At the age of 66, Valerie has a career of 36 years of at least 156 days each and 7,400 days in total that meet the bonus conditions.
This means she meets both bonus conditions.
Valerie postpones her retirement until she is 67. As a result, she has a one-year bonus build-up.
You don't meet the career conditions yet at the statutory retirement date?
If you postpone your retirement and continue to work until you meet the conditions, you can still build up a pension bonus that will take effect on your statutory retirement date.
Pieter was born in 1962. His statutory retirement age is 66, but he postpones his retirement until he is 67. At his postponed start date, he has a career of just 34 years of 156 days each and 6,900 days in total that can be taken into account for the bonus work requirement. This means that Pieter doesn’t meet the bonus conditions at his statutory retirement date and won’t receive a bonus, despite having postponed his retirement.
Pieter decides to work for another year and postpones his retirement again, until he is 68. In this additional year, he works for 156 days. Consequently, at his new start date he has a career of 35 years of at least 156 days each and 7,020 days in total that can be taken into account for the bonus conditions.
He now does meet the bonus conditions and will receive a bonus. The bonus is built up from the statutory retirement age onwards - for Peter, this is from the age of 66 - and not from the moment the bonus conditions are met. As a result, Peter will have a two-year bonus build-up.
- You can start building up this new bonus as of 1 January 2026, if you already meet the conditions at that time or if you retire in or after 2027.
- If you meet the conditions, you will also receive the bonus if you no longer work after your statutory retirement date.
- Spare days or balance days are not used to meet the bonus conditions.
Which days are taken into account for the pension bonus?
- Effectively worked days
- Care leave (including thematic leave, justified time credit, etc.)
- Maternity leave (pregnancy leave and maternity leave, including breastfeeding breaks and suspension to protect your health and safety)
- Shared parental leave (for fathers and co-parents), adoption leave and foster parent leave
- Military service
- Temporary unemployment (a type of unemployment whereby the employee remains bound by an employment contract, such as temporary unemployment, force majeure etc.)
- Unemployment periods for dockworkers, fish sorters, fish unloaders, fishermen at sea and art workers
- Lockout days
- Days on which you performed your duties as a judge in social affairs or in the commission for the application of social legislation
- Union assignment periods
- Days of preventive custody without sentence
- Effectively worked days in a country with which Belgium has concluded an agreement on social security.
You are a child minder or assisting spouse and you were born before 1 January 1972?
The childminder and assisting spouse statutes were only introduced on 1 January 2003.
For childminders born before 1 January 1972, the career condition will therefore be reduced proportionally:
For the career condition of 35 years, we multiply the number of years between 2003 and the pension’s start date by 35/45. Next, we check whether the required number of years of at least 156 days each has been reached.
For the required total of 7,020 days, the number of days between 2003 and the pension’s start date are added up and divided by two. Next, we check whether the required number of days has been reached.
Mia was born in 1971 and worked as a child minder from 2003 until 2007. Afterwards, she worked as an employee until she retired. In 2040, she retires at the age of 69. Mia has a career of 30 years of at least 156 days each and 6,800 days in total that meet the bonus conditions. Consequently, she doesn’t meet the bonus work requirement. Because Mia was born before 1.1.1972 and worked as a childminder for at least one day, the pro rata calculation applies.
To meet the career condition of 35 years of at least 156 days each:
The number of years between 2003 and the start date is 37.
We multiply these 37 years by 35/45. This equals 28.78, which we round up to 29.
Consequently, Mia needs a career of 29 years of at least 156 days each to meet the bonus conditions, instead of 35 years.
To meet the total of 7,020 days:
The number of years between 2003 and the start date is 11,544 (37 x 312). These are divided by 2 (11,544 / 2), which equals 5,772 days.
Consequently, Mia needs 5,772 days to meet the bonus condition, instead of 7,200 days.
Without the pro rata calculation, Mia would not have met the bonus work requirement. However, thanks to the pro rata calculation, she does meet the requirement and therefore will receive a bonus.
How much is the pension bonus?
The new pension bonus is a percentage increase in your gross pension amount (and not a one-off payment on top of your pension).
For every year you postpone your retirement until after your statutory retirement age, your pension increases by a certain percentage. The percentage depends on your year of birth:
| You were born | Bonus per year |
| In or before 1962 | 2% |
| Between 1963 and 1972 | 4% |
| In or after 1973 | 5% |
Imke was born in October 1961. She will reach her statutory retirement age in November 2027. She postpones her retirement by 3 years, i.e. until November 2030.
Because she was born in 1961, she is entitled to a 2% bonus for every year she postpones her retirement. She postpones her retirement by 3 years.
She is therefore entitled to a 6% bonus (3 x 2%).
Robert will reach his statutory retirement age on 1.8.2028. He chooses to retire on 1.6.2029 and is entitled to 1,900 euros gross. He meets the pension bonus conditions.
Robert retires 10 months after his statutory retirement age and is entitled to 1,900 euros gross.
He has:
- a career of 40 years of at least 156 days each
- 7,240 effectively worked days in his entire career while 7,020 days are required for the bonus.
He meets both conditions and consequently will receive a bonus.
He was born in 1962. His bonus rate per year therefore amounts to 4%.
His pension will be raised by 3.33% (4% /12 *10 months).
How can I check whether I meet the conditions?
Under the feature ‘Plan my pension’ on mypension.be, you will find the page “How does the reform affect me”. On this page, you will find a bonus meter.
In some situations, the meter isn’t available, for example when:
- the career details are missing
- the calculation can’t be made
What does the bonus meter show?
The meter shows, on the basis of the details we have today, the number of days and years in your career that count towards the conditions to receive a bonus.
2 boxes have been ticked (V)? In this case, you already meet the conditions.
You see 1 or 2 crosses (X)? In that case, you don’t have enough days or years to meet that condition yet.
Frequently asked questions
No, even if you don’t continue to work, you will build up a bonus as long as you don't retire.
Yes, the bonus is final.
No, the bonus is a personal entitlement. Your spouse’s survivor’s pension will be calculated on the basis of your pension amount minus your bonus.
You can't build up a bonus during periods in which you receive a Belgian or foreign survivor's pension.
You can, however, build up a bonus if you meet all the conditions and discontinue your survivor’s pension during the period in which you can build up a bonus.
Example:
Sofie works and receives a survivor's pension. At her statutory retirement age, she meets the career conditions to build up a bonus.
If Sofie continues to receive her survivor’s pension, she won't receive a bonus, even if she postpones her retirement pension.
If Sofie discontinues her survivor’s pension, she will build up a bonus until she starts receiving her retirement or survivor's pension.