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

How do I apply for my pension?

Do I have to file an application for...

my retirement pension?

  • You do not have to file a pension application if you:
    1. retire at the statutory retirement age (currently 65 years, 66 years from 2025 and 67 years from 2030);
      and
    2. worked as an employee or self-employed worker in Belgium;
      and
    3. have lived in Belgium since at least 13 months before your statutory retirement age.

    On mypension.be you can find out whether the investigation into your pension has started.

  • In all other cases, you have to file an application. You only have to file one application, even if you:
    1. worked in different schemes (employee, self-employed worker or civil servant);
      or
    2. are applying for several pensions (retirement pension, pension as divorcee, survivor's pension, ...)

Important remarks if you are a civil servant:

  • If you are retiring due to physical incapacity, you do not have to do anything. Your employer and the Pensions Service will automatically be informed.
  • Ethias manages the pension file of some civil servants. If your pension file is managed by Ethias, you should contact your employer. You are unsure whether Ethias manages your file? Please contact your institution's HR service.
     

A survivor's pension or transitional allowance?

Are you the surviving spouse?

  • You do not have to file an application if your deceased spouse:
    • was retired;
      or
    • chose to give up his or her pension;
      or
    • was already having his or her pension entitlements investigated by the Pensions Service.

    The Pensions Service will automatically initiate the procedure for the calculation of your survivor’s pension. We are automatically informed of the death of persons who live in Belgium.

    If your spouse lived abroad, you do have to inform us of the death yourself.
    We will then end the payment of his or her retirement pension and investigate your entitlement to a survivor's pension.

    If your spouse was a retired civil servant, you are also entitled to a funeral allowance.

  • You have to file an application for a survivor's pension if:
    1. your spouse had not yet retired
      and
    2. had not yet applied for a pension.

Please note! You have to file your application within 12 months after the death to ensure that your survivor's pension or transitional allowance takes effect in the month of the death or in the month following it. If you do not comply with this deadline, your survivor's pension or transitional allowance will take effect in the month following your application. The transitional allowance can definitively be lost due to its temporary nature.

Are you the ex-spouse of a deceased civil servant?

You have to file an application in the following 2 cases:

  • if your ex-spouse had not yet retired;
  • if you are not the only person entitled.

Please note! Is a surviving spouse also entitled to the survivor's pension? In this case, you have to file your application within 12 months after the death of your ex-spouse. Otherwise, you lose your entitlement to the survivor's pension as a divorcee.

Are you the orphan of a civil servant?

You have to file an application for an orphans' pension in the following 2 cases:

  • if you are older than 18 years;
  • if you are not the only person entitled.

When is an orphan entitled to a survivor's pension?
 

Guaranteed Income for Elderly Persons (GIEP)?

In most cases, you do not have to file an application for a GIEP. The investigation is started automatically if you:

In all other cases, you have to file an application for a GIEP.
 

How do I file my application?

You are currently living in Belgium

If you are living in Belgium, you can file your pension application in different ways:

  • online through mypension.be;

    When you have filed your application and if you provided your email address, you will receive a confirmation. On your next visit to mypension.be, you will find your application under 'My file'.

  • with the municipality of your place of residence;
  • on the Pension line + 32 2 225 17 65.
     

You are currently living abroad

  • Do you live in a country of the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland or the United Kingdom?
    • If you have built up pension entitlements in the country you are living in, please file your Belgian pension application with the pension institution of said country. The foreign pension institution will forward us your application if you state that you have worked in Belgium.
    • Did you not build up pension entitlements in the country you are living in, but in other countries of the EEA (or in Switzerland or the United Kingdom)? Please file your application for your Belgian pension in the last country of the EEA in which you built up pension entitlements (or in Switzerland or the United Kingdom if either was the last country in which you built up pension entitlements). Clearly state in the application that you are not entitled to a pension in the country you are living in. The foreign pension institution will forward us your application if you state that you have worked in Belgium.
       
  • Do you live in a country with which Belgium has concluded a bilateral agreement?
    Please file your application for your Belgian pension with the pension institution of the country you live in. This institution will forward us your application if you state that you have worked in Belgium.
     
  • Do you live in a country that has not concluded a bilateral agreement with Belgium, but did you pay contributions in a country of the EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom?
    Please file your Belgian pension application in the last country of the EEA (or in Switzerland or the United Kingdom if either was the last country in which you built up pension entitlements) in which you paid contributions. The foreign pension institution will forward us your application if you state that you have worked in Belgium.

Does the foreign institution refuse to receive your application? Let the Pensions Service know and state:

  • your foreign affiliation number
    and
  • the name of the foreign pension institution that refused your application.

    In all other cases you have to apply for your Belgian pension by means of a signed letter to the Pensions Service stating your full official name, address and Social Security Number (if known):

When should I file my pension application?

  • At the earliest 12 months before the date of implementation of your pension.
  • At the latest the month before the date of implementation of your pension.
     

I have filed my application. What happens next?

You do not have to do anything:

  1. If we need additional information, we will send you a questionnaire to fill out.
  2. As soon as your pension file is complete, we will calculate your pension.
  3. You will receive a detailed overview of the calculation of your pension amount.
     

What should I do once I have received my pension calculation?

  • Do you agree to the stated pension amount?
    You do not have to do anything. Your pension will automatically be paid on the fixed date. A few days before the payment of the pension, you will find the detailed amount on mypension.be.

    Please note! Please take the following into account:

     

  • Are you of the opinion that your pension amount is too low and you want to continue to work?

    Let us know that you want to retire at a later time. We will provide you with a new pension decision with an adapted amount.

    If you are an employee, you are not obliged to retire at the statutory retirement age.
     

  • Do you not agree to the stated pension amount?


    If you are displeased with our decision, you have several options. 
     

I have a question about the calculation...