The statutory retirement age will rise from 65 to 66 years from January 1, which means that people born on or after 1 January 1960 will have to work an extra year, while those born before will remain under the old system.
The decision to raise the retirement age was taken by the government of then Prime Minister Charles Michel in 2015, when it was set at 65. It will rise to 67 in 2030.
Workers aged 65 with 42 years' service will be able to apply for an early pension, as will those aged 64 and 63.
Actual-work condition
The pension reform passed in 2024, under the last legislature, also provides for the introduction of an additional condition of actual work for access to the minimum pension.
From 1 January, full-time workers will be required to accumulate 5,000 days of actual work to qualify for the minimum pension. This corresponds to one-third of a full career.
For part-time workers, the requirement will be 3,120 days. It will also be 189 months if the worker is a civil servant, and 64 quarters if he/she is only self-employed.
Additional protection for women
According to outgoing Pensions Minister Karine Lalieux, calculating the number of days worked over the course of a career will protect those with more irregular careers, especially women.
In particular, maternity leave, breastfeeding leave, time credits for palliative care and medical assistance, and temporary unemployment count as days actually worked. To qualify, pensioners will need to prove that they have worked an additional period of at least 6 months beyond the date of their early pension.
The first pension bonuses may also be paid to people retiring from 1 January 2025. This bonus, which has been available since 1 July, is for persons of pensionable age who continue to work.
Career extension bonus
For each additional year worked, the worker builds up a bonus. This amounts to €314.58 per month of services actually provided in the first reference year, €629.17 per month in the second year and €943.75 in the third year.
In total, workers who extend their career by 3 years will be entitled to a total of €22,650 net.
The pension bonus is available to employees, the self-employed and civil servants.
In 2025, the minimum age for entitlement to a survivor's pension in the event of the death of a spouse will be raised from 49 years and 6 months to 50 years.
