Government reaches agreement on new pension law

The federal government has approved the new Pension Law in a second reading. This law translates the commitments made in the coalition agreement into concrete measures for employees, the self-employed, and civil servants. “This is a logical, fair, and socially responsible reform that ensures pensions remain affordable in the long run—for our children and grandchildren,” says Pensions Minister Jan Jambon.

With the second reading completed, the bill will now be submitted to the Council of State. After that, it can be formally approved by the government and submitted to parliament for debate and a vote.

A simpler and fairer system

The government is opting for a clearer pension model. The statutory retirement age remains unchanged: 66 today and 67 from 2030 onward. The conditions for early retirement also remain the same: 44 years of work for retirement at 60, 43 years for retirement at 61, and 42 years for retirement at 63.

However, the definition of a qualifying work year is being adjusted: from now on, a year only counts toward early retirement if at least 156 days have been worked (or considered equivalent), rather than 104. This roughly corresponds to a half-time job. Transitional measures will ensure a gradual shift: for the first year of one’s career, the 104-day threshold still applies. In addition, everyone will receive a flexible “buffer” of five days, which can be used to supplement years where the 156-day mark was just missed.

This pension reform aims to encourage people to work longer. Currently, the average retirement age in Belgium is around 62. To bring this more in line with the statutory age, the government is introducing a simple and fair Bonus Career break for the calculation of, specifically, civil servant’s pension. In order to obtain the annual pension amount in the public sector, the reference salary is multiplied by the number of employment years. That result is then multiplied by the 1/60 career break, the so-called bonus. An advantageous break applies for certain employees, so that they can reach the maximum pension more quickly. bonus -malus system—similar to those in most OECD The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), established in 1961 as a result of the Marshall Plan, is a cooperation agreement between 34 countries in order to study and coordinate social and economic policy. The member countries try to solve their problems jointly and to mutually align their international policy. The organisation also collects statistical information to make comparative analyses. These OECD analyses are a valuable basis for the N-VA to test policy against itself or even to give shape to it. OECD countries. Those who retire later than the statutory age will receive more pension; those who retire earlier will receive less. However, this loss can often be avoided by working just a bit longer.

No malus for early retirees who have worked sufficiently

Early retirement remains possible after at least 42 years of work. In the future, a pension reduction (malus) will apply to early retirees who have not met the threshold of 35 qualifying work years (each with at least 156 actual worked days) and a total of 7,020 effective workdays across their entire career.

On the other hand, those who retire after the statutory age and meet these conditions will receive a pension increase (bonus).

Periods of temporary unemployment, maternity leave, illness, or caregiving (such as parental leave or informal care) will count toward these work conditions.

The aim is to keep the reform socially fair, while maintaining the logic of longer working lives.

Harmonisation across pension systems

The different pension systems will be gradually aligned to reduce the pension gap between employees, the self-employed, and civil servants. This harmonisation will happen progressively: for civil servants, the reference period for calculating pensions will gradually shift from the best 10 years to the full 45-year career by 2062—matching the system already used for employees and the self-employed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why reform pensions?

In the 1990s, there were four workers for every pensioner. Today, there are only three, and by 2060 that number will drop to two. The system is becoming unsustainable.

These reforms address that imbalance. Thanks to the new law, the projected increase in ageing-related costs is halved, and the additional pension burden drops by nearly 60%. This ensures that future generations can still count on decent pensions.

Is the retirement age increasing?

No. The legal retirement age remains 66 today and 67 from 2030. Only the special early retirement ages for railway personnel (55) and military personnel (56) will gradually increase—by one year per year—until they match the general retirement age.

Can I still retire early?

Yes, early retirement remains possible: after 44 years of work at age 60, 43 years at age 61, and 42 years at age 63.

There’s also a new measure for people who started working very young, often in physically demanding jobs. If you started at 18 and have 42 qualifying years, you can retire at 60. Those who started at 19 or 20 can retire at 61 or 62—one or two years earlier than others.

Will I receive less pension?

Not if you retire at the statutory age—nothing changes in that case.

Those who retire early, with 42 career years, will receive a reduced pension if fewer than 35 of those years involved at least half-time work and fewer than 7,020 actual days worked.

But simply working a few months longer can lead to a much higher pension than under the old system. This reform may actually result in higher pensions for those who adjust their plans slightly.

I’m retiring soon. Does the new law apply to me?

No pension applications are being blocked, delayed, or paused pending final approval of the law—not even early retirements.

If you submit your application on time, you will receive confirmation of your pension date and amount at least four months in advance. That amount is guaranteed and will not change later.

You don’t need to rush to apply just in case. The long-standing rule still applies: once you qualify for early retirement, you retain that right in future years. For example, if you qualify in 2025, that right remains valid in 2026 and beyond.

⚠️ Note: your pension amount could change under the new rules starting from 2027.

Will women be disadvantaged under this system?

No. This reform does not harm or discriminate against women. In fact, it explicitly takes into account the realities of many women’s working lives:

• Care periods and maternity leave count as work periods.
• Part-time work years are treated as full-time for pension calculations.

Many of these reforms actually support women in building up their own pensions and help close the gender gap. Increased labour participation among women will further improve their pension outcomes.

The current pension gap between men and women is largely a result of past wage and employment inequalities. The best way to build pension rights is to remain active in the labour market.

I was on long-term sick leave—will I be penalised?

No. Periods of illness, maternity leave, temporary unemployment, and caregiving all count as effective work periods for avoiding a pension reduction. Full unemployment, early retirement schemes (SWT), and phased retirement (landingsbanen) do not count.