Pension reform: what changes for you?

In order to “reward work”, as emphasized by the Minister of Pensions, Karine Lalieux (PS), and the Minister of the Independents, David Clarinval (MR), a new pension bonus appears. This bonus is a net amount that will be granted to people who defer their pension beyond the time when they could have retired early. This bonus is valid for employees, civil servants and the self-employed.

But then, how does it work? First of all, it should be noted that it is from July 1, 2024 that this bonus will begin to be counted. But it will only be valid for people who actually retire after January 1, 2025. These six months are therefore a transition phase so that the first people can receive their pension bonus in 2025, after having worked an additional 6 months. This pension bonus can be constituted for a maximum period of three years. Note that there is no specific action to take to be entitled to this pension bonus and that it will be paid in one go, unless you request to receive this bonus as a monthly pension.

How much will this earn you? Several distinct cases exist, but generally speaking, you should know that this bonus is progressive. The longer you extend your career instead of retiring, the higher the bonus will be. But let’s take a few concrete examples. If you have worked less than 43 years on the nearest pension date and continue to work full time, your bonus will be €3,775 for the first additional year, €7,550 for the second and €11,325 € for the third. This therefore represents a total of €22,650 in pension bonus after three years.

Another example, a worker who has, on the date of his nearest pension, worked 43 or 44 years – which is often in difficult jobs – will see his bonus increased. The bonus of €11,325 is valid from the first additional year. Which brings the total bonus to €33,975 after three years. The amounts are also different if you work part-time after retirement. The calculation is quite simple, you just need to take the annual amount of the full-time plan and multiply it by the percentage of work. A person who continues their career by doing three years part-time will therefore receive €11,325, or half that of full-time work.

In order to find your way around, a lot of information and concrete cases will, in the coming months, be added little by little to the site. mypension.be.

2. Conditions of access to the minimum pension

To receive the minimum pension, you already had to have a career of at least 30 years. A new condition has been added to this one. From now on, you will have to have actually worked at least 5,000 days over your entire career. This new condition is valid for all people born in 1970 or later. Also note that these 5,000 days are reduced if you work part-time. In this case, you must have actually worked 3,120 days. This difference was born from a desire to “reduce the pension gap between women and men”, explains Karine Lalieux, who also recalls that “80% of people in part-time employment are women”.

An important clarification is to emphasize that this number of days, 5,000 and 3,120 therefore, also takes into account the so-called “assimilated” periods. These are holidays or professional absences which are considered as actual work. This includes maternity and birth leave, breastfeeding leave, preventive work separation, periods for palliative care or for a child with a disability, etc.

As a reminder, the minimum pension has been gradually increased since 2021. Since January 2024, it has amounted to 1,620 euros net per month.