Pension scheme

Virtually all employees in the Netherlands build up a pension through their employer.

There are significant financial questions, such as the monthly payment of the pension premium and the question how large a pension this will provide at the age of retirement. It is important for you as an employee to be clear about your pension scheme. The pension experts at GMW lawyers can assist you with this.

Compulsory pension scheme

Most employees do not have a choice about participating in a pension. Neither does the employer. About 75% of employees are obliged to participate in the pension scheme which applies to their entire sector. Nevertheless, as an employee you must make sure that the employer registers you as a participant in the pension scheme, that you’re building up the correct pension, and that the pension premium is actually paid to the pension fund.

Change in the pension

A smaller proportion of employees build up a pension with a pension insurer through the employer. In that case participation is also often compulsory, but sometimes it is possible to indicate by means of a waiver that they do not want to build up a pension. In this case, no premium has to be paid. Even with an assured pension scheme, an employee must be vigilant about the correct premium payments and about proposals by the employer to change the conditions. It is not possible to simply change a pension scheme, and certainly not without the employee’s agreement.

Your financial interest

GMW lawyers advises and institutes proceedings for individual employees, but also for groups of employees, because a pension is collective product. Any change in a pension scheme has consequences for a group or for all the employees in a business or sector.

More information

GMW lawyers will be happy to help you with all your pension-related legal issues. If you have any questions, please contact us directly using the enquiry form below or +31 (0)70 3615048. Our pension lawyers will be happy to support and advise you.

Lawyers

Amber Willemsen

Prof. Hans van Meerten

Koen Vermeulen

Roos van Zaltbommel

All lawyers

Looking for a pension law lawyer in The Hague?

GMW lawyers will be happy to help you with all your pension law issues. Please feel free to contact us if you have any legal questions.

"*" indicates required fields

26 March 2024

Loss of pension

It is common for an employer and employee to terminate an employment contract by entering into a settlement agreement.

7 February 2024

Pension accrual of ‘bogus self-employed persons’ and ‘platform workers’

Last year, the Swedish EU presidency published a draft proposal for a European directive to protect platform workers and combat bogus self-employment.

4 February 2024

Data breaches at pension funds: mismanagement?

Last year there was another incident: the e-mail addresses of hundreds of ABP participants were made publicly available. ABP is the largest mandatory pension fund in the Netherlands, administering the pensions of civil servants, with estimated assets of 500 billion euros.

27 January 2024

Supreme Court on amending a pension supplement scheme

On 21 April 2023, the Supreme Court delivered an important ruling on amending a provision in a pension scheme about the granting of supplements (price indexation).

17 November 2023

Bring your pensions abroad! New EU Court cases!

Many employees who want to move to another EU member State want to bring their pensions with them. Even a lump sum should be possible.

16 October 2023

Personal notice to each policyholder?

The Court of Rotterdam delivered a judgment with potentially very far-reaching implications for the value transfer of participants' pensions.

7 June 2023

The new pension agreement: still not a done deal

There is a long history of plans for a new pension system. We can even go back to the 1990s when it was said at a pension meeting that ‘friend and foe’ agree that the system needs reform.

25 January 2023

What is the Early Retirement Scheme (RVU)?

The retirement age is getting higher and higher, forcing people to work longer and longer.

15 September 2022

Black Swans: Pension sector, say you’re sorry

The TV documentary series “Zwarte Zwanen (Black Swans)” broadcast two episodes about the world of pensions this summer.