We provide below an overview of the main factors that influence the pension, without going into the specific provisions and exceptions inherent to pension legislation.
How is the pension bonus or pension malus
calculated?
As from 2026, your employee may receive a pension bonus if he continues working for a longer period. However, as from 2027, a pension malus will also apply if your employee stops working too early. We provide below an overview of the main factors that influence the pension, without going into the specific provisions and exceptions inherent to pension legislation.
What is the statutory retirement age?
The statutory retirement age is being gradually increased depending on the date of birth. This has not been changed by the recent legislative amendment.
| Date of birth | Statutory retirement age |
|---|---|
| Before 01/01/1960 | 65 years |
| Between 01/01/1960 and 31/12/1963 | 66 years |
| As from 01/01/1964 | 67 years |
When can your employee retire early?
This depends both on age and on the length of the career. These are the conditions applicable as from 2027.
| Age | Career length |
|---|---|
| 60 years | 44 career years |
| 61 – 62 years | 43 career years |
| 63 – 64 – 65 years | 42 career years |
You can find which periods are assimilated for the calculation of career years on this website of the Pension Service. This does not change either.
What changes?
What does change is the number of days your employee must have worked (or assimilated days) for a career year to be taken into account.
For pensions commencing as from 1 January 2027, career years will only be taken into account if they include at least 156 worked or assimilated days.
If your employee already satisfies the conditions for early retirement in 2026, he retains that entitlement even if he only retires in 2027 or later. In that case, the pension malus will not apply either.
For the 156-day threshold, a maximum of 5 reserve days may be used, spread over the entire career.
In addition, there is a system of balance days for employees working part-time, allowing years with a limited shortfall in worked days nevertheless to be taken into account. In the case of consecutive half-time employment, surpluses from years with more than 156 worked days may be used for years with fewer than 156 days. As a result, years with 150 to 162 worked days can still count towards early retirement.
Balance days are used first; reserve days are only used afterwards.
For the first career year, 104 worked days exceptionally suffice instead of 156, provided that no previous year included at least 156 worked days. No reserve days can be used for that first year.
How is your pension calculated?
Regardless of whether the person is an employee, self-employed worker or civil servant, the pension is calculated on the basis of the same factors: professional income, the number of worked or assimilated days, and family situation.
A yearly income ceiling applies for pension accrual. In addition, a full career year consists of 312 worked or assimilated days and a full career consists of 45 years.
For each career year, a pension amount is calculated on the basis of the income and the number of worked days in that year. Consequently, working longer and earning higher income leads to more pension rights, up to the applicable income ceiling.
More information can be found here.
How is the pension bonus calculated?
The pension bonus introduced by the previous government has meanwhile been abolished as of 31 December 2025 and replaced by a new bonus.
As from 2026, your employee may benefit from a bonus on the basis of new rules.
To benefit from this bonus, the following conditions must be met:
- A career of at least 35 years, each consisting of 156 worked days;
- 7,020 worked days during the career;
- Not having received any pension previously.
Here too, certain days are assimilated to worked days.
Reserve days and balance days cannot be used for this purpose.
For each year that your employee postpones retirement after the statutory retirement age, the pension is increased by a certain percentage depending on the year of birth.
| Year of birth | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 1962 or earlier | 2% |
| Between 1963 and 1972 | 4% |
| In 1973 or later | 5% |
Example: Anna was born in 1963 and can take her statutory retirement in April 2029. She decides to continue working until April 2032. She takes her statutory pension on 1 May 2032. Her monthly gross pension amount will be increased by 12% (3 × 4%), provided that this is her only pension and that she has a career of at least 35 years (with 156 worked days for each year) and that the total number of days worked throughout her entire career amounts to at least 7,020 days.
When will the pension be subject to a malus?
As from 2027, a pension malus may apply to employees who retire before reaching their statutory retirement age. This malus reduces the pension amount, on top of the effect of a shorter career. The measure is intended to discourage early withdrawal from the labour market.
The malus does not apply to employees who already have an entitlement to early retirement on 1 January 2027, even if they take that early retirement at a later date.
The malus only applies to pensions:
- Commencing as from 2027; and
- Insofar as your employee has not worked sufficiently.
Specifically, there is insufficient work if your employee does not satisfy the following conditions:
- 35 career years with at least 156 worked days; and
- 7,020 worked days throughout the entire career.
Here too, reserve days and balance days may be used.
The assimilated days for the calculation of the pension malus can also be found in this overview table. As you will notice, the assimilations are broader here than for the calculation of the pension bonus.
Persons who do not satisfy these conditions will receive a lower pension benefit. The reduction depends on the age and on how long before the statutory retirement age the pension commences.
| Year of birth | Malus per year of retirement (early retirement) before the statutory retirement age |
|---|---|
| 1960 or earlier | 0% |
| Between 1961 and 1965 | 2% |
| Between 1966 and 1974 | 4% |
| In 1975 or later | 5% |
Example: If you were born in 1975 and take early retirement in 2039 while your statutory retirement age would only commence in 2042, your gross pension amount will be permanently reduced by 15% (3 × 5%) if you do not have a career of at least 35 years and 7,020 worked or assimilated days.
Retirement as from age 62 with a 42-year career
In addition to the stricter conditions introduced, a relaxation has also been introduced as from 2027.
For employees, early retirement is possible as from the age of 60, provided they can prove 42 career years. A career year counts when the employee has at least 234 worked or assimilated days, corresponding to approximately three-quarter employment.
The assimilated days are assessed more strictly in this context. Here you can find an overview of which days are included. Reserve days cannot be used here. Nor does the exception of 104 worked days during the first working year apply here.
What does Securex do for you?
Should you have any questions in this regard, please do not hesitate to contact your Legal Advisor at Securex via myHr@securex.be.
Sources
- Act of 30 May 2026 containing the pension reform (1), Belgian Official Gazette, 1 June 2026.
- Website of the Federal Public Service Pensions.
