What does the Easter Agreement signify for your retirement?

The government of Arizona has announced several retirement measures as part of its coalition agreement. Following the Easter agreement on 12 April, the initial reforms have been implemented. Below is a brief overview of what this specifically means for you and your employees.

This AI-generated translation may contain errors and should not be considerd legal advice. For accurate info, refer to the Dutch or French version or consult your Securex Legal Advisor.

Are these measures already official?

No, they are not yet official. This article discusses the pension measures outlined in the federal government agreement, which were developed during the “Easter agreement.” These measures will be included in a program law that will soon be submitted to parliament. Once the texts are approved, they will become final upon publication in the Moniteur belge.

Until this legislative process is completed, the proposed measures may still change and do not yet have legal force.

Pension bonus becomes bonus-malus system

The pension bonus, which was established by the previous government, will be abolished as of January 1, 2026. Individuals who have already accrued rights as a result of this bonus can retain them until the end of 2025. From July 1, 2024, individuals could earn this bonus by continuing to work while already eligible for (early) retirement. If they do so, they will receive a net pension bonus until December 31, 2025, for a maximum of 18 months.

Read our article about the pension bonus

Instead, starting in 2026, a bonus-malus system will be introduced. Individuals will receive a bonus if they work longer than the statutory retirement age (currently 66 years) and can demonstrate 35 career years with at least 156 effective labour performances and 7020 effective working days. The bonus will amount to 2% for each additional year worked until 2030, 4% until 2040, and 5% from 2040 onwards. Periods of maternity leave, career breaks, and reductions for care reasons, as well as parental leave, will be equated with effective labour performances.

A malus will be applied if an individual retires before the statutory retirement age without meeting the career conditions. The malus will be equal to the percentages of the bonus. Sick days will be considered as working days when calculating the malus, meaning that illness will not negatively impact the pension.

In summary

From 2026, there will be no bonus available if an individual retires before the statutory retirement age. Those who take early retirement will see their pension reduced by a malus for each year they retire early (calculated until the statutory retirement age). They will only avoid the malus if they have already accrued 35 career years with 156 days of effective labour performances and 7020 effective working days.

Temporary limited indexing of highest pensions

Pensions up to 5,182 euros gross per month will remain fully indexed.

Pensions exceeding 5,250 euros gross per month, however, will be limited indexed. Until 2029, there will only be a flat-rate indexing of gross 36 euros. This indexing is therefore limited to the indexing of the gross minimum pension for a single person (2% of 1,809 euros).

Individuals receiving a gross pension between 5,182 and 5,250 euros per month will receive a partial indexing.

Supplementary pensions: Wijninck contribution and solidarity contributions

As announced, the Wijninck contribution will increase. This is an additional employer's contribution for high supplementary pensions, in addition to the general contribution of 8.86%.

Individuals are only liable for the contribution if the sum of the statutory and supplementary pension exceeds the maximum pension for civil servants. This threshold will be 99,499.24 euros gross per year as of February 1, 2025. The contribution will therefore increase from 3% to 12.5% starting from the contribution year 2026. The previous government also decided to increase the contribution from 3% to 6% starting in 2028.

Additionally, starting January 1, 2027, there will be a personal solidarity contribution for the employee of 4% on the portion of the supplementary pension capital above 150,000 euros. This threshold will be indexed annually, similar to the statutory pensions. Below this amount, a contribution will be owed between 0% and 2% depending on the amount paid out.

What pension measures can we still expect?

The government agreement announced other pension reforms. These include equalized periods that may or may not count in the calculation of the career, early retirement from 60 years with 42 career years, a tightening of the other conditions for early retirement, and the reform of the survivor's pension.

These measures, which are planned to come into force from 2027, will be introduced later through separate legislation.

What does Securex do for you?

We closely monitor the legislative process and keep you informed of any changes via Lex4You.

Stay updated on current events: every quarter we organise a webinar on social current affairs. In this webinar, we discuss the new developments that you should not miss. This includes the implementation of the government agreement. Read more: training on social current affairs.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact your Legal Advisor at Securex via myHr@securex.be