In your pension scheme rules, we have incorporated the following changes:
2024 key figures
We have adjusted the following amounts for 2024:
- the maximum pensionable pay;
- the state pension offset;
- the commutation limit for small pensions;
- the percentages of the partner's pension (build-up and risk basis).
See the full overview of the 2024 key figures
Calculation factors and years
We have included the calculation factors applicable for 2024 in the appendices to the 2015 pension scheme rules. For example, factors for bringing forward and postponing occupational retirement pension, as well as factors for exchanging occupational retirement pension and partner's pension.
Higher build-up rate for occupational retirement pension
Social partners have decided to increase the build-up rate for your occupational retirement pension in 2024 to 1.657%. You can see what this means for your pension in the example below.
Example
To calculate how much pension you will build up in 2024, we must first reduce the salary by the state pension offset. We have to do this because you will also receive state pension benefits in the future. We have to take this into account in your pension build-up. Therefore, you do not build up pension over the state pension offset. The state pension offset for 2024 is €16,708.71.
Suppose your salary in 2024 is €35,000, and you are working full-time. Then the calculation is as follows:
- Step 1: we determine on which part of your salary we should calculate your pension build-up. That is €35,000 less €16,708.71 = €18,291.29.
- Step 2: we calculate how much pension you build up on the amount we calculated in step 1. We do that using the build-up rate. The build-up rate is 1.657%. Your pension build-up is then 1.657% of €18,291.29 = €303.09.
So in 2024, you will build up €303.09. By way of comparison, if we calculate the above example using last year's build-up rate (1.233%), you would accrue €225.53.
We will add your pension build-up in 2024 to the pension you have already accrued before 2024. The total is the pension you receive from us from the time you retire. Remember: this is a gross amount per year.
2-part partner's pension
Your partner's pension consists of 2 parts: you have a partner's pension on a build-up basis and a partner's pension on a risk basis. In 2024, the ratio between these two parts is changing:
- You automatically build up a partner's pension until the age of 67 at the latest. The partner’s pension is reserved for your partner after your passing. You will not lose this, even if your membership of the pension scheme ends or if you retire. The build-up of the partner's pension has been increased to 48.9% of the occupational retirement pension (2023: 1%).
- The other part of the partner's pension is insured on a risk basis. This part expires when you retire or when your membership of the pension scheme ends (no later than 3 months after leaving employment). The total partner’s pension will therefore be less in those cases. The partner's pension on a risk basis is now 21.1% (2022: 58%).
The total partner's pension during your membership of the pension scheme remains the same in the light of these changes. You can find the amount of your partner's pension on My Koopvaardij and on your Uniform Pension Overview.
A higher partner's pension after the end of membership?
If you pass away after you cease being a member of the pension scheme, your partner's pension will be lower. This is because the partner's pension on a risk basis lapses upon termination of your membership. Your partner will no longer receive the risk-based part.
If you want to avoid that, you must take action when your membership of the pension scheme stops. You may exchange part of your occupational retirement pension at that time for a higher partner’s pension.
Have you already retired?
In that case, nothing will change.
You can read more about this at Taking retirement.
Joining age has been lowered to 18
The Dutch Future Pensions Act (Wet toekomst pensioenen) stipulates that from 2024, everyone over the age of 18 should be able to build up a pension in his or her pension scheme. In our pension scheme until 2024, a member accrued pension from the time he or she was 21. This age has now been lowered to 18. A member will therefore start building up pension earlier. If you were over 18 but under 21 on 31 December 2023, your pension build-up started on 1 January 2024.
Eligibility for orphan's pension extended
If you pass away after leaving the service of an employer in the merchant navy sector, any children you have may still be entitled to an orphan's pension as if you were still employed. This is the case if you pass away:
- within 3 months of leaving employment and you were receiving unemployment benefit;
- within 3 months of leaving employment and you did not yet have a new job;
- within 730 days of leaving employment and you were undergoing training to obtain a recognised maritime degree during that period.
You can bring your pension forward up to 10 years before your state pension age
Until 1 January 2024, you could retire from the age of 55. We have changed this. From 1 January 2024, you can bring your pension forward until 10 years at the most before your state pension age.
If you want your pension to start more than 5 years before your state pension age, you had to declare until 1 January 2024 that you would stop working. According to tax rules, your pension was allowed to commence only if you did not work while receiving pension. This has changed since 1 January 2024. As of now, the requirement to stop working does not apply. You therefore no longer need to fill in a statement.
Voluntary continuation is now also possible up to 3 years before your state pension age
If you are leaving employment with an employer in the merchant navy sector, your pension build-up will stop. You can choose to continue this pension build-up. We call this voluntary continuation. You pay the contribution required for this yourself. If you wanted to opt for voluntary continuation and it would start less than 3 years before you reached your state pension age, that was not possible until 1 January 2024. From 1 January 2024, this is now possible. So from now on you can also opt for voluntary continuation if it starts up to 3 years before your state pension age.
Conditions for entitlement to death benefit for surviving dependants have changed
If you pass away, your dependants will receive a lump sum death benefit. Until now, this applied to all partners and/or children, even if they were not entitled to a partner's or orphan's pension themselves. From 1 January 2024, this has changed. If your surviving dependants are entitled to a partner's and/or orphan's pension under the pension scheme rules, they will also be entitled from now on to death benefits.
The retirement age for the membership years pension has been raised
We have adjusted the membership years pension (MYP) to the increasing state pension age. The MYP allowed employees with more than 40 years of pensionable service to retire earlier. The state pension age rose to 67 from 1 January 2024. We have therefore increased the number of required membership years in the pension scheme rules to 42. This has raised the MYP age to 65 in 2024. In 2023, it was 41 10/12 and 64 years and 10 months.
2015 prepension scheme rules
The commutation limit and the calculation factors that apply for 2024 have also been included in the 2015 prepension scheme rules. We have also clarified the right to a death benefit in these prepension scheme rules. If, according to the pension scheme rules, your surviving dependants are entitled to a partner's and/or orphan's pension, they will also be entitled from now on to death benefits.
Rules
You can find all pension scheme rules at www.koopvaardij.nl under Deelnemer - Downloads - Reglementen en statuten (Dutch only). You can also request the pension scheme rules by telephone from our Service Desk via +31 88 007 98 99.