Which pension sources can you influence?

From a certain age, everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands receives a basic income through the Dutch General Old Age Pensions Act (AOW). The amount of the AOW benefit depends on whether you live with a partner. You may also receive a lower AOW benefit if you have lived or worked abroad for a number of years. You cannot choose when the AOW benefit starts, as this depends on your date of birth. Are you curious about when your state retirement age starts and what amount you will receive? Visit the SVB website

Many employees accrue a pension through their employer's pension scheme. How much pension you accrue depends on the pension scheme. If the scheme is investment-linked, you can often influence the investments yourself. As a pension scheme member, you often have the choice of how offensive or defensive the investment is. On your retirement date, you can then use your investment value to take out a pension benefit that best suits your personal wishes, with the provider who appeals to you most. You can opt for a certain fixed benefit, but also for a variable benefit that fluctuates with the value of the investments. You can also, for example, opt for a benefit that pays more at the beginning and less later on. You can read more about this in the article ‘The options for your pension from your employer’. 

Your equity consists of savings, the value of any investments and your own home. It may be that your home is worth more than the mortgage you have taken out. In that case your home has excess value. You can use the money from this excess value to supplement your pension if you sell your home. There are also options that allow you to cash in the excess value, but not sell your home. See also the article on this subject on nn.nl. 

About 11% of the Dutch population continue to work after their retirement age because they enjoy it, feel fit enough, want more income and/or like to keep a steady rhythm.