Pension ABC

All the university staff starts to accrue pension benefits with the collective ABP-scheme and becomes a scheme-participant.

ABP is the pension scheme for the entire Dutch (public and) educational sector; from primary school up to and including the universities.

No! Everyone who becomes part of the university staff is obliged to join the scheme.

Pension premiums are paid by both employer and employee. The employer pays the full pension premiums to the fund and then deducts a percentage of these premiums from the wage of the employee.

When ending service time with an employer in the Dutch (public and) educational sector the membership in the ABP-scheme ends. The former employee receives than relevant information regarding his former scheme-membership.

Under conditions the former member has the possibility to have his accrued pension eligibilities transferred to another Dutch pension scheme.

When ending service time with an employer in the Dutch (public and) educational sector the membership in the ABP-scheme ends. The former employee receives than relevant information regarding his former scheme-membership.

Under conditions international value transfer to an institution for retirement provision could also be possible; a so-called ‘Guide & Model-Questionnaires on incoming and outgoing international value transfers’ can be downloaded from site of the Dutch ‘Pension Fund Federation‘.

• When a (former) participant reaches the pensionable age he is entitled to an old age pension.
• Pension benefits are also paid in the event of disability and death. A disability-pension is (only) granted as a supplement towards a ’state-disability benefit’. For the sake of completeness is explicitly noted that the pension regulation of course may undergo modifications at all times.
• If you die while you are building up a pension with ABP, your partner will receive the ABP Surviving Dependants Pension. If you are already receiving a pension from ABP, at the time of your death, the Surviving Dependants Pension will be subject to certain conditions.

For current information about the ABP-scheme:
http://www.abp.nl/ (in Dutch) or http://www.abp.nl/en/ (in English)

For current information about the General Old Age Pension Act [AOW]:
https://www.svb.nl/en/aow-pension/ (English link)

No, there is no vesting period and no minimum period to accrue pension eligibilities.

All (former) participants receive periodical information / updates on the status and value of their accrued pension eligibilities by means of a ‘pension overview’-information.
If a (former) participant no longer is a Dutch inhabitant, it’s important to inform ABP about the new / current foreign address, because in that case ABP no longer receives this information from the public authorities.

Furthermore it’s also possible to get ‘personal pension information’ at any time by logging in on ’Mijn ABP’ on the ABP-site with a personal (requested) access code. See also the Dutch Tracking Service mentioned in the Pension Landscape of the Netherland.

Yes, under conditions an employee can make additional contributions by paying extra pension premiums through his employer to save up for his pension benefits; this pension-module is called ‘ABP extra pensioen’. In addition, employee who has an income, which increases the fiscally accepted pensionable salary-level, may accrue pension over the part of the (taxed) salary above the fiscally accepted pensionable salary-level; this pension is called ‘Nettopensioenregeling’, under conditions.

A (former) participant is entitled to an old-age pension from the day he reaches the pensionable age according to the General Old Age Pension Act [in Dutch: AOW]. The General Old Age Pension is a basic state pension granted by the Social Insurancebank [in Dutch: ‘Sociale Verzekeringsbank’; abbreviated as SVB] for people who have reached their General Old Age Pension-age.

Under conditions the employee and the (former) participant can request for an old age pension before the General Old Age Pension-age, but not before the first day of the month in which the age of 60 is reached.

For current information about the ABP-scheme:
http://www.abp.nl/ (in Dutch) or http://www.abp.nl/en/ (in English)

For current information about the General Old Age Pension Act [AOW]:
http://www.svb.nl/int/en/index.jsp (English link)

All (former) participants receive periodical information / updates on the status and value of their accrued pension eligibilities by means of a ‘pension overview’-information.
If a (former) participant no longer is a Dutch inhabitant, it’s important to inform ABP about the new / current foreign address, because in that case ABP no longer receives this information from the public authorities.

Furthermore it’s also possible to get ‘personal pension information’ at any time by logging in on ’Mijn ABP’ on the ABP-site with a personal (requested) access code.

ABP will pay your benefit directly to the country where you live, but there might be differences from country to country. That depends on the country in which your bank account is established.