In which country do you receive a pension benefit?
If you work in Belgium, you will accrue a old-age pension in Belgium. The pension you accrue depends on the number of years you were insured in Belgium and the amount of your income. For each year that you work in Belgium, you will receive a Belgian pension starting at your legal retirement age. The legal retirement age will increase from 65 in 2025 to 66 in 2030. A full pension is paid in Belgium after 45 years of insurance.
If you work in Belgium, you will not lose the entitlements you accrue in the Netherlands. However, when you work in Belgium, you only accrue pension rights in Belgium and no longer in the Netherlands.
Have you worked in both Belgium and the Netherlands? If so, you will receive a pension from both countries. In the Netherlands, you have built up AOW and possibly an occupational pension through your Dutch employer, and in Belgium, you have built up an old-age pension and possibly group insurance through your Belgian employer. Check with your employer to see if there are any additional pension schemes.
Have you only worked in Belgium? If so, you will only receive a pension from Belgium.
If you retire before the AOW age in Belgium, you will still partly accrue Dutch AOW entitlements. In certain situations, you may be able to claim exemption from national insurance contributions in the Netherlands.
Where are you insured for medical expenses after you retire?
If you have only worked in Belgium and have never built up a Dutch AOW pension, you will only receive a pension from Belgium and you will remain insured there. You will then remain insured with a Belgian health insurance of your choice. You will not be entitled to a health supplement from the Netherlands. You can receive health care in both the Netherlands and Belgium.
If you receive a pension from both countries, you will be insured against health care costs in your country of residence, the Netherlands. In that case, the contribution for this insurance (also called WLZ contribution) is calculated on your worldwide income, i.e. also on your Belgian pension.
How do you claim your pension?
Apply for your legal pension. Where you do this depends on your country of residence when you retire. Your application will always go through your country of residence. You apply for your occupational pension or group insurance from the relevant pension fund.
Your partner’s pension
If you live in the Netherlands, your partner will, in principle, be compulsorily insured for an AOW pension. Your partner will continue to accrue Dutch AOW pension rights as normal, even for the period during which you work in Belgium, unless your partner also works outside the Netherlands.
Taxes
The question of where your pension is taxed is covered by the tax agreement between the Netherlands and Belgium. The question of which country may levy taxes depends on several factors. The type of pension and the amount may play a role. For more information, contact the tax office.
Further information
In order to assess your personal situation, we advise you to create your profile on thewww.grensinfo.nl website. You will then receive additional information based on your personal details.
For a personal discussion, you can contact a GrenzInfoPunkt near you.