When does pension accrual start, and how can I check it?
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Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
Building a pension differs from receiving it. Employees can accrue from age 18, but not every employer has a pension scheme. Check the scheme applying to your work, participation and any missing periods.
On this page
1. Separate the components
Keep AOW, workplace pension and personal arrangements separate. AOW age does not determine when workplace accrual starts. Use our existing retirement-age guide for payment dates. Foreign work or residence periods need separate checks.
2. Check scheme and start
Ask your employer or HR which scheme applies, its provider and your participation date. A compulsory sector scheme may apply; a missing pension clause does not decide this. Employees can participate from 18, but a birthday alone does not prove accrual in every job.
3. Compare your records
Compare contract, collective agreement, payslips and Uniform Pensioenoverzicht (UPO). Visit the official mijnpensioenoverzicht.nl yourself using DigiD. Check employer, periods and details. Personal private arrangements may not appear there; collect those statements separately.
4. Query missing accrual
Identify the exact missing period or entry and ask both employer and provider for clarification. An absent or outdated entry does not immediately prove no entitlement. Request written confirmation of participation and any correction. Have a continuing dispute assessed; our preparation does not decide your claim.
5. Consider the personal supplementary route
If self-employed, first check compulsory participation and possible continuation of a former scheme. For personal top-ups distinguish ordinary assets from a tax-qualified lijfrente. Deduction requires product conditions and annual or carried-forward allowance; no workplace pension does not mean unlimited deduction. For your own pension supplement, deduction also requires a fiscal pension shortfall and premiums or deposits you paid yourself. Use the official tax tool with the requested year’s records.
6. Keep questions and next steps
List periods, providers, missing documents and questions. Before taking out extra provision ask about costs, risks, access to funds and tax effects. This page chooses no product, return or contribution. Our help request prepares a legal follow-up question; it opens no account and submits no application.
Am I automatically covered for a pension everywhere from 18?
No. Entry age does not mean participation with every employer. Ask which scheme applies and check registration. AOW, workplace pension and personal provision have different conditions.
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- Employers and periods
- Contract, collective agreement and start
- Payslips and UPO
- Pension overview and private arrangements
- Correct tax-year records
- Responses and missing documents
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Need personal assistance? Request a lawyer through our chat. We explain the next step; submitting a request does not engage a lawyer. The links below support the legal information.
Rijksoverheid · Opbouw ↗Rijksoverheid · Regeling via werkgever ↗Rijksoverheid · Overzichten ↗Ondernemersplein · Zelfstandige ↗Belastingdienst · Aftrekvoorwaarden ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.