End of a relationship
Be well informed about the consequences
and possibilities
Ending a relationship or divorce between you and your (former) partner has complex consequences and impacts on your pension.
Retirement pension
After a divorce or when a registered partnership ends, your ex-partner is entitled to half the retirement pension you accrued in the course of the relationship. The distribution of your retirement pension after a divorce is referred to as ‘pension benefits equalization’ (‘pensioenverevening’). To implement this, you or your ex-partner must send a form to the pension fund within two years of the end of the relationship. This form can be requested via the Dutch Government.
The portion of your retirement pension to which your ex-partner is entitled is paid out to your ex-partner by the pension fund as soon as you receive retirement benefits. When ‘recognized’ cohabitation ends, your ex-partner will not be entitled to half of your accrued retirement pension.
Partner pension
Your ex-partner will still be entitled to a partner pension, however. This also applies in certain conditions to ex-partners of couples that live together. The partner pension for an ex-partner is referred to as ‘special partner pension’.
The special partner pension is paid out after your death in much the same way as the ‘regular’ partner pension. The special partner pension amounts to 70% of your retirement pension accrued under the basic scheme up to the end of the relationship. If you have a new partner, the special partner pension is first deducted from your new partner pension. Your new partner therefore shares a partner pension with your previous partner and as a result receives less than the 70% of your retirement pension specified in the regulations.
Deviating from the standard scheme
You and your ex-partner can together decide to deviate from the standard scheme. For instance, you can agree with your ex-partner that he or she waives the pension settlement or special partner’s pension. Such an agreement can be included in the marriage settlement or in the covenant drafted at the time of the divorce. If you wish to make a different arrangement, the pension fund will try to accommodate this, provided implementation of your request is feasible.