How is your pension built up?

Your pension consists of three parts:

• General Old-age Insurance Act (Algemene Ouderdomswet, AOW)

  Once you reach the legal AOW age, you will receive an AOW pension from the government. The State Pension age is currently 67, but it will increase from 2025 as it is linked to rising life expectancy. On the Social Security Bank (SVB) website you can read more about the basic pension and calculate how much AOW you will be entitled to when you reach AOW age.

• ABP pension

  This is the pension you accrue via Leiden University. You are automatically registered at ABP at the start of your contract. You do not need to do anything. In addition to the pension, this also includes a survivor’s pension and a disability pension. You can find more information on the ABP website.

• Supplementary pension you take out at your own initiative

  You can choose to top up your pension voluntarily. This can be done through ABP or with another bank or insurance company.

Retirement pension via ABP

Do you want to stop working before your State Pension age? With the ABP Choice Pension, you can retire from the age of 60. Part-time retirement is also possible, for at least 10% of your weekly working hours. You can discuss your retirement options with your manager.

How much will my retirement pension be?

The amount of your pension depends on your personal situation, from how long you have been building up your pension with ABP to the size of your salary. Visit MijnABP to see how much pension you have built up and what happens if you stop working earlier.

Under the new pension system that will take effect at ABP from 1 January 2027, the size of your pension will depend on the contributions you and your employer pay together and the investment returns ABP achieves. This money goes into your personal pension pot, which can grow if investments do well but may decrease if financial markets perform poorly. 

As a result, the final amount of your pension is not fixed in advance; this is known as a defined contribution scheme. Go to MijnABP for more information.

Net Pension Scheme (NettoPensioenregeling)

Due to the new pension rules coming into effect in 2027, ABP will no longer offer the current Net Pension scheme itself; it will be transferred to Zwitserleven as of 1 October 2026. Participants will receive a personal notification from ABP about this.

Since 1 March 2026, it is no longer possible to join this specific scheme. Contributions to the current scheme will automatically stop on 1 June 2026. You can find more details about this transition and future options on the ABP website.

Retirement pension value transfer

If you accrued pension with a former employer via a different pension fund and wish to transfer the accrued amount to ABP, you can apply to ABP for a value transfer at the start of your employment with Leiden University. Under the new pension system, which will apply from 1 January 2027, this will still be possible.

ABP Surviving Dependents Pension

Accruing pension at ABP means that in the event of your death your partner or ex-partner and/or children are entitled to a surviving dependents pension. If you and your partner are unmarried, if you have a cohabitation agreement (samenlevingscontract) or if you were married abroad, you can register your partner at ABP. You must register your partner yourself until 1 January 2027. Once registered, your partner will, in the event of your death, be eligible for a surviving dependents pension. 

In the renewed pension scheme, your potential survivors automatically receive a pension if you pass away. Your partner and children will receive a percentage of your salary. However, from 1 January 2027, this only applies while you are building up a pension with ABP through Leiden University. If you leave employment, the insurance stops after three months, though there are options to extend this coverage.

When you retire, you can choose whether to allocate more pension for yourself or for your partner and children, with the latter still entitled to a portion of your pension if you pass away after retirement. More information about the main changes can be found on the ABP website. The partner’s pension accrued up to 1 January 2027 remains in addition to the partner’s pension in the new scheme.

ABP Work Disability Pension

In case of work disability you may be eligible for the ABP Work Disability Pension. In addition you can take out supplementary disability insurance via Loyalis.

More information

If you wish to report a change in your work or private situation, for instance because you are getting married, expecting a child or changing employers, or if you have a question about your retirement pension, please consult the ABP website. You can also check the ABP frequently asked questions.

From 1 January 2027, new rules will apply to various situations. You can find more information at the bottom of the ABP website.

To remain abreast of developments relating to your pension and ABP, please subscribe to ABP’s free digital newsletter.