Old age pension

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR ENTITLEMENT TO OLD AGE PENSION FROM THE PENSION INSURANCE SYSTEM

OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC

 

 

Eligibility criteria for entitlement to old age pension

To be entitled to an old age pension, an insured person, must

1) achieve at least 15 years of the pension insurance period and

2) reach a pensionable age.

In the event that the insured person reaches the pensionable age during the period between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007, he/she is entitled to the old age pension after achieving at least 10 years of pension insurance period.

An insured person will not be entitled to old age pension if he/she reaches a pensionable age and achieved 10 years of the pension insurance period and,

• reached the age required for entitlement to an old age pension or a proportional old age pension before January 1, 2004, but until then had not fulfilled the eligibility criteria for the entitlement to this pension. (he/she did not achieve the required period of employment and did not have permanent residence on the territory of the Slovak Republic),
• was granted an early old age pension.

Entitlement to an old age pension in the event that the eligibility criteria were not met before January 1, 2004

If an insured person reached the age required for entitlement to an old age pension before January 1, 2004 and

1) fulfilled the criterion of the required period of employment only after adding the period of pension insurance achieved after December 31, 2003, he/she will be entitled to an old age pension or a proportional old age pension according to the legal regulations effective until December 31, 2003 or

2) did not fulfill the criterion of the required period of employment before December 31, 2004, he/she will be entitled to an old age pension at the earliest from January 1, 2005 according to Act No. 461/2003 Coll. on Social Insurance as amended by later regulations, if he/she achieved at least 10 years of a pension insurance period and reached the age of at least 62.

Pensionable age

As of January 1, 2019, the method of penionable age determination is changed. The pensionable age is determined in years and calendar months and is known five years ahead. The new method of the pensionable age determination concerns insurees born after December 31, 1956.

The pensionable age of insurees born between years 1957 - 1960

The pensionable age of an insuree born in

1. 1957, is 62 years and six calendar months,
2. 1958, is 62 years and eight calendar months,
3. 1959, is 62 years and ten calendar months,
4. 1960, is 63 is 62 years and two calendar months.

The pensionable age of insurees born after 1960 is not known yet.

A new method of the pensionable age determination does not concern:

1. insurees born until December 31, 1956,

2. women born from January 1957 to December 31, 1961, who are subject to provisions on the pensionable age reduction depending on the number of children raised,

3. insurees, whose pensionable age remains reduced in consideration to number of years worked in the employment ranked to the I. working category or to I. and/or II. function category.

The pensionable age of insurees born before Janury 1, 1957

The pensionable age will be as of 1^stJanuary 2017 for both men and women modified under increasing or decreasing of the average middle life expectancy in the Slovak Republic during five years reference period.

The number of days which will modify the pensionable age in the given calendar year will be announced by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic by a Decree always until October 31 in the calendar year which proceeds the relevant calendar year.

The pensionable age in 2017 was announced by the Decree No. 269/2016 Coll. and is 62 years and 76 days.
The pensionable age in 2018 was announced by the Decree No. 227/2017 Coll. and is 62 years and 139 days.

New method of pensionable age determination will not be applied to: 

1. insurees born until December 31, 1954,
2. women born until December 31, 1961, who fall under provisions on decreasing the pensionable age depending on the number of children raised and
3. insurees whose entitlement to decreased pensionable age is kept with regard to the number of years completed in the occupational category listed as I. or II. within the Category of Functions..

From January 1, 2004 to December 31., 2016 the pensionable age of 62 is the same for both men and women. It began to be applied

• to men who were born in 1946 and later and

• to women who were born in 1953 and later (the pensionable age is earlier for some women, depending on the number of children they brought up).

   

Determination of the pensionable age for men according to Act No. 461/2003 Coll. on Social Insurance as amended by later regulations

(see Retirement Age Calculation)

The pensionable age for men who reached the age of 60 between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2005 is determined by adding

a) nine calendar months to a man’s pensionable age if he reached the age of 60 in 2004, and

b) eighteen calendar months to a man’s pensionable age if he reached the age of 60 in 2005.

Determination of the pensionable age for women according to Act No. 461/2003 Coll. on Social Insurance as amended by later regulations

(see Retirement Age Calculation)

The pensionable age of a woman who brought up five or more children and reached the age of 53 between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2014 is determined by adding

a) nine calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 53 in 2004,

b) eighteen calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 53 in 2005,

c) twenty seven calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 53 in 2006,

d) thirty six calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 53 in 2007,

e) forty five calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 53 in 2008,

f) fifty four calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 53 in 2009,

g) sixty three calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 53 in 2010,

h) seventy two calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 53 in 2011,

i) eighty one calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 53 in 2012,

j) ninety calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 53 in 2013,

k) ninety nine calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 53 in 2014.

The pensionable age of a woman who brought up three or four children and who reached the age of 54 between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2013 is determined by adding

a) nine calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 54 in 2004,

b) eighteen calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 54 in 2005,

c) twenty seven calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 54 in 2006,

d) thirty six calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 54 in 2007,

e) forty five calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 54 in 2008,

f) fifty four calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 54 in 2009,

g) sixty three calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 54 in 2010,

h) seventy two calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 54 in 2011,

i) eighty one calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 54 in 2012,

j) ninety calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 54 in 2013.

The pensionable age of a woman who brought up two children and reached the age of 55 between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2012 is determined by adding:

a) nine calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 55 in 2004,

b) eighteen calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 55 in 2005,

c) twenty seven calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 55 in 2006,

d) thirty six calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 55 in 2007,

e) forty five calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 55 in 2008,

f) fifty four calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 55 in 2009,

g) sixty three calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 55 in 2010,

h) seventy two calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 55 in 2011,

i) eighty one calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 55 in 2012.

The pensionable age of a woman who brought up one child and reached the age of 56 between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2010 is determined by adding:

a) nine calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 56 in 2004,

b) eighteen calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 56 in 2005,

c) twenty seven calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 56 in 2006,

d) thirty six calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 56 in 2007,

e) forty five calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 56 in 2008,

f) fifty four calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 56 in 2009,

g) sixty three calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 56 in 2010.

The pensionable age of a woman who reached the age of 57 between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2009 is determined by adding:

a) nine calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 57 in 2004,

b) eighteen calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 57 in 2005,

c) twenty seven calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 57 in 2006,

d) thirty six calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 57 in 2007,

e) forty five calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 57 in 2008,

f) fifty four calendar months to a woman’s pensionable age if she reached the age of 57 in 2009.

Except for the above mentioned cases, the pensionable age will be determined in a different way for insured persons who declare entitlements resulting from their employment classification in the 1st occupation category. The pensionable age of these insured persons shall remain determined according to § 21 par. 1 and § 174 of Act No. 100/1988 (Digest) on Social Security as amended by later regulations. It concerns ages in the range between 55 and 59 years depending on the number of years of employment they achieved during the performance of employment belonging to the 1^st occupation category, 1^st functional category or 2^nd functional category. 

Entitlement to the payment of an old age pension

An individual’s entitlement to the payment of an old age pension begins after meeting the eligibility criteria for the entitlement to the old age pension and submitting the old age pension claim and shall remain in force during the pension insurance period (for example during the performance of employment) after the granting of the pension (the criterion that the employment relationship must be agreed for a maximum of one year is no longer required).

An old age pension shall not be paid out during the period in which the insured person is entitled to

• a wage replacement in the event of the temporary working incapacity of an employee or
• sickness benefits, or

if the insured person claimed an old age pension after December 31, 2007 and if he/she became temporarily incapable of work before the date from which he/she claims this pension.

Limitations related to the payment of an old age pension

Entitlement to the payment of an old age pension or its part falls under the statute of limitations after the expiration of a three-year period from the day on which the person began receiving the old age pension or its part. The given period does not begin to run during the old age pension proceeding or during the period in which the participant of this proceeding is dependant on a guardian but this guardian has not yet been appointed.

Termination of the entitlement to an old age pension and its payment

The entitlement of a natural person who fulfilled the eligibility criteria for the entitlement to an old age pension and the eligibility criteria for the payment of the old age pension ends on the day of his/her death, unless Act No. 461/2003 Coll. on Social Insurance as amended by later regulations states otherwise.

Claiming an old age pension

A proceeding on the claiming of an old age pension from the pension insurance system of the Slovak Republic begins on the basis of a written claim of a natural person (the claimant) who is claiming the pension and its payment.

If the claimant’s residence is on the territory of a different state, to which the coordination regulations of the European Union pertain, or on the territory of a contractual state, the request for old-age pension from the pension insurance system of the Slovak Republic is in principle submitted through the institutions of the social insurance system of that state; this also applies to the situation if the claimant does not claim a pension from the pension insurance system of the state, on the territory of which he/she has his/her residence.

If the claimant’s residence is on the territory of a state, to which the coordination regulations of the European Union do not pertain, or which is not a contractual state, the request for old age pension from the pension insurance system of the Slovak Republic is claimed at the Headquarters of the Social Insurance Company in Bratislava; or the claimant can file for it by completing the form “Request for Pension Filled Abroad” (see the Forms on Slovak page: http://www.socpoist.sk/formulare-ohc/48016s).

 Documents necessary to claim the pension from the Pension insurance scheme of the Slovak Republic
 Declaration of Honor

Transfer of an old age pension

Pensions are paid in advance to a state, to which the coordination regulations of the European Union pertain, in regular monthly periods and always on the regularly repeated periodicity pay dates. In the case of a state, to which the coordination regulations of the European Union do not pertain, pensions are paid in regular three-month intervals always postponed after the submission of the “Life certificate of the pension beneficiary”.

The periodicity pay date is determined for each person who is granted a pension benefit by the Social Insurance Company Headquarters.

An old age pension may be transferred

• to the bank account (maintained in a domestic bank or the branch of a foreign bank) of the pension beneficiary
• in cash if the pension beneficiary so chooses, or
• to the account of the husband (wife) of the pension beneficiary maintained in a domestic bank or a branch of a foreign bank but only provided that the pension beneficiary submits a written claim, his/her husband (wife) as an account holder agrees with this type of transfer and the pension beneficiary has the right of disposal for this account during the time of his/her receipt of the pension.