To supplement our frequently asked questions (FAQs) on pension transfers, we add this FAQ for all of the other questions we receive on pension in general. If you don’t find your pension question answered in either of the two FAQs or in the Staff Matters FAQs then please contact us, together we can find the answer and add it here if it might be useful to others.
- I worked in another EU institution, where are my pension contributions?
The pension scheme of the European Union institutions (PSEUI) is for all institutions and most agencies (and here), but please check your previous employer was part of the PSEUI.
If your institutions or agency contributed to the PSEUI, then regardless of whether you worked in the Parliament, Council or Commission and whether you were an official, a Temporary Agent, a Contract Agent or a member of auxiliary staff you were making contributions to the PSEUI.
The exception would be local agents and those not directly employed by the institutions, such as seconded national experts.
If your institutions or agency contributed to the PSEUI, then even if the PSEUI contributions are fragmented with a couple of years here and there with interruptions, they are cumulative and taken altogether and count towards your PSEUI pension.
- What about pension contributions made at the EIB or ECB or other non-PSEUI places?
We’re unable to find a definitive list of all the contributors to the PSEUI scheme. The European Investment Bank and the European Central Bank appear to have their own pension funds.
Please check your own circumstances and ask about previous contributions in previous places of employment. You need to know what those contributions are worth if you leave them where they are versus if you bring them to the PSEUI (transfer in).
- How much do I pay towards my PSEUI pension?
Check code Pension scheme (CPP) on your pay slip, it is a percentage of your basic salary.
- What’s the minimum time of paying into the PSEUI in order to be entitled to a pension?
10 years, unless you reach retirement age or die before reaching this threshold. Time on invalidity allowance or special leave count. The first year of leave on personal grounds (‘CCP‘) can count, but only if you have chosen to make PSEUI contributions, which can be very expensive.
- Do contributions transferred in from other schemes count towards the 10-year threshold for entitlement to the PSEUI pension?
The 10 years must be 10 years of making contributions to the PSEUI: contributions transferred into the PSEUI from elsewhere cannot be used to reach the 10-year threshold.
- What if I don’t reach 10 years of PSEUI contributions and I am not yet at retirement age?
You will have to transfer out of the PSEUI in order to use those contributions. The 10 years must be 10 years of making contributions to the PSEUI: contributions transferred into the PSEUI from elsewhere cannot be used to reach the 10-year threshold.
- Is there a deadline for a transfer into/out of the PSEUI?
Transfer in to the PSEUI: 10 years and 6 months from the ‘entry into service’ (but this term is not well defined: check point 10 here for where to see this).
Transfer out of the PSEUI: it depends on where the funds are being transferred to and is subject to the rules of the receiving scheme. i.e. get in touch with the destination scheme and ask them what limitations they have.
- What about contributions I made in the past to non-PSEUI pension schemes?
You can check out your options and how much they would be worth if you transferred them into the PSEUI and then decide whether it is worthwhile or whether they entitle you to a second pension.
- Where is the PSEUI fund invested?
The PSEUI is a nominal (virtual) fund: i.e. it does not exist, the current contributions pay the current pensions.[*]
- What did the staff regulation reforms change with regards to PSEUI pensions?
For the same pension contribution (code CPP on your salary slip), staff collect pension rights at different rates and can retire at different ages, depending on when they were recruited.
| staff regulations | Pension accrual rate (%) | Retirement age |
| pre-2004 | 2 | 60 years-64 years and 8 months |
| pre-2014 | 1.9 | 63 years-65 years |
| Post-2014 | 1.8 | 66 years |
- At what age can I retire/claim my PSEUI pension?
Your retirement age depends on when you were recruited (entry into service)/start date of last contract and what age you were at that point. In theory 58 is the earliest (so long as you have made 10 years of PSEUI contributions, not counting contributions transferred in from elsewhere. If you choose to receive your pension immediately you might lose almost 2 years of PSEUI contributions for each year you go before your set retirement age (‘reduced rate pension’). If you choose to defer receipt of pension then this reduction is not made.
- Is an invalidity allowance the same as a pension?
An invalidity allowance, while similar to a pension is neither a pension nor retirement. Invalidity is (nominally, at least) a temporary situation which can be reviewed periodically. The New Procedural Handbook for Invalidity Committees, 2022 p .13 footnote 24 give details on non-permanent staff being judged as fit for work or not having their contract renewed.
Pre-01/05/2004 this payment was called ‘invalidity pension’ and the new name was not applied retrospectively, so the title is still in use but only for that particular edition of this payment
- I worked first as a non-permanent staff member, what is my date of entry into service for the purposes of calculating the pension?
Check Sysper>personal data>personal file>My individual rights and query anything that needs clarification with PMO.
- Why is the date of entry into service important?
See point 13: entry into service sets the version of the staff regulations which apply to you. It sets your retirement age and the rate at which you accrue pension rights (2%, 1.9% or 1.8).
For non-permanent staff: the Picard case clarified that where a colleague has one non-permanent contract after another in an unbroken chain then the date that applies is the date of the first contract. i.e. Mr Picard could retire at the age stated in the first contract and not at 66 years old, the age corresponding to his last contract.
For those with contracts that were not continuous (i.e. there were spaces between them), the date of the last contract is used, even though contributions made to the PSEUI may be predate that last entry-into-service date.
For non-permanent who later became officials: the Picard case leaves unsaid whether it should apply here too.
- What if I already took my PSEUI contributions out of the PSEUI?
If you already took your PSEUI contributions elsewhere (transfer-out or severance grant) then you do have the option to put them back into the PSEUI, but there is a time limit.
You might also be able to do a transfer in to the PSEUI of any pension contributions made elsewhere in the meantime. Check out your options and make informed decisions.
- Can I retire early/before my standard retirement age?
If you have 10 years of PSEUI contributions (not including a transfer in) then you can (at least on paper) retire from 58 years. If you then choose to receive the PSEUI pension immediately then this is at a reduced rate. Reduced rate means that for every year before your normal retirement age you will lose almost 2 years of contributions. The reduced rate is applied also to the minimum pension (see point 19).
Check the pensions calculator. Alternatively, you can retire early and defer receipt of the pension.
- What alternatives to early retirement exist?
Limited part-time (‘phased retirement’): you go part-time (50%) but receive 60% of your salary for the last 3 years (you can choose to make full or reduced pension contributions). You do not receive any part of your pension during this time.
Standard part-time: part-time staff have the same promotion and step as their full-time counterparts, meaning that you continue to increase your final salary. For a final promotion to count towards the final salary taken for the pension, it must have been received for a year, while steps are counted from the moment they are awarded.
Leave on personal grounds (‘CCP‘): PSEUI contributions can be made for the first year but may be prohibitively expensive.
This list is not definitive, please let us know of any ideas you may have!
- What is the final salary used for the PSEUI final-salary-pension calculation?
Your last basic salary (i.e. without allowances). For a final promotion to count towards the final salary taken for the pension, it must have been received for a year, while 2-yearly steps are counted from the moment they are awarded.
Please check the pension calculator and consider that while some allowances continue to be paid, the expatriation allowance and annual travel payment are not.
- What is the minimum PSEUI pension?
‘The minimum amount of the retirement pension could not be less than 4 % of the minimum subsistence figure (basic salary of AST 1) per year of service.’ (Staff Matters )
AST1/1 wage is considered a ‘subsistence’ figure, while AST/SC1 staff earn less than this .
For example, a person who joins the Commission as AST/SC1/1 at the age of 36 and retires, after a ‘career’ of 30 years, at the age of 66 and AST/SC6/1. Because the last basic salary of the AST/SC colleague is very low, the minimum pension (30 years x 4% x AST1/1 basic salary) will always be higher than the basic retirement pension (30 years x 1.8% x AST/SC6/1 basic salary).
- What is the maximum PSEUI pension?
- Can I make additional voluntary contributions/pay more to increase my PSEUI pension?
There is no provision for this in the staff regulations. It could be possible to have an additional job and to pay a pension elsewhere (not the PSEUI) but this would be a separate pension.
- Could I not transfer in subsequent external pension contributions?
The time limit on a transfer in is 10 years and 6 months from the ‘entry into service’ (but this term is not well defined: check point 13 here for where to see this).
- Can I take a break from paying PSEUI contributions?
You can choose whether or not to make PSEUI contributions while on CCP, but the cost can be prohibitive.
You could also retire before retirement age and defer receiving the pension.
We are not aware of any other circumstances where pension contributions are not made. If you know of any contact us, we’ll add them.
- Do I make PSEUI contributions while not working?
Normally you continue to make pension contributions in the case of sickness, maternity leave, invalidity or time credit. Note that if you work part-time you can choose to make pro-rata payments. Contributions are made on your behalf for parental leave.
While there is no explicit pension-related statement for paternity leave (‘Birth of a child of an official: 10 working days per child’) contributions should continue, given that this is special leave.
You can choose whether or not to make PSEUI contributions for the first year of CCP, but the cost can be prohibitive.
While unemployed contributions are made on your behalf to the national system by that Member State.
- What is a PSEUI survivor’s pension?
This is a pension paid to the recognised dependents of the deceased (normally spouse or dependent children). Note that the contribution towards funeral expenses is not limited to dependents: for anyone to claim all they have to do is show receipts.
- Can I name who receives the PSEUI survivor’s pension?
No, the PSEUI survivor’s pension is paid to those meeting the criteria who are already declared in sysper. This might mean an ex-spouse being entitled to the survivor’s pension while a current partner is not.
- If I remove my spouse from a PSEUI survivor’s pension does that mean my child gets more?
While the PSEUI survivor’s pensions appear to be independent of each other, there is a link between them.
‘The cumulative amount of the survivor’s pensions (widow/widower, orphan(s) and any divorced spouse(s)), plus family allowances and less any other compulsory deductions, may never be more than the net salary or net pension of the deceased (whichever is applicable).’ (staff matters)
Nevertheless it is not the individual who decides who receives the survivor’s pension.
- Who gets the PSEUI survivor’s pension if I have no dependents?
Your pension stops with you. There is no payment made to anyone from your pension. Note that the contribution towards funeral expenses is not limited to dependents: for anyone to claim all they have to do is show receipts.
- What happens to my PSEUI pension in the case of invalidity?
Check out ‘other entitlements’ in Staff Matters: you can pass from the invalidity allowance to a PSEUI pension automatically on reaching retirement age or choose to switch, with a reduced pension where applicable. Staff Matters does still mention an invalidity pension, but this appears to be an outdated term for the invalidity allowance.
- Can I retire from CCP i.e. without returning to a role first?
We cannot find this written anywhere, but having checked with HR, it appears that you can. You do not need to come back to active service.
- Can I work beyond retirement?
For those able to retire before 65, they may work up to 65 years old at their own choice. For anyone wanting to work beyond 65/66 the decision belongs to the institutions. Pension contributions continue to be made and the accrual rate increases.
- ‘133 extensions of service above the age of 65 in 2020’ (p.36 Human Resources in 2020)
- ‘81 extensions of service above the age of 65 in 2019’ (p.39 Human Resources in 2019)
- ‘nearly 70 extensions to carry on working beyond the normal retirement age’ (p.29 HR in 2015)
- Can I retire to another country to increase my PSEUI pension?
This is called weighting and is similar to the correction coefficient for pensions: it is applied only to contributions made pre-2004. i.e. for all other contributions it makes no difference where you retire, the payment does not change.
- What happens to my JSIS membership when I retire?
JSIS membership can continue, but the accident insurance part normally stops. Look also at the extension of JSIS cover.
- What happens to allowances when I retire?
Check out the list here and here.
Your question isn’t here?
If you don’t find your pension question answered in either of the two FAQs or in the Staff Matters FAQs then please contact us.
See also Pensions and invalidity allowances guide October 2018 for information on deductions and allowances.
[*] The PSEUI is not a pay as you go pension system (and one must distinguish private pension plans from public pension schemes). There is an EU budget item covering pensions. Consequently, we have removed the following phrase: ‘This means that there will be difficulties in the future as staff are recruited at lower grades and earning lower salaries. This results in lower sums being collected as pension contributions to sustain the relatively higher pensions paid to colleagues recruited pre-2004 or pre-2014.’
