Transfer of pension rights FAQs

Events, FAQs, Newsletter - 2023-12-13, Newsletter - 2024-01-08, Newsletter - 2024-10-28, Pensions Print This Post

*Update 24.10.2024: The list of financial intermediaries for the transfer out as published by PMO is not final. We have updated question 8 below to make that clearer.*

Original article: The pension scheme of the European Union institutions (PSEUI) is for all institutions and most agencies. Check out our general pension FAQ. Regardless of whether you work in the Parliament, Council or Commission and whether you are an official, a Temporary Agent or a Contract Agent you are probably making contributions to the PSEUI.

The exception would be local agents and those not directly employed by the institutions, such as seconded national experts.

Note that when talking about transfers of pension contributions, the point of reference is always the PSEUI itself, so:

  • a transfer out is taking contributions from the PSEUI to somewhere else and
  • a transfer in is taking contributions made elsewhere e.g. a national system and putting them into the PSEUI.

What does it mean to do a transfer of contributions? Who has to do this? What are the options available? What are the timelines? What has to happen and why? Given the increasing use of non-permanent staff at the Commission transfers-out will become necessary for more and more staff. As ever, we encourage you to make informed decisions.

We gather here a list of common questions regarding pensions at the Commission and we encourage you to gather as much information as you can before deciding how to proceed.

TRANSFER-OUT 

We offer information sessions on transfers out with Allianz, one of the PMO-checked schemes listed on MyIntraComm. Bring your questions and scenarios! If you would like to receive the presentation after the event or to ask more-detailed questions then please contact the Allianz broker directly, they will be more than happy to help!

  1. What is a transfer out of PSEUI pension rights (‘contributions’)?

This is where you take all the pensions contributions you made during your time working at any and all of the EU institutions out of the PSEUI. The transfer out is all or nothing: you cannot choose to transfer out only some of your PSEUI contributions.

  1. Who has to do a transfer out?

Anyone who has between 1 and 10 years of EU service and then leaves the EU institutions will need to do a transfer out in order to use the PSEUI contributions.

  1. What if I reach 10 years in the EU institutions?

‘When you have completed at least 10 years of active service or reached pensionable age, you are entitled to a pension.’ (Staff Matters)

Note that this 10 years can be fragmented and broken across institutions: someone who has 3 years at the Parliament, 6 years at the Commission and a year in an agency has 10 years in total and so crosses the threshold and is entitled to a PSEUI pension.

  1. What if I die while employed at the EU institutions but before reaching 10 years of service?

Then there is a survivor’s pension for dependents. It is not possible to nominate someone, it is automatically for those named in your sysper file who meet the criteria, note that these criteria may entitle an ex-spouse to a pension but not a current legal partner. Please check for yourself and know what is available.

  1. What if I reach retiring age before reaching 10 years of service?

Then you get a pension based on your years worked at the institutions but remember that your retirement age depends on the last contract you signed. If you signed your last contract in 2014 or later then your retirement age is 66 years.

‘When you have completed at least 10 years of active service or reached pensionable age, you are entitled to a pension.’ (Staff Matters)

  1. Are there alternatives to a transfer out of PSEUI contributions?

If you have worked for less than 1 year at the EU institutions you can get a severance grant instead.

For those with more than 1 year at the EU institutions there is the exceptional option of a severance grant under very specific circumstances.

  1. Is a transfer-out of PSEUI contributions obligatory?

If you have less than 10 years in the institutions, have not reached pensionable age and leave to work elsewhere then you must transfer out in order to receive a pension based on your EU institution contributions. The PSEUI will not pay you a pension. MyIntracomm states that ‘you must transfer our pension rights’, but gives no deadline for this to happen. Also, this must be initiated by the individual.

  1. Where can I transfer out to?

Normally to a Member State national pension scheme or a PMO-approved private insurance fund or pension fund.

The list of financial intermediaries linked above is not final! These are brokers and schemes that PMO has verified as fulfilling the 4 compulsory conditions:

  1. the capital will not be repaid;
  2. monthly income lifelong payment from age 60 at the earliest and 66 at the latest;
  3. dependents entitled to survivors’ benefits (not 0%);
  4. transfer to another scheme or fund will be authorised only on the above conditions.

If you find another scheme that fulfils these conditions, then PMO will transfer there as well.

PMO makes no mention of transferring out to other workplace-based schemes e.g. UN or German civil service. There is no mention of pension schemes which are outside the EU, we understand that they can choose to collaborate, so if this is your preference, give it a go and let us know what happens.

Here are the staff matters instructions on how to proceed with a transfer out: it looks like you can ask for the calculation and then do nothing with it. Check whether the information provided to you comes with deadlines.

  1. What is the experience of transferring out to national (state) pension schemes?

National schemes can sometimes be less than enthusiastic about receiving these contributions, we are aware of high costs requested by some national authorities from individuals to process requests.

Note also that with state schemes there can be limitations, for example:

  • time: that there is a deadline post-end of contract to initiate the transfer. In Germany this is 6 months and we have heard of a 1-year limit for Spain (no source for this yet).

If you fail to fulfil the national rules then a transfer out of the PSEUI and into the national fund may no longer be possible. Generation 2004 is interested in compiling a list of limitations, send us any you find together with the source please.

  1. What if the national scheme refuses to accept my PSEUI contributions?

This does sometimes happen and unfortunately, you will have to choose another of the options in question 8.

  1. What if I work again in the EU institutions in the future?

Then you will again make contributions to the PSEUI pension. If you have previously transferred PSEUI contributions out then it is possible to transfer them back in but:

  • this might only be worthwhile if you now have the chance to reach the threshold of 10 years of contributions, especially when taking into account point below,
  • the x years of PSEUI contributions you transferred out are unlikely to come back as the same number of years of PSEUI contributions: there will be losses and reductions to cover costs and changes (including compound interest).
  • the deadline for starting the process may be as short as 3 months, depending on your circumstances.

Multiple transfers-out and in are possible, but will probably result in losses e.g. paying administration costs each time and depending on the calculation used to convert the value of the contributions from one system to another. Imagine travelling around several countries and changing your euros each time into each different currency: there are losses each time. The conversion of value into time is made in comparison to your salary, so the lower your salary the better the conversion. If your salary has changed this will impact the conversion.

Please gather all the information you can before making decisions!

  1. What is the deadline for a transfer-out of PSEUI contributions?

The PSEUI gives no deadline, but there may be limitations for the intended destination system (see question 9).

  1. What if I never transfer out my PSEUI contributions?

If you have more than 1 year of contributions but never pass the threshold of the 10 years of PSEUI contributions and leave the EU institutions, then you receive no pension from your PSEUI contributions: you have to transfer your PSEUI contributions out in order to get a pension. If you are no longer working at the EU institutions then there is no survivor’s pension.

  1. Are there any advantages to transferring contributions out of the PSEUI?

If you do not transfer out, the PSEUI contributions you made can be lost.

If you have more than 1 year of contributions but never pass the threshold of the 10 years of PSEUI contributions and leave the EU institutions, then you will not receive a pension from your PSEUI contributions unless you transfer your PSEUI contributions out.

The destination fund will pay a pension based on the value of the PSEUI contributions transferred together with any other contributions made.

Depending on the destination of your transferred-out contributions, you might be able to name a beneficiary or provide for a survivor’s pension in the event of your death.

There will be different options available in each national or PMO-checked scheme: ask them what they offer (there is no obligation to complete the transfer simply because you asked some questions). There should be no charge for simply having a chat with them, but ask them, just in case!

  1. Are there any negatives to transferring contributions out of the PSEUI?

The pension you receive after a transfer out is not a PSEUI pension. It will be subject to national rules and taxes.

  1. Can I transfer contributions out even though I have more than 10 years of PSEUI contributions?

We see nothing stating that you cannot transfer out your more than 10 years of PSEUI contributions, but we are not sure why you would want to do this. PSEUI is a final salary pension scheme, this is incredibly rare and highly valued. Please consider your options carefully.

  1. What if I receive the invalidity allowance?

You are still making contributions to the PSEUI. If you reach 10 years of PSEUI contributions you have a PSEUI pension and if not, you must transfer those PSEUI contributions out to have a pension.

TRANSFER IN

  1. What is a transfer-in of contributions made outside to the PSEUI?

This is where you take your contributions from a national (or other non-EU institution) pension scheme and put them into the PSEUI.  Pensions contributions you have made during your time working at any and all of the EU institutions are already in the PSEUI, it is a common scheme, you do not need to transfer them.

  1. Is a transfer-in of external contributions obligatory?

No, you can leave those contributions where they are. You can get a rough estimate, or even go through the transfer-in process in order to see exactly how much those national contributions are worth in the PSEUI. You have no obligation to proceed at this point. Note that if you choose not to do the transfer at this point and then change your mind and do it in the future the calculation is redone and the amount may well be lower than the original figure given.

  1. What happens if I don’t transfer in my external contributions?

Check what those contributions are worth where they are, will they entitle you to a pension elsewhere? It is possible to group contributions made in several Member States.

  1. Why does the estimated value of the external contributions change each time the calculation is done?

One reason is that the conversion of value into time is made in comparison to your salary, so the lower your salary the better the conversion. If your salary has changed this will impact the conversion.

  1. What is the deadline for a transfer-in of external contributions?

‘… you must submit your request before you have completed 10 years and 6 months’ worth of contributions…’ (Staff Matters). See Case T‑827/19: the transfer-in deadline is strictly applied. The sooner you transfer in, the better (see question 21). Note that the date that counts is when you started the transfer-in process not when the money is transferred (some Member States can take years to do this).

  1. What about my external contributions made to schemes outside the EU?

Make the request in sysper and see what happens, those schemes can choose to collaborate if they want but they are not obliged to. Again, you can make the request just to see what there is, once you have the estimates you do have no obligation to make the transfer.

  1. What if the external scheme or Member State takes years to respond?

The date that counts is when you formally started the transfer-in process, i.e. when you signed the form in sysper, not when the money is transferred (some Member States can take years to do this).

  1. What happens to those external contributions while waiting?

See pages14 and 15 PMO presentation, there is a deduction made per year on the amount to be transferred. Please ask about this before making your final decision.

  1. Are there any advantages to transferring external contributions in?

This can increase your pension and simplify paperwork (you are not having to deal with different pension systems and potentially different retirement dates). Beware doing this if you are AST-SC (see Minimum pension by design (point 4)) it is unlikely to make a difference.

  1. Do the contributions transferred into the PSEUI contribute to meeting the 10-year threshold to be eligible for a pension?

No, the time/contributions added by transferring in cannot contribute towards the 10-year minimum service to be entitled to a PSEUI pension.

  1. What if I change my mind after the transfer-in?/What if my transfer-in makes no difference to the pension amount?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to have a refund: check the 2023 court case on this topic.

  1. Can I choose to transfer only part of the sum?

You make a request for each pension scheme you have contributed to e.g. one for Spain and one for Portugal. The transfer is all or nothing for each request (i.e. all of your Spanish contributions/all of your Portuguese contributions): you cannot choose to transfer out only part of your contributions from one scheme. E.g. even if you find that your transfer in has made no difference to your final pension, you cannot then reverse that transfer in.

Note that contributions gifted by national authorities (e.g. for national service, maternity leave or similar) are not counted by the PSEUI and are not transferred. These remain in the national system and may be worth something there.

  1. Do I pay tax on a PSEUI pension?

The PSEUI pension is subject to income tax levied by the European Union but exempt from national taxation (Pensions and invalidity allowances Guide point 6.5). The solidarity levy (6% for most staff) is not applied to pensions.

  1. Will my PSEUI pension mean that another pension is reduced?

It shouldn’t, no. An example of a judgement to show that the EU pension is exempt from national taxation in a very broad sense is e.g. C-558/10.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

  • Where can I find an explanation of all the terms?

Pensions jargon decoder

Pension (Wikipedia)

EU-institution-specific information

As always, if you have questions, please feel free to contact us.

Older updates:

*Update 03.10.2024: Thanks to the 471 colleagues who attended the 01.10.2024 presentation. The powerpoint is available by email from the Allianz broker. A future session will be organised. The article below is reworked and republished to include the additional questions from the presentation. We’ve also made a more general FAQs for your pension questions that are not related to transfers. If you don’t find your question answered, please contact us:  together we can find the answer and add it here if it might be useful to others.*

Update 11.03.2024: in response to your feedback we have renamed this FAQ since it covers pensions in all aspects: transfers in and out included.

Update 11.03.2024: Thanks to the 210 colleagues who attended the 04.03.2024 presentation. The powerpoint is available by email from the Allianz broker. A future session will be organised in June. Additional questions from the presentation will be added and answered below.

Update 16.01.2024: Thanks to the 84 colleagues who attended this presentation. The powerpoint is available by email from the Allianz broker. A future session will be organised. Additional questions from the presentation are added and answered below.

 

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