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Do you also build up a complementary pension?

Above the salary many employers offer extra-legal (or 'fringe') benefits. One of these is group insurance.

Through a group insurance your employer provides an attractive financial perk that is available to you once you've retired. Your employer may also provide additional death-in-service insurance coverage. In that case, a certain amount will be paid out to your beneficiaries should you die before retirement.

The ABC of complementary pensions

The complementary pension is the piggy bank that you build up during your career with the help of your employer or a sectoral organization.  On retiring you are paid the accumulated amount, in addition to the statutory pension you receive from the government.

About 75% of employers build complementary pensions for their employees. There are good reasons for this: 

  • The legal retirement pension in Belgium is among the lowest in Europe, so an additional amount is welcome.
  • With a complementary pension your employer protects you and your family's purchasing power also after retirement. 
  • In addition to building up a complementary pension, your employer may also provide additional safeguards such as death-in-service coverage. In this case the beneficiaries listed in your contract receive a lump sum if you die before pension age. In this way your employer again provides protection for your family.
  • The complementary pension is, both for you and your employer, a fiscally advantageous form of remuneration. On a net basis you end up with more in your pocket.

 

Read all about the constitution of your complementary pension on the detailed page "Wat is a complementary pension?"

What is death-in-service coverage?

Death-in-service coverage is a type of life insurance that your employer can take out for you and your colleagues as an additional benefit. In this case your employer provides in the pension scheme that a certain sum (death benefit) will be paid out if you die before retirement age. For this, your employer pays a premium. In some cases, your employer even allows you to choose the size of your death-in-service benefit.

The following questions might also be interesting for you:

  • To whom is your death benefit paid?

    The beneficiaries of your death capital are determined by the law. You can however deviate from this order.  
    You'll find more info about it on our detailed page.

  • Can you use your death-in-service cover already?

    Yes, you can already use it if you want to purchase or build a home: as an alternative outstanding balance insurance and/or for the repayment of an endowment loan.

    You discover those possibilities on our detailed page.