Unemployment benefits and pension

Compensation: pay attention if you expect to be made redundant this year

PME wants to switch to the new pension rules on 1 January 2027. This switch is expected to be beneficial for most people. However, there will be a disadvantage for others. They are expected to accrue less pension in the future than under the old scheme. This is why, at the time of the switch, these people will receive an extra amount in their pension pot. This amount is also known as compensation. This will enable us to maintain their expected pension as much as possible as well. You will only receive an extra amount if the following two conditions apply to you:

• You were born in the period from 1 February 1960 until 31 December 1988.
• You accrue a pension with PME on 31 December 2026 and 1 January 2027.

*At an earlier stage, we inadvertently mentioned a date of 31 January 1988. That date is incorrect. It should be 31 December 1988.

If you were made redundant on or before 1 January 2027, you will not receive any compensation. NB: under certain conditions, however, you can continue accruing a pension with PME on the basis of voluntary continuation. In that case, you will be eligible for compensation. Please ensure that your application is received by 1 March 2027 at the latest.

Contact us if you would like to know what this means for you personally, so that we can make a cautious estimate for you. This will give you a rough idea of what the compensation will mean for your expected monthly pension and whether it is worth accruing a pension with us at your own expense.

You can find out more about this topic, including useful calculation examples, on the page below.

More about compensation

When should you continue accruing a pension?

You can continue accruing a pension, but you do not have to. Whether this is the right choice for you depends on your income and expenses after your retirement and on whether you can bear the cost of making contributions. 

• It is wise to make an overview of your income and expenses after your retirement. Check whether it is necessary to continue accruing a pension in order to receive sufficient pension.
• If you stop accruing a pension with PME, you may also lose part of your entitlement to a partner’s pension and orphan’s pension. Therefore, think carefully about whether your family will have enough income in the event that you pass away. 
• Check whether you will be able to continue paying these extra costs if you lose some or all of your income.

This is how you continue accruing a pension

• If you are on benefits, your pension accrual will be 70% of your normal accrual before you received benefits. You accrue a pension over your salary up to €100,731 (2026) gross per year.
• If you earned more than €100,731 gross per year and accrued a pension with PME, you can continue accruing a pension over this higher salary (up to €137,800 in 2026). You pay this part of the contribution in full yourself.
• If you have taken out an additional partner’s pension (Anw shortfall insurance), this insurance will continue free of charge as long as you receive unemployment benefits.

What does it cost?

• If you are on unemployment or sickness benefits, we pay half of the contribution, and you pay the other half. If you are on PAWW benefits, we will pay half of the contribution until 1 January 2027, and you pay the other half. From 1 January 2027, you will pay the entire contribution yourself.
• How much contribution you must pay depends on the amount of your pensionable salary before you left employment (reference date: 1 January of the relevant year). We will calculate the contribution on the basis of your last salary.
• You may be able to deduct the contribution on your income tax return. If you have any questions about this, contact the Tax and Customs Administration.

Apply on time

If you would like to continue accruing a pension with us, you must apply for this within one year of leaving employment using the ‘Accruing a pension at your own expense’ form (pdf). If you would like to be eligible for compensation, please ensure that the form is received by 1 March 2027 at the latest.