When can I retire?

In order to qualify for an old-age pension, you must meet the following conditions:

• attainment of the statutory age;
• completion of a certain number of years of pensionable service, a certain insurance period or a certain number of years of pensionable service without purchase;
• termination of compulsory insurance.

 

Conditions (general)

• 60 years of age and 40 years of pensionable service without purchase or
• 65 years of age and a 15-year insurance period.

 

You may also retire earlier and apply for a lowering of the age limit.

 

Old-age pension with an added period

If you have been part of a compulsory supplementary pension insurance or occupational insurance scheme in Slovenia (people who work in hazardous occupations, such as miners, police officers, soldiers, etc., and people whose occupation cannot successfully be pursued after a certain age, such as opera singers, ballet dancers, etc.), a quarter of this period may be taken into account as an ‘added period’ for the purpose of calculating the number of years of pensionable service.

 

When determining the qualifying conditions, this period is counted as a period of pensionable service without purchase. However, it does not affect the percentage used to assess the old-age pension.

 

The following questions are answered below:

What is pensionable service?

Why postpone retirement?

What affects the pension amount?

Can I get a guaranteed pension?

How do I obtain an informative calculation?

What do I need to do if I am employed or self-employed in Slovenia and wish to retire?

 

What is pensionable service?

Pensionable service covers all insurance periods and special periods taken into account for acquiring entitlement to an old-age pension, and is the basis for setting the pension assessment rate.

 

An insurance period covers the period of compulsory or voluntary inclusion in the compulsory insurance scheme and the periods for which contributions have been paid (purchase of pensionable years of service, a period of time spent caring for a child during their first year of life as recognised by official decision).

 

A special period covers the period which, irrespective of the payment of contributions, is counted towards pensionable service. Entitlement to an old-age pension cannot be claimed without the fulfilment of the minimum requirement of a 15-year insurance period.

 

Periods of inclusion in the compulsory pension and disability insurance scheme on a compulsory basis and periods of inclusion in the compulsory insurance scheme on a voluntary basis up to 31 December 2012, when the contributions were actually paid, periods in which agricultural activities were pursued and insurance periods under Slovenian regulations on the basis of employment abroad are included in the years of pensionable service without purchase. However, a period of inclusion in compulsory insurance on a voluntary basis after 1 January 2013, an insurance period while caring for a child in their first year of life, the purchase of years of pensionable service, etc. are not included in this period.

 

In order to determine the conditions for entitlement to an old-age pension and the assessment thereof, account shall also be taken of any added period.

 

Purchase of pensionable service: if you are insured in Slovenia or receive a Slovenian pension, you may purchase up to 5 years of pensionable service in order to meet the retirement requirements or receive a more favourable pension. The purchase of years of pensionable service is taken into account for the entitlement to:

• an old-age pension, if you meet the statutory age limit, i.e. 65 years, or
• an early retirement benefit.

In both cases, that period is also taken into account for the purposes of determining the rate at which the pension is assessed.

 

Why postpone retirement?

If you postpone receipt of an old-age pension, the insurance period completed after the conditions have been met may count towards a more favourable calculation of the pension. .

If you have reached at least 60 years of age (or less if the age limit is lowered) and completed 40 years of pensionable service without purchase, and if you postpone your claim for an old-age pension, every further year of pensionable service without purchase:

• completed under compulsory insurance after 1 January 2013 and up to 31 December 2019, but not more than three consecutive years of insurance, is evaluated so that every 3 months of pensionable service without purchase equals one percentage point (4 % for one year and 12 % for 3 years);
• completed under compulsory insurance after 1 January 2020, but not more than 3 years of insurance, is evaluated so that every 6 months of pensionable service without purchase equals one and a half percentage points (3 % for one year and 9 % for 3 years).

If, after qualifying for an old-age pension, you have completed years of pensionable service without purchase by 31 December 2019, as well as after 1 January 2020, for the evaluation of these periods, the most favourable combination of the periods completed either under the former or the current legislation will be taken into account, up to a maximum of 3 years of insurance..

 

What affects the pension amount?

The amount of the old-age pension depends on the –amount of the pension base and the years of pensionable service completed, which forms the basis for setting the rate at which the pension is assessed.

 

How is the pension base determined?

The old-age pension is assessed from the pension base, which is calculated on the basis of a monthly average of the bases from the most favourable 24 consecutive years of insurance from 1970 onwards from which compulsory pension and disability insurance contributions have been paid. The calculation takes account of the bases, –reduced by taxes and contributions payable on salaries at the average rate in Slovenia. ZPIZ is obliged to calculate all available monthly averages of bases from 24 consecutive years of insurance from 1 January 1970 and to grant, of its own motion, an insured person a pension by applying the most favourable average, which constitutes the pension base. When calculating the pension base, ZPIZ takes into account the previously reported data on salaries, or insurance bases, under the regulations on the central register of insured persons and recipients of benefits under compulsory pension and disability insurance.

 

However, salaries, or bases, from an individual calendar year can only be taken into account if at least 6 months of insurance have been completed in that year.

 

The bases from the calendar year in which you claim an old-age pension are not taken into account for the calculation of the pension base.

 

To ensure that they are comparable, ZPIZ adjusts the bases from years of insurance, which are the basis for the calculation of the pension base, using adjustment coefficients.

 

Where an old-age pension assessed from the pension base on the basis of years of pensionable service and calculated on the basis of your salaries, or insurance bases, including indexations carried out in the year in which the benefit is being claimed, is lower than a pension assessed from the minimum pension base and payable for the same years of pensionable service, the pension will be assessed from the minimum pension base.

 

Where an old-age pension assessed from the pension base on the basis of years of pensionable service and calculated on the basis of your salaries, or insurance bases, including  indexations carried out in the year in which the benefit is being claimed, is higher than the pension assessed from the maximum pension base and payable for the same years of pensionable service, the pension will be assessed from the maximum pension base.

 

How is the assessment rate set?

In addition to the amount of the pension base, the amount of an old-age pension is affected by the assessment rate, which depends on the number of years of pensionable service completed.

 

A minimum assessment rate is set for the assessment of an old-age pension for 15 years of pensionable service, while there is no upper limit in the form of a maximum possible rate.

 

For women, the assessment rate for a 15-year insurance period is 29.5 %. For each further year of pensionable service, 1.36 % is added. Where the additional pensionable service is not one year, but at least 6 months, 0.68 % is added.

 

For men, the assessment rate for 15 years of pensionable service varies according to the year of retirement:

YEAR OF RETIREMENT	PERCENTAGE FOR 15 YEARS OF PENSIONABLE SERVICE
2020	27
2021	27.5
2022	28
2023	28.5
2024	29
From 2025	29.5

 

For each further year of pensionable service, the following is added for men:

YEAR OF RETIREMENT	PERCENTAGE
2020	1.26
2021	1.28
2022	1.30
2023	1.32
2024	1.34
From 2025	1.36

 

Where the additional pensionable service is not one year, but at least 6 months, it is valued at half the rate for each calendar year.

 

A person may have their pension assessment rate increased for each child (their own or adopted) they cared for during their first year of life, if the child is a citizen of the European Union. The additional assessment rate for each child is 1.36 %, to a maximum of 4.08 %.

 

An increase in the pension due to the care of a child may only be claimed by one of the parents (generally the mother). Entitlement to an increase in a pension may, under certain conditions, and by agreement, be claimed by the father, if he was entitled to a parental allowance lasting at least 120 days or if neither parent took parental leave.

 

Postponement of a claim for a pension also affects the amount of the old-age pension. If you have reached at least 60 years of age (or less if the age limit is lowered) and completed 40 years of pensionable service without purchase, and if you postpone your claim for an old-age pension, every further year of pensionable service without purchase:

• completed under compulsory insurance after 1 January 2013 and up to 31 December 2019, but not more than three consecutive years of insurance, is evaluated so that every 3 months of pensionable service without purchase equals one percentage point (4 % for one year and 12 % for 3 years);
• completed under compulsory insurance after 1 January 2020, but not more than 3 years of insurance, is evaluated so that every 6 months of pensionable service without purchase equals one and a half percentage points (3 % for one year and 9 % for 3 years).

If, after qualifying for an old-age pension, you have completed years of pensionable service without purchase by 31 December 2019, as well as after 1 January 2020, for the evaluation of these periods the most favourable combination of the periods completed either under the former or the current legislation will be taken into account, up to a maximum of 3 years of insurance..

 

Can I get a guaranteed pension?

If you retire having completed the number of pensionable years of service prescribed for an old-age pension at the lowest age, i.e. at the age of 60 (or less if the age limit is lowered), along with 40 years of pensionable service withoutpurchase, you are entitled to, at least, the guaranteed pension. If under the same conditions you claim an old-age pension on the basis of international agreements or EU pro-rata rules, you are also entitled to the guaranteed pension on a pro-rata basis.

 

From 1 December 2020, the guaranteed pension is EUR 566,88.

The amount of the pension provided is not taken into account when determining the basis for assessing a widow-er’s or survivor’s pension.

 

Informative calculation

You may obtain information on the date on which you are expected to meet the conditions for an old-age pension (or early retirement benefit) and the amount of that pension from ZPIZ. In order to obtain an informative calculation, you must submit an application:

• electronically via the ‘Moj eZPIZ’ system using a qualified digital certificate;
• in person at the nearest ZPIZ regional office;
• by post (PDF form).

 

What do I need to do if I am employed or self-employed in Slovenia and wish to retire?

If you are employed, the employer is obliged to deregister you from the compulsory pension, disability and health insurance schemes when your employment contract is terminated (the employer will do this using the M-2 form).

 

If you are self-employed, you must:

• apply for removal from the Slovenian Business Register and
• withdraw from the compulsory pension, disability and health insurance schemes using the M-2 form, which can also be submitted through the e-VEM (electronic ‘one-stop shop’) portal using a qualified digital certificate (which you can obtain free of charge at an administrative unit).

 

A claim for an old-age pension is filed with the ZPIZ:

• electronically via the ‘Moj eZPIZ’ system using a qualified digital certificate;

• in person at the nearest ZPIZ regional office or by post (form).

 

Recommended documents to include with the claim:

• work book and any other means of proof (e.g. decision regarding foreign insurance periods);
• proof of the termination of compulsory insurance (e.g. document terminating an employment contract, self-employment certificate of removal from the Slovenian Business Register, insured persons voluntarily included in compulsory insurance, M-2 form, etc.);
• agreement by parents to claim a lowering of the age limit for entitlement to an old-age pension on account of children (if you file a claim for an old-age pension under the previously applicable law, i.e. the ZPIZ-1);
• an annual allowance certificate for the year in which an old-age pension is being claimed (receipt of all or a proportionate part of the annual allowance);

• any proof of employment abroad.

 

We suggest that, in order to enable a decision to be issued in good time and for compulsory health insurance to be arranged, you file the claim approximately 2 months before you finish working.

Following the filing of a claim for an old-age pension (or early retirement benefit), ZPIZ commences a procedure to issue a decision on the old-age pension claim.

 

You may contact pension specialists at ZPIZ for any further information or clarification concerning retirement:

• in person at the nearest regional office during official working hours;
• by telephone or email;