Cohabitation marriage and civil partnership

What happens to your pension if you marry, enter into a civil partnership or start cohabiting? And when is your partner certain of receiving a partner's pension if you die?

Cohabitation, marriage and civil partnership toon

If you marry or enter into a civil partnership, this does not affect your retirement pension. Your pension accrual will continue as usual. In most cases your partner and any children you may have will be entitled to partner’s pension and orphan’s pension respectively in the event of your death. You can check this with your employer or consult the pension scheme rules.

How should you give notice of your marriage or civil partnership?

You can inform your employer, who will then notify us.

Prenuptial or partnership agreement

If you conclude a prenuptial or partnership agreement when you marry or enter into a civil partnership respectively, it is sensible to make arrangements now about what will happen to the pension if you ever divorce or separate. If you choose not to do so, the statutory rules will apply. Find out how divorce or separation will affect your pension.
Pension and cohabitation toon
If you are going to cohabit with your partner, you should notify your employer without delay. Cohabitation will not affect the accrual of your retirement pension, but in many cases your partner will be entitled to partner’s pension if you die. The pension scheme may possibly contain additional conditions on this subject, for example concerning:
- the minimum length of the relationship: this may vary from six months to about five years
- being officially registered at the same address
- existence of a cohabitation agreement
You can find the conditions set out in the pension scheme rules.

How should you give notice of your cohabitation?

You should notify your employer that you have started cohabiting and with whom. The employer then examines whether you meet the conditions and whether your partner should be registered with us. If that is the case, your employer passes on your partner's data to us. We will then immediately record this information in our system.

If you marry, enter into a civil partnership or start cohabiting after your retirement, your partner will not receive a partner’s pension after your death.
If you remarry or enter into a second civil partnership or cohabitation after divorce or separation, the partner’s pension received by your new partner will be reduced by the partner’s pension or special partner’s pension to which your ex-partner is entitled. For this reason, your second partner will not receive the entire partner’s pension if you die.
If you die after you have left the service of your employer, the partner’s pension payable under your former employer’s pension scheme may have lapsed, for example because the partner's pension was insured on a risk basis. You can find this information on your uniform benefit statement.

For more information, see the consequences of death for your pension.

Please feel free to contact us at any time. We are available by telephone on business days from 8.30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on +31 (0)30 257 42 66. Alternatively, you can complete the contact form. We are here to help.