Do you want to work while receiving a pension? You can, the law does not restrict you in any way and does not oblige you to notify the Social Insurance Agency. In certain cases, you may even be able to apply for a levy relief. The only exception is when receiving an early old age pension where you can work on the basis of a casual labour agreement provided your annual income does not exceed a certain threshold.
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Employment while receiving a pension
What is a levy relief?
As a pensioner working on the basis of an such an agreement, you can claim a levy relief (exemption). Applying the exemption means that you set one labour agreement from which you will not pay pension insurance contributions, namely:
- not at all if your income from the agreement does not exceed EUR 200 per calendar month; or
- in reduced scope if your monthly income or average monthly income from the agreement exceeds EUR 200. In this case, you will only pay pension insurance contributions on the difference between the earned income and the sum of EUR 200.
If you have several casual labour agreements as a pensioner, you will pay full pension contributions from all the other agreements.
You can claim levy relief if you are a pensioner receiving:
- an old age pension;
- an early old age pension;
- an invalidity pension;
- a service pension after reaching pensionable age; or
- an invalidity service pension; and
simultaneously, you are working on the basis of an agreement on the performance of labour or casual labour agreement (a pensioner who has concluded a contract for the exercise of the activity of a sports professional with effect from 1 January 2020 is also considered to be a pensioner working on the basis of a casual work agreement).
How do I apply for a levy relief (exemption)?
that you have chosen the agreement you have concluded with them as the agreement for application of the levy relief and confirm, by a declaration on honour, that you are not applying the allowance with another employer in the same calendar month.
So you do not have to notify anything to the Social Insurance Agency.
You are also obliged to inform your employer in writing that you no longer wish to claim the levy relief (exemption).
I am a pensioner receiving an early old age pension, when can I work based on a labour agreement?
In order to continue to receive your pension as a beneficiary of an early old age pension with an applied levy relief (exemption), the following conditions must be met:
- your income from the agreement for the calendar year does not exceed EUR 2 400 (if you exceed this amount, the Social Insurance Agency will stop paying your pension and only restore it in the following calendar year, when it performs settlement);
- you are not insured for a pension from other gainful activities (otherwise your entitlement to an early old age pension will cease from the next pension payment date after the start of your employment).
Will work have an impact on the amount of my pension?
Yes, if you continue to pay your pension contributions, you will be entitled to an increase in your pension. To find out more, see the article Apply for an Increase in Pension upon Termination of Employment.