If you have worked for a long time in full-time work that requires great mental or physical effort and your ability to work has become reduced, you may qualify for the years-of-service pension. This pension is intended for people who have at least 38 years of demanding work. You can receive it once you have turned 63, if continuing to work is difficult because of your health and you do not qualify for a disability pension.
You may qualify for the years-of-service pension if
- you have turned 63 and are not yet receiving an old-age pension,
- your ability to work has been permanently reduced due to an illness or an injury,
- you have done work that requires great mental or physical effort for at least 38 years,
- you have worked full time (part-time work does not meet the criteria), and
- you are still working or you stopped working in less than one year.
The years-of-service pension is a type of disability pension, but your ability to work does not have to be as reduced as it does for a disability pension. Ask your pension provider for an estimate of how much your years-of-service pension will be.
When you reach your retirement age, your years-of-service pension will automatically become an old-age pension.
How is the length of my working life calculated?
When establishing that your working life is 38 years long, the following are taken into consideration:
- periods of work you have done that require great mental or physical effort,
- your periods on daily allowances for parents up to a maximum of three years,
- short absences due to illness or lay-off, as well as temporary unemployment while you have been employed or self-employed.
- How is great mental or physical effort assessed?
To qualify for the years-of-service pension, your work must have required great mental or physical effort on your part. You work must have included one or several of the following factors:
- work movements which have required great muscular strength, or which have put a long-term strain on your muscles;
- a particularly heavy strain on your respiratory and blood-vascular systems;
- stressing and difficult working positions;
- repetitive movements which require strength or speed, or work movements in which you have to squeeze your hands, twist your body and use strength at the same time;
- interactive work which is particularly demanding and requires an exceptional mental effort; and
- work that requires you to be constantly on guard or particularly watchful and which involves high risks, or in which the threat of violence is marked.
Heavy-duty protective gear, night shifts and lengthy shifts can also contribute to the workload. The assessment takes into account the combined impact of these various factors.
Criteria, pension amount and earnings limits for the years-of-service pension
To qualify for a years-of-service pension, your working ability must have been reduced permanently. In contrast to the disability pension, there is no requirement for a full year of continuous incapacity for work, nor the completion of a sickness allowance period.
The years-of-service pension you receive is based on the pension you have accumulated by the time it begins. You are permitted to continue working while receiving the pension, provided your monthly earnings do not exceed 986.30 euros (in 2025).
How do I apply for the years-of-service pension?
You have the option to apply for a preliminary decision on your right to a years-of-service pension. The preliminary decision is valid for six months, giving you the opportunity to postpone the decision to retire until later.
If your work that requires great mental or physical effort has ended, you must apply for the years-of-service pension within one year of your work ending.
Apply online by clicking the button “Log in to the pension application service”. You will be forwarded to your own pension provider’s online application service.
Log in to the pension application service
Attach your employer’s description of your work (form 7111e) and Medical Statement B (issued by your occupational health care) to your claim. Medical Statement B includes information on the state of your health, the content of your work, and the mental or physical effort required in your work.
If you own pension provider does not offer an online application service, claim the years-of-service pension with form 2022e.
Years-of-service pension claim forms in Forms