Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion

Slovakia - Old-age pension

You will learn when and how old-age pension is granted in Slovakia.

When can I apply for benefits?

The Slovak pension system consists of three independent systems, i.e. 3 pillars. You may receive old-age pension (starobný dôchodok) from the mandatory pension insurance, old-age pension saving or voluntary supplementary pension saving system.

Old-age pension is provided after reaching the statutory retirement age for securing income during old age.

As of 1 July 2015, the minimum pension has been introduced.

The old-age beneficiaries qualify for the minimum pension even if they have been awarded as the early old age pension or the invalidity pension after reaching the pensionable age.

The qualifying conditions for the minimum pension are satisfied if the person:

  • completes at least 30 years of pension insurance period which can also be pension insurance period completed abroad;
  • the sum of pension incomes inclusive of incomes from abroad is lower than the minimum pension amount;
  • has claimed all pension types to which s/he could be entitled to (e.g. survivor's pensions).

As of 1 January 2021, the retirement age is based on the year of birth, sex and number of children raised with a maximum retirement age of 64 for both men and women. The details on the retirement age is published on the website of the Social Insurance Agency.

You are entitled to old-age pension from mandatory pension insurance (1st pillar) if you have been insured for at least 15 years and you have reached the retirement age.

You are entitled to old-age pension from the old-age pension saving system (2nd pillar) if you have reached the retirement age.

You are entitled to old-age pension in the form of lifelong or fixed term supplementary old-age pension either upon meeting conditions in your contract on supplementary pension savings or upon meeting conditions in the act on supplementary pension savings (reaching the age for entitlement to an old-age pension or receiving old-age pension or early old-age pension from mandatory pension insurance).

Subject to the fulfilment of the conditions stipulated by law, you are also entitled to early old-age pension (predčasný starobný dôchodok) from the 1st and 2nd pillar. Detailed information is published on the website of the Social Insurance Agency.

In addition since 1 January 2023, you can qualify for a parental pension (rodičovský dôchodok). The entitlement to it arises directly by law if you are a recipient of an old-age pension, an invalidity pension after retirement age or a retirement pension after retirement age and you are a parent of a child/children.

What conditions do I have to meet?

Old-age pension

You are entitled to old-age pension if you have been insured for at least 15 years and have reached the retirement age.

Insurance periods completed in another EU Member State are taken into account for the pension claim on condition that the insured person:

  • has not completed the required pension insurance period in Slovakia, or
  • has completed the insurance period after having qualified to the old age pension in Slovakia or in another EU Member State. These insurance periods are taken into account based on the form E205/P5000. These form is issued based on several supporting documents (e.g. diploma, insurance periods record, leaving certificate). The pension amount is calculated only from insurance periods completed in Slovakia.

When you become eligible for old-age pension and continue engaging in gainful activity, pension insurance for this period is valorised for the purpose of determining the amount of your future pension.

An old-age pension recipient may receive a pension and, at the same time, work without any restrictions. This does not apply to an early old age pension which will not be paid out if the beneficiary starts performing work. Nevertheless, since 1 July 2018 an early old age pension recipient may receive an early age pension and, at the same time, may work outside an employment relationship provided that the annual income does not exceed €2,400. If the income is higher, the payment of the early old-age pension is interrupted. Recipients are not covered by compulsory old-age insurance.

After reaching the statutory retirement age, the early old-age pension is converted to the old-age pension which may be recalculated upon the request of the beneficiary.

The entitlement to a pension from pension insurance abroad arises when you work abroad for more than a year.

Parental pension

The pension beneficiary must meet the child-rearing condition and the child must have been insured two years before the calendar year in question (for example, to qualify for a parental pension in 2023, the child must have been insured for pension in 2021).

The child can make a declaration that you are not entitled to receive parental pension.

Detailed information is published on the website of the Social Insurance Agency.

What benefits can I apply for and how should I exercise my rights?

Old-age pension

You may apply for old-age pension at the relevant branch of the Social Insurance Agency according to the place of your permanent residence. If you are not permanently resident in Slovakia, you have to file your application at the headquarters of the Social Insurance Agency.

The following documents should be appended to the old-age pension application:

  • Valid identity document (identity card or passport);
  • Certificate of completed education (vocational certificate, general certificate of education, diploma, etc.);
  • Military service book or another document issued by the competent military administration;
  • Children's birth certificates if the applicant is a foreign national or if the event occurred abroad. Decision of the Social Insurance Agency on the spouse's pension, if a single source of income;
  • Certificate confirming all periods, during which you were entered in the register of unemployed jobseekers prior to 1 January 2001;
  • Received unemployment benefits in the period from 1 January 2001 until 31 December 2003;
  • Documents on employment (namely registered certificate of pension insurance);
  • Employer's certificate confirming the period of employment abroad prior to 1 May 1990 in countries, with which Slovakia has not concluded an international agreement on social insurance;
  • If you apply for payment of the pension benefits by transfer to your bank account, request your bank to confirm the Application for Remittance of Pension Benefits to the Pensioner's Bank Account form.

The aim of the 2nd pillar old-age pension is to ensure income in old age as well as the 1st pillar pension. Old-age pension from the 2nd pillar is paid only in concurrence with pension from the 1st pillar.

You may choose:

  • Life Annuity (Doživotný dôchodok) - the payments are made by the pension insurance company on the basis of the pension contract.
  • Provisional Pension (Dočasný dôchodok) - paid monthly during 5, 7 or 10 years by the pension insurance company.
  • Programmed withdrawal (programový výber) - if the sum of money accrued is higher than reference amount by the pension fund management company.

You may apply for old-age pension from the 2nd pillar by submitting an application to the Social Insurance Agency or by submitting to pension fund management company, with which you have concluded the old-age pension saving contract. More detailed information will be provided by your fund management company.

Parental pension

There is no need to apply for a parental pension.

The amount of the parental pension depends on the child's assessment base two years earlier. It is determined as 1.5% of one-twelfth of the total child's assessment base on which social contributions have been paid. The maximum amount is 1.5% of one-twelfth of 1.2 times the general assessment base, or €21.80 per month in 2023.

Detailed information is published on the website of the Social Insurance Agency.

Jargon busters

  • Countries subject to the EU coordination regulations: 27 EU Member States + Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (European Economic Area states) – for the United Kingdom* see below
  • Current pension value
  • Pension insurance period
  • Personal wage point
  • Personal assessment base
  • Average personal wage point
  • Reference period
  • General assessment base

*Each case needs to be assessed individually to determine whether a person falls within the scope of Art 30 of the Withdrawal Agreement, and so the EU Coordination Regulations apply, or whether they fall within the scope of situations described in Art 32 of the Withdrawal Agreement and/or come under domestic legislation and the Protocol on Social Security Coordination attached to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Required documents

Know your rights

Link to additional information provided by the European Commission:

Who do you need to contact for advice about social security?

Social Insurance Agency (Sociálna poisťovňa)
Phone: +421 800 123 123

At any Social Insurance Agency branch office, the Information and Consulting Centre at the headquarters of the Social Insurance Agency - Enquiry form for requests

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