The AOW gap: why don't you receive a full state pension?
The AOW (General Old Age Act) is the basic pension in the Netherlands. You build up AOW for each year you live or work in the Netherlands between age 15 and your AOW age. Each insured year builds 2% AOW. For a full AOW, you need 50 years of insurance.
If you haven't lived the full 50 years in the Netherlands, you receive an incomplete AOW. This is called the AOW gap. For each uninsured year, your AOW is reduced by 2%.
Who has an AOW gap?
The AOW gap primarily affects:
- Labour migrants who came to the Netherlands later in life
- People who lived abroad for part of their lives
- Family reunification migrants
- People who temporarily moved abroad and didn't continue voluntary AOW payments
The AIO supplement for migrants
The AIO supplement tops up income for elderly people with incomplete AOW to the social minimum. It is administered by the SVB under the Participation Act.
Common problems for migrants
- Foreign assets: the SVB investigates property and bank accounts abroad
- Foreign pension: even small amounts are deducted from the AIO
- Stays abroad: longer than 4 weeks can affect your AIO; longer than 13 weeks may lead to suspension
- Cost-sharing standard: multi-generational households see significant AIO reductions
Filing an objection
You can object within six weeks if your AIO is denied, if the SVB overvalues foreign assets, or if the cost-sharing standard is incorrectly applied. After objection, appeal to the district court and then the Central Appeals Tribunal (CRvB).
At Arslan & Arslan Advocaten, our lawyers speak Dutch, Turkish, English and Polish and have extensive experience with AIO disputes for migrants. Contact us at 070 4500 300 or visit arslan.nl.