What are the qualifying conditions for a bridging benefit (OBR)?

The first condition is that you were receiving 1 of the following early retirement benefits on 1 January 2013:

• VUT early retirement, pre-pension, bridging pension or job-related early retirement (FLO) 
• partner pension
• private incapacity insurance for people who are or have been self-employed
• private Anw-gap insurance (for Dutch survivor benefit) or private insurance under the Work and Income According to Labour Capacity Act (WIA) or the Scheme for Reintegration of Partially Incapacitated Workers (WGA)
• annuity  on redundancy (severance pay that you or the employer converted to a periodic payment)
• redundancy unemployment benefit for civil servants 
• life-course savings scheme
• a benefit from a country other than the Netherlands which is equivalent to one of the above benefit schemes
• using an annuity as an early retirement benefit

The second condition is that this benefit stops, goes down or is replaced by an old-age pension:

• in the month of your 65th birthday, or
• on the first day of the month following your 65th birthday

The third condition is that if your partner receives an AOW pension, they do not get an AOW supplementary allowance for you.

Your income must not be above a certain level. We assess your income at 2 points in time.

1. In the month when you reach the age of 64 years and 6 months. Your gross income in this month must not be more than €4,491.60.
   
   If you have a partner, their income and assets are taken into account as well. Your and your partner’s joint gross income must not be more than €6,737.40. One-off payments you receive in that month will not be taken into account.
   
2. On the date your bridging benefit starts. We will then look at your income in the months covered by the bridging benefit. If you live alone, your gross income must not be more than €1,604.83 per month.
   
   If you have a partner, your gross income must not be more than €1,041.11 per month. Your partner’s income is not taken into account.

On 1 January of the year in which you turn 65, the value of your assets must not be more than €57,684 (amount for 2025). Your own home and pension assets are not included in the calculation of your assets for a bridging benefit.

If you have a partner, your and your partner’s joint assets must not be more than €115,368 (amount for 2025).

People who are or have been self-employed are allowed to have an additional amount of €165,741 (amount for 2025) in assets.