If you start living or working in the Netherlands
If you came to live or work in the Netherlands later in life (within the 50-year period before your pension age), you will not have built up a full AOW pension.
You will not receive a full AOW pension
For the years that you were not living or working in the Netherlands, you were not insured under the AOW scheme. As a result, you will not receive a full AOW pension when you reach your AOW pension age. For each year you were not insured, your AOW pension will be reduced by 2%.
When are you entitled to a full AOW pension?
You can build up rights to an AOW pension in the 50-year period before your AOW pension age. For each year of insurance, you can get 2% of the full pension. If you have been insured for the full 50 years, you will receive a full pension (100%).
You can buy AOW pension rights for past years
You can take out voluntary insurance for past years in which you were not insured under the AOW scheme. These years will then also count towards your AOW pension.