Belgian Pension Bonus and Malus Counters Go Live on mypension.be

Belgian workers can now see exactly where they stand under the country’s landmark pension reform. On June 22, 2026, the Federal Pension Service (Federale Pensioendienst/SFPD) launched new “work counters” on mypension.be that track the number of days and years counting toward the pension bonus and malus systems. The tool gives workers personalized, real-time insight into how their career choices affect their retirement benefits under the new rules taking effect from 2027.

What the Counters Show

The two counters measure progress toward meeting the dual work conditions required for both the pension malus (penalty) and pension bonus (reward): 35 career years of at least 156 working days each, and a total of 7,020 working days across the entire career.

According to VRT NWS, the counters are available to all workers who are not yet retired. They display personalized progress — green checkmarks indicate conditions already met, while crosses show how far a worker still has to go.

“If you are already very close to your pension, you can see, for example, that your two conditions for the malus are already in the green,” said Giselda Curvers, spokesperson for the Pension Service. “Then you know you can retire early without a malus. But you can also see how far you still are from meeting those conditions.”

How the Bonus and Malus Work

The pension reform — a flagship policy of Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s federal government — introduces two key mechanisms to encourage longer careers.

The pension malus applies to those born in or after 1975, reducing their pension by 5 percent per year of early retirement before the legal pension age. However, workers who meet the dual work conditions can avoid the penalty entirely.

The pension bonus applies to those born in or after 1973, increasing their pension by 5 percent per year of working beyond the legal retirement age. Lower percentages apply to those born earlier.

Importantly, the counting rules differ between the two systems. As RTBF explained, sickness, unemployment, SWT (early retirement with company supplement), landing lanes, and long-term illness are counted for the malus but not for the bonus. Only care leave, birth-related leave, military service, and temporary unemployment count toward the bonus conditions.

A Step-by-Step Platform Rebuild

The launch of the counters is part of a broader, phased rebuild of mypension.be. Since June 8, certain pension estimates were temporarily removed to avoid showing calculations based on old rules. The platform is being restored step by step:

June 8: A new “What does the reform mean for me?” page went live.
June 23: Bonus and malus work counters launched.
Autumn 2026: Earliest pension date under new legislation expected.
End of 2026: Earliest pension date without malus to be shown.
Second half of 2027: Updated pension amounts under new rules.
End of 2027: Simulation tools restored.

The high public interest on launch day caused intermittent slowdowns on the website, underscoring the strong demand among Belgian workers for clarity on their retirement prospects.

Political Context and Controversy

The pension reform law was voted and approved on May 28, 2026, and published in the Belgian Official Gazette on June 1. The bonus system applies from 2026, while the malus is deferred to 2027.

The reform has faced criticism, particularly regarding its gender impact. Opposition figures have argued that women — who are more likely to work part-time and take career breaks — are disproportionately affected. RTBF reported that 47.6 percent of women would not meet the dual condition for the malus if applied today, compared to 12.6 percent of men. When sickness days are included (as they are for the malus), the figure improves to 36.7 percent of women and 18.9 percent of men.

What This Means for Workers

For the first time, Belgian workers have a transparent, personalized tool to understand how their career decisions affect their pension under the new rules. The counters update automatically with each change in a worker’s career data, allowing for ongoing planning.

Whether the tool will meaningfully change retirement behavior — encouraging workers to delay retirement or avoid early exits — remains to be seen. But the launch marks a significant milestone in implementing one of the most consequential reforms to Belgium’s pension system in decades.

As the platform continues to be rebuilt throughout 2026 and 2027, workers can expect progressively more detailed information about their pension dates, amounts, and simulation options under the new legislation.