New rules for pensions have been in effect since 1 July 2023. These new rules are included in the Future Pensions Act. Because of these new rules, your pension plan will change. The new pension plan is scheduled to take effect on January 1st, 2027. Should there be any setbacks, we may have until January 1st, 2028 – the legal deadline for implementation.

The details of the new pension plan at Mars Pension Fund have yet to be decided, but on this page you can already find a lot of information about what you can expect.

What is the current situation?

Pension is an employment condition. This means that the employer (Mars) and the Works Councils have made agreements about the new pension plan. These agreements have been recorded in the Transition Plan. For example, the records say what the new pension plan will look like, how high the contributions will be, how the retirement pension and orphan's pension will be arranged.

The pension fund is now assessing the feasibility of the Transition Plan and examining whether the agreements are understandable, balanced and feasible. Only then can we accept the assignment from Mars and the Works Council to implement the new pension plan. Of course we will let you know when that moment has arrived.

Want to read the Transition Plan or a summary?

The Transition Plan is available below, in English. Also below you will find summaries per member group; click on the version that suits you.

Sign up for the webinar!

On Friday March 28, we host a webinar in which we tell you about the most important features in the Transition Plan. Afterwards, you'll be able to watch the recording.

The new pension rules will change your pension plan. In this video, board members Wim van de Laar and Paul van Beek will answer some frequently asked questions.

Addressed questions

• Why do we have new rules for pensions?
• What remains the same, what will be different?
• If I die, will my personal pension pot soon go to my heirs?
• Does the Future Pensions Act mean a downgrade of my pension?
• Where are we now and what is to come?

Why is the government coming up with new rules for pensions?

1. Clearer and more personalized retirement

It is now unclear to many people how much they pay for their pension and how much they accrue. With the new rules, everyone builds up a pension through a premium scheme. This pension specifies how much money (premium) you and your employer put into your pension. 

2. Pension can go up faster than now

When the economy is doing well, sometimes the pension through your employer does not go up now. That feels unfair. The new rules ensure that this pension moves with you: if the economy is doing well, your pension can go up sooner. Is the economy worse? Then your pension can also go down. 

The new rules do ensure that the movements become less when you are (almost) retired. Because the pension of a younger worker has more time to absorb investment setbacks than that of older workers.

3. Pension better matches your career

People are increasingly changing jobs, stopping work for a while or starting up for themselves. The pension rules currently do not fit in well with this. That is why new rules are coming in. Are you no longer building up a pension through an employer or are you getting a different pension plan? Then you will soon see more clearly what this means for the amount of your pension.

What remains the same?

AOW (state pension) will continue to exist

You will receive an AOW benefit from the government from your state pension age.

Joint pension accrual via your employer

You continue to accrue pension via your employer.

Pension as long as you live

After retirement you will receive pension income. You will continue to receive a pension as long as you live.

Your surviving relatives receive a pension

If you pass away, your partner and children will receive a pension.

Pension accrual in the event of incapacity for work

If become incapacitated for work, your pension accrual continues and the pension for your partner and children if you pass away, also remains insured.
 

What will change?

Personal pension with agreements about contributions

Mars currently has two pension plans, the Final Pay Plan and the ARP/ASP-plan. Agreements have been made in the Final Pay Plan about the level of the pension benefit. In the ARP/ASP-plan, agreements have been made about how much contribution will be paid for your pension. The level of the pension benefit is not fixed. We call this a defined contribution plan. With the arrival of the new pension rules, everyone will accrue pension in a defined contribution plan. You will accrue personal pension capital, from which your pension benefits will ultimately be paid. Also with the new pension plan, you can retire as early as 10 years before your state pension age. As of now, you can retire from the age of 50.

Pension via your employer can increase faster

Although Mars Pension Fund has been able to increase the pensions, many pensions at other pension funds have not or hardly increased in recent years. In the new pension system, all pension funds can use the investment results more quickly to increase pensions. And the other way around: if things don’t go well, pensions can be reduced. The fluctuations in the level of your pension become smaller when you are (almost) retired. The closer you get to retirement, the more accurately you see how much money you can count on. Every year you will receive an overview of the expected level of your pension. Are you still accruing pension? You will then receive an overview of your accrued pension capital. In this overview you will find, among other things, the total contributions paid and the return achieved on the investments. We also provide an estimate of how much pension you can expect on your retirement date. Are you already retired? You will also receive an overview of the level of your pension and how it is developing.

The pension for your surviving relatives: clear and the same rules for everyone

If you pass away while you are employed, the partner's pension will be 50% of your final salary. It does not matter how many years you have worked. If you pass away after you have already retired, the height of the pension depends on what you have built up, how many years you have worked and the choices you make when retiring. The new rules also specify when you are eligible for a partner’s pension. This applies to married people, registered partners, partners who live together at the same address with a notarial cohabitation contract or partners who live together without being married for at least six months at the same address without a notarial cohabitation contract.

Still an unanswered question?

With this form you can ask a question about the new pension rules. We use all of these questions as input for the frequently asked questions we feature on the website. For generic questions, you can best get in touch with Pensioenservice via the contact page. We are happy to help!

We will keep you informed

It will take until the end of 2026 to see what impact the changes will have on your pension. As soon as we know the effects, we will of course inform you.

Would you like to be informed earlier about important developments towards the new pension scheme? Sign up for our digital newsletter to receive up-to-date information. Log in to MyMarspension and go to My Details to sign up with one click.