If you wish to retire before reaching 68 years of age, you can choose to have your pension come into payment earlier. For example, when you reach your AOW age. This is actually the date on which your employment contract with Mars will end. Retirement earlier than this is also possible. You can have your pension come into payment when you reach 50 years of age. If you retire early, you will accrue less pension and the pension fund will have to pay your pension for longer. This means your annual pension benefit will be lower. You should also remember that you will not yet be receiving AOW pension. Having your pension come into payment before reaching your AOW age will also have tax implications. Further information is available at  www.belastingdienst.nl. If you take full or partial retirement more than ten years before reaching your AOW pension age, you must stop working to the same extent. 

If you wish to retire before your AOW age, you must apply for this to us not less than six months before your retirement date. Once your pension has come into payment, you cannot reverse this decision. Use the special form  if you wish to retire early. 

Partial early retirement

You can also take partial early retirement. This has to be in proportion to your working hours. If you continue to work for 60% of your normal hours, you can have 40% of your pension come into payment. Once your part-time pension has come into payment, you can no longer reduce this. Partial retirement will end on your retirement date. 

Retiring later

If you do not wish to retire until after reaching 68 years of age, you can defer your pension up to your 70th birthday. In this case, you must continue to work. If you stop working, your pension has to come into payment immediately. If you defer your retirement, your pension will be higher. You will receive an application form from us for your pension, six months before your AOW date. You can use this to notify us that you wish to defer your retirement. Once your pension has come into payment, you cannot reverse this decision.

Consultation with your employer

If you wish to retire before reaching your AOW age, you should discuss this with your line manager

Here's what to consider when exchanging a retirement pension for a survivor's pension

• The choice is a one-time thing. Once you have chosen at retirement whether or not to exchange, it cannot be reversed. In My Planner you can view the amounts of your retirement pension and your survivor's pension if you choose to exchange.
• The pension fund uses conversion factors to calculate your pension. These factors are determined periodically (annually or semi-annually) and are therefore subject to change. This affects the amount of your pension.