When can I receive my pension (AOW) from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment and how much is this pension?

The Dutch General Old Age Pensions Act (AOW) provides for basic state pensions for people aged 65 and over. This pension is not paid out by the ministry but by the Social Insurance Bank (SVB).

For every year that you legally live or work in the Netherlands after your fifteenth birthday, you accrue 2% of the full AOW pension amount. If you live or work in the Netherlands from the age of 15 to 65, you will receive the full 100%, i.e. 50 x 2%. You will normally not receive AOW pension for years spent abroad or during which you worked abroad. For example, if you were outside the Netherlands (and not insured under the AOW scheme) for three years, you will receive 94% of the full AOW pension amount (100% - [3 x 2%] = 94%).