I am about to retire

If you want to continue working

If you want to continue working, different rules apply depending on your age. You can learn more about the rules in the linked fact sheets, targeting the different retirement ages.

• Born 1954, second half (In Danish only)
• Born 1955, first half (In Danish only)
• Born 1955, second half (In Danish only)
• Born 1956, first half (In Danish only)
• Born 1956, second half – 1958 (In Danish only)
• Born 1959, first half (In Danish only)
• Born 1959, second half – 1962 (In Danish only)
• Born 1963 or later (In Danish only)

Each time you postpone your retirement by one year, you earn an additional annual salary and you also give your pension savings the opportunity to grow.

If you are not enrolled in an early retirement scheme, part-time retirement may be an option.

Many factors can play a part when choosing where to live. It is always a good idea to consider whether you wish to remain in your current home when you retire or move to something else. In choosing this both health and economy are crucial. Moving from a house to an apartment is not always cheaper. Maybe it’s also hard to find the place you want to get old in. To meet the demand for rented housing, it might be a good idea to be written up in good time.

Senior life is lived locally. Your dwelling is the physical setting of your life, a part of your finances and your home, which may carry memories from a long and good life. Your dwelling should meet your needs on the day you retire, as you will spend far more time at home.

Financial support
You may be eligible for benefits to help pay your housing expenses. Housing benefits are offered as a loan for owner-occupied homes and co-operative housing units and as a subsidy for rental homes. You can calculate your options at www.borger.dk.

Postpone taxation
When you or your spouse receives early retirement benefits, supplementary early retirement benefits, part-time retirement benefits, state retirement pension benefits or anticipatory pension benefits, or reaches the age of 65, you may have the option to freeze your property taxes.

Life expectancy is increasing for both men and women. Most people can expect to live 25-30 years after they have left the labour market. Therefore you must have a good pension savings plan.

For quite some time, the trend has been that we live longer, and the indication is that this will continue. 20 years ago, the average life expectancy for Danes was 72 years for men and 78 years for women, respectively. Today, the average age for men is 77 years and for women 82 years.

While we should enjoy the prospect of living longer, we should also remember that a long life leads to greater demands on our pension savings, as most people will need their savings to be paid out over a longer period of time.

Clearly, many different factors influence your life expectancy, such as genetics, your choice of career and your lifestyle.

Naturally, how much we need is individual. Danica recommends that you have 80% of your previous income when you retire, and that the majority of your savings are paid out as life-long benefits. But it is far from certain that this fits your needs. If your lifestyle differs from most people’s, you should consider what is most suitable for you – what it will cost you, or what you will save. When making your budget, you should remember that your spending is more than just your fixed expenses and grocery shopping. Maybe you have a hobby you want to focus more on, you want to travel more or you want more household and gardening help.

Think ahead

Maybe you also want to actively participate in society when you retire. Then you should consider ensuring that your financial needs are not only inflation-proofed but that they are also adjusted for the cost of living. New things happen all the time. New technology, new travel destinations, new housing standard demands, etc. And just like when you were young, you do not want to live like your parents, but like everybody else. A cost-of-living adjustment of 1.5% and inflation adjustment of 2.5% are realistic.

It may seem a long way into the future, but after many good years in retirement, extra assistance in the home may be needed. Therefore it may be a good idea to keep the budget at an unchanged level.

It gives you the freedom to decide yourself. When we reach a certain age, everyone does not necessarily think that it is enough to get help, for example, to go to the bath once a week, and therefore they buy help. Some may choose to get private help for cleaning and gardening, as well as having food delivered for family reunions.

Obviously, the need for help is individual, but also what the economy leaves room for.

It is completely up to you who is to receive your pension savings when you die. Appointing who is to receive your savings is also known as designating your beneficiary.

Generally, your next of kin will receive your savings. However, you can decide to designate other persons than your next of kin. In that case, you must notify us in writing.

The Danish Inheritance Act is complex, and many people would benefit from drawing up a will. This can be an advantage, for example if you and your spouse want to secure each other financially in case of death. If you need legal advice, we recommend you to contact a family law specialist.

Learn more about the Danish rules on inheritance.

Who is to inherit your assets? If you are survived by a spouse and/or children or grandchildren, your assets will, as a general rule, be distributed in equal shares between your spouse (50%) and your children or grandchildren (50%).

Distribution of your remaining assets according to the provisions of the Danish Inheritance Act

Do you prefer another distribution?

If you want your assets to be distributed differently, you need to consult an attorney and draw up a will. In many cases, you can designate specific persons on your pension scheme outside the rules of the Danish Inheritance Act. Keep in mind, however, that if you have a spouse and/or children or grandchildren, at least 25% of your estate must be inherited by them. This means that you can leave 75% of your estate by will – and your entire estate if you leave no beneficiaries entitled to an indefeasible portion of your estate.

You can see the designated beneficiary of your pension scheme in Netpension, where you can also change your designation if you want to do so.

You can learn more about next of kin and designation of beneficiaries here.

Pensions can be a confusing topic and an area full of rules. Therefore, we recommend that you seek professional advice to secure your future finances. It can have a great impact on how on the planning of the third and fourth ages.

Need advice?
Our advisers are ready to hold a free meeting with you one year before you retire.

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