Stichting Beroepspensioenfonds Loodsen, the Dutch pension fund for pilots, has confirmed it will increase pensions by 8 per cent following its transition to the new Dutch pension system.

The increase applies to all pensions, including temporary pensions such as the bridging pension and the temporary partner's pension – subject to the 2025 tax ceiling.

However, due to a “tax bottleneck” with the Future Pensions Act (Wtp), the fund said it is “not possible” to extend the increase to temporary pensions now but it will apply the increase retroactively from 1 January 2025, once the issued has been resolved.

“In December 2024, the Dutch Secretary of State for Finance indicated that the bottlenecks would be resolved. To this end, there will be amended legislation from 1 January 2026, which will apply retroactively from 1 January 2025. The board is closely monitoring developments and is in contact with the tax authorities,” the pension fund said.

The pension fund became one of the first Dutch pension funds to transition to the new pension system on 1 January 2025, after it became the first fund to receive the go-ahead from regulator De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) in November.

However, since the scheme has transitioned the future of the new pensions system has been put in jeopardy after the Dutch political party, NSC, together with Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) tabled an amendment to the Future Pensions Act (Wtp). ]

This amendment would give participants a collective right of consent on the transition of their pensions to the new system.

The proposed amendment has been blasted by the Dutch Federation of Pension Funds which was “deeply dismayed” by the move. Fellow Dutch pension fund, Pensioenfonds Zorg en Welzijn (PFZW) has also said it would be "highly undesirable" to question the rules of the game at this stage of the transition to the new scheme.

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