Opting out of voluntary participation in pension insurance

Hlavní informace

The Czech pension system is based on compulsory basic pension insurance pursuant to Act No 155/1995 Coll., on pension insurance, as amended. The supplementary pension savings scheme is governed by Act No 427/2011 Coll., which in 2013 replaced supplementary pension insurance with a state contribution pursuant to Act No 42/1994 Coll. Voluntary supplementary schemes also include the products of commercial insurance companies, especially life insurance. The employers’ pensions systems that are relatively common in other EU Member States do not exist in the Czech Republic.

The issue of supplementary pension insurance schemes is not described in more detail on the website of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, as it falls within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance.

Basic compulsory pension insurance is defined-benefit (DB) and continuously funded (PAYGO); it is universal and provides for all economically active persons. The legislation is uniform for all insurance policyholders; there are no special sectoral or professional schemes, etc. It is only in organisational, administrative and financial aspects (retirement annuities) that certain deviations apply to the ‘power departments’ (e.g. soldiers, firefighters, police officers).

More than 99% of the population over the age limit for entitlement to an old-age pension receives a pension from the basic pension insurance scheme.

Voluntary participation in pension insurance can be terminated by filing an application to opt out of participation in pension insurance.

Týká se vás to pokud

You are a person who voluntarily participates in a pension insurance scheme on the basis of an application you have previously filed to participate in this scheme, and at the same time:

• for whatever reason, you do not want to continue to participate voluntarily in the pension insurance scheme even though you still meet the conditions for participation,
• you no longer meet the conditions for further participation in pension insurance for a ‘qualifying reason’, i.e. because you are registered with the Labour Office, you are systematically studying to prepare for a future profession, you are gainfully employed abroad, you are performing voluntary service, you are working in the Czech Republic for a foreign employer, you are serving as a Member of the European Parliament, you are accompanying your spouse or registered partner to work or are performing foreign service abroad.

Kdy službu řešit

You may file an application to opt out of the voluntary pension insurance scheme at any time.

You will cease to participate in the scheme from the date you file your application, or from a future date, if that date is specified in the opt-out form, or you may opt out retrospectively for any period for which you have not paid pension insurance contributions before the date you file your application to opt out.

If you are a person who voluntarily participates in a pension insurance scheme for a qualifying reason, you must submit an opt-out form within 8 days if you cease to meet the conditions for participation. If you do not do so, you will be treated as voluntarily participating in the pension insurance scheme without giving a reason (i.e. participating for a ‘non-qualifying reason’). This applies only if the maximum possible period of voluntary participation in a pension insurance scheme for a non-qualifying reason, i.e. 15 years, has not yet expired.

Vyřízení služby

Co potřebujete pokud službu řešíte

To use this service, you must file an application to opt out of the voluntary pension insurance scheme. You may file the application as a signed handwritten submission on a non-prescribed form or using the optional prescribed form ‘Opt-out from voluntary participation in pension insurance’ (this form can be found on the ePortal of the Czech Social Security Administration).

The opt-out form must include your name, surname, birth registration number and the date your insurance ends.

If you are voluntary participant in pension insurance for qualified reasons, additional documents must be submitted when filing the opt-out application, depending on the individual qualified reasons for voluntary pension insurance:

• no further documents need to be submitted if you are registered as a jobseeker with the regional branch of the Labour Office; the district social security administration will verify the required facts with the relevant Labour Office itself,
• if you are systematically studying to prepare for a future profession at a secondary school, higher vocational college or university, you need to submit a certificate (document) confirming your studies (their completion or duration if you are a student and are opting out of insurance during your studies),
• if you are engaged in gainful activity abroad after 31 December 1995, you must submit a document that demonstrates the end of your gainful activity abroad. However, if you are opting out of voluntary participation in the pension insurance scheme while you are still engaged in that activity, you must provide confirmation proving this.
• if you are performing long-term voluntary service under a contract with the organisation that posted you, you must provide confirmation proving that the performance of the service has ended. However, if you are opting out of voluntary participation in the pension insurance scheme while your service is still ongoing, you must provide confirmation to prove this.
• if you are working in the Czech Republic for a foreign employer, you must provide proof that such work has ended. However, if you are opting out of voluntary participation in the pension insurance scheme while you are still engaged in that activity, you must provide confirmation proving this.
• no further documents need to be submitted for the office of a Member of the European Parliament elected in the Czech Republic.
• if you have followed your spouse or registered partner posted to work or perform services abroad, you must provide confirmation from the employer proving that your spouse or registered partner has stopped working or performing services abroad. If you have followed your spouse who served in the diplomatic service of the Czech Republic abroad, you must submit confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic proving that your spouse is no longer in diplomatic service.

However, if you are opting out of the voluntary pension insurance scheme while your spouse’s or registered partner’s work or service abroad is still ongoing, you must provide confirmation proving this.

Kde a jak službu řešit

Step 1

The form to opt out of the voluntary pension insurance scheme together with any other documents may be:

• filed in person with the district social security administration, in Prague with the Prague Social Security Administration and in Brno with the Municipal Social Security Administration competent according to your place of permanent residence (for foreign nationals, according to their declared place of residence in the Czech Republic),
• sent directly by post to the address of the competent social security administration according to your place of permanent residence (for foreign nationals, according to their declared place of residence in the Czech Republic).

For persons who are not registered as residents in the Czech Republic, the application to opt out of the voluntary pension insurance scheme is to be filed with the district social security administration that has kept their voluntary pension insurance records up to that point.

The contact details for the individual social security administrations can be found on the Czech Social Security Administration website.

Step 2

The competent district social security administration will consider all the facts stated in the opt-out form, including any documents attached to it, and will end your voluntary participation in the pension insurance scheme.

Kolik budete platit

Submission by post is charged according to the valid price list of Czech Post or the relevant postal institution abroad. There is no charge for applications filed in person.

Doplňující informace

Jaký má služba benefit

When you file an application to opt out of the voluntary pension insurance scheme, your participation in the scheme will end.

Možnosti odvolání

Not specified.