Pensions in the Czech Republic (důchodové pojištění)

The main pillar is the state pension insurance, run by the Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ) under Act No. 155/1995 Coll. The former second pillar (pension savings) was closed in 2016, so private saving now happens in the voluntary third pillar. A reform in force since 2025 is raising the pension age step by step to 67.

State pension: contributions and conditions

• Contributions (2026): employees pay 6.5% of gross pay for pension insurance (7.1% in total with sickness insurance); employers pay 21.5% for pensions (24.8% in total). The self-employed pay 28% of their assessment base for pensions.
• Pension age: it depends on your year of birth (for older women, also on children raised). It is 65 for people born in 1965, rises by one month per year of birth after that, and is 67 for everyone born after 1988.
• Minimum insurance: at least 35 years of insurance, including substitute periods such as caring for a child under 4, or 30 years without substitute periods. With only 15–20 years you can get a pension 2 years after the pension age of a man born on the same day.
• Amount (2026): a basic amount of CZK 4,900 a month plus a percentage amount of 1.495% of your calculation base for each full year of insurance (pensions granted in 2026). The percentage amount is at least CZK 4,900. Each child raised adds CZK 500 a month (výchovné).
• Early pension: possible up to 3 years before pension age with at least 40 years of insurance, but it is permanently reduced.

Applying

Apply at a district social security office (ÚSSZ/PSSZ) or online via the ČSSZ ePortal; the pension is not paid automatically. You can apply up to 4 months before the date you want the pension to start. ČSSZ must decide within 90 days, and pensions can be paid back for up to 5 years.

Third pillar and international rules

• Supplementary pension savings (doplňkové penzijní spoření) receive a state contribution, and together with other approved retirement products, including the long-term investment product (DIP), contributions are tax-deductible up to CZK 48,000 a year (tax year 2025). Employer contributions are tax-free up to CZK 50,000 a year.
• Within the EU, EEA and Switzerland, the EU coordination rules (Regulation (EC) No 883/2004) apply: insurance periods in other member states count, and each country pays its own part.
• The Czech Republic also has bilateral social security agreements with countries such as Australia, Canada (and Quebec), Chile, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Moldova, Mongolia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and the USA. The agreement with Korea, for example, has applied since 1 November 2008.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Years of residence alone do not count: only insured work, self-employment and recognised substitute periods do. Check your record with the informative insurance statement (informativní osobní list důchodového pojištění).
• Keep your foreign records. Without an agreement or EU coordination, periods worked abroad do not help you reach the 35 years.
• An early pension stays reduced for life, and it is not paid while you work in a job covered by insurance before your pension age.

Official guidance: ČSSZ: old-age pension in detail, ČSSZ: pension reform, ČSSZ: agreements concluded by the Czech Republic, ČSSZ: European Union, Financial Administration: tax FAQ 2026