Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the coordination of social security systems (Text with relevance for the EEA and for Switzerland)

• (g) By way of derogation from Chapter IV of the AOW, anyone resident in a Member State other than the Netherlands whose spouse is covered by compulsory insurance under that legislation shall be authorised to take out voluntary insurance under that legislation for periods during which the spouse is compulsorily insured. This authorisation shall not cease where the spouse’s compulsory insurance is terminated as a result of his death and where the survivor receives only a pension under the Algemene nabestaandenwet  (General Surviving Relatives Act). In any event, the authorisation in respect of voluntary insurance ceases on the date on which the person reaches the age of 65. The contribution to be paid for voluntary insurance shall be set in accordance with the provisions relating to the determination of the contribution for voluntary insurance under the AOW. However, if the voluntary insurance follows on from a period of insurance as referred to in point 2(b), the contribution shall be set in accordance with the provisions relating to the determination of the contribution for compulsory insurance under the AOW, with the income to be taken into account being deemed to have been received in the Netherlands.

• (h) The authorisation referred to in point 2(g) shall not be granted to anyone insured under another Member State’s legislation on pensions or survivors’ benefits.

• (i) Anyone wishing to take out voluntary insurance under point 2(g) shall be required to apply for it to the Social Insurance Bank (Sociale Verzekeringsbank) not later than 1 year after the date on which the conditions for participation are fulfilled.

• 1. Application of the Algemene nabestaandenwet (ANW)  (General Surviving Relatives Act)

• (a) Where the surviving spouse is entitled to a survivor’s pension under the Algemene Nabestaandenwet (ANW) (General Surviving Relatives Act) pursuant to Article 51(3) of this Regulation, that pension shall be calculated in accordance with Article 52(1)(b) of this Regulation. For the application of these provisions, periods of insurance prior to 1 October 1959 shall also be regarded as periods of insurance completed under Dutch legislation if during those periods the insured person, after the age of 15:
• — resided in the Netherlands, or
• — while resident in another Member State, worked in the Netherlands for an employer established in the Netherlands, or
• — worked in another Member State during periods regarded as periods of insurance under the Dutch social security system.

• (b) Account shall not be taken of the periods to be taken into consideration under point 3(a) which coincide with periods of compulsory insurance completed under the legislation of another Member State in respect of survivor’s pensions.

• (c) For the purposes of Article 52(1)(b) of this Regulation, only periods of insurance completed under Dutch legislation after the age of 15 shall be taken into account as periods of insurance.

• (d) By way of derogation from Article 63a(1) of the ANW, a person resident in a Member State other than the Netherlands whose spouse is compulsorily insured under the ANW shall be authorised to take out voluntary insurance under  the above legislation, provided that such insurance has already begun by the date of application of this Regulation, but only for periods during which the spouse is compulsorily insured. This authorisation shall cease as from the date of termination of the spouse’s compulsory insurance under the ANW, unless the spouse’s compulsory insurance is terminated as a result of his death and where the survivor only receives a pension under the ANW. In any event, the authorisation in respect of voluntary insurance ceases on the date on which the person reaches the age of 65. The contribution to be paid for voluntary insurance shall be set in accordance with the provisions relating to the determination of contributions for voluntary insurance under the ANW. However, if the voluntary insurance follows on from a period of insurance as referred to in point 2(b), the contribution shall be set in accordance with the provisions relating to the determination of contributions for compulsory insurance under the ANW, with the income to be taken into account being deemed to have been received in the Netherlands.

• 1. Application of Dutch legislation relating to incapacity for work

• (a) Where, pursuant to Article 51(3) of this Regulation, the person concerned is entitled to a Netherlands invalidity benefit, the amount referred to in Article 52(1)(b) of this Regulation for calculating that benefit shall be determined:
• (i) where, prior to the occurrence of incapacity for work, the person last exercised an activity as an employed person within the meaning of Article 1(a) of this Regulation:
• — in accordance with the provisions laid down in the Wet op arbeidsongeschiktheidsverzekering (WAO)  (Disability Insurance Act) if the incapacity for work occurred before 1 January 2004, or
• — in accordance with the provisions laid down in the Wet Werk en inkomen naar arbeidsvermogen (WIA) (Work and Income according to labour capacity Act) if the incapacity for work occurred on or after 1 January 2004;
• (ii) where, prior to the occurrence of the incapacity for work, the person concerned last exercised an activity as a self-employed person within the meaning of Article 1 (b) of this Regulation, in accordance with the provisions laid down in the Wet arbeidsongeschiktheidsverzekering zelfstandigen (WAZ)  (Self-employed Persons Disablement Benefits Act) if the incapacity for work occurred before 1 August 2004.

• (b) In calculating benefits under either the WAO, WIA or the WAZ, the Netherlands institutions shall take account of:
• — periods of paid employment, and periods treated as such, completed in the Netherlands before 1 July 1967,
• — periods of insurance completed under the WAO,
• — periods of insurance completed by the person concerned, after the age of 15, under the Algemene Arbeidsongeschiktheidswet (AAW) (General Act on Incapacity for Work), in so far as these do not coincide with the periods of insurance completed under the WAO,
• — periods of insurance completed under the WAZ,
• — periods of insurance completed under the WIA.

AUSTRIA

• 1. For the purpose of acquiring periods in the pension insurance, attendance at a school or comparable educational establishment in another Member State shall be regarded as equivalent to attendance at a school or educational establishment pursuant to Articles 227(1)(1) and 228(1)(3) of the Allgemeines Sozialversicherungsgesetz (ASVG) (General Social Security Act), Article 116(7) of the Gewerbliches Sozialversicherungsgesetz (GSVG) (Federal Act on Social Insurance for Persons engaged in Trade and Commerce) and Article 107(7) of the Bauern-Sozialversicherungsgesetz (BSVG) (Social Security Act for Farmers), when the person concerned was subject at some time to Austrian legislation on the grounds that he pursued an activity as an employed or self-employed person, and the special contributions provided for under Article 227(3) of the ASVG, Article 116(9) of the GSVG and Article 107(9) of the BSGV for the purchase of such periods of education, are paid.

• 1. For the calculation of the pro rata benefit referred to in Article 52(1)(b) of this Regulation, special increments for contributions for supplementary insurance and the miners’ supplementary benefit under Austrian legislation shall be disregarded. In these cases the pro rata benefit calculated without those contributions shall, if appropriate, be increased by unreduced special increments for contributions for supplementary insurance and the miners’ supplementary benefit.

• 1. Where pursuant to Article 6 of this Regulation substitute periods under an Austrian pension insurance scheme have been completed, but these cannot form a basis for calculation pursuant to Articles 238 and 239 of the Allgemeines Sozialversicherungsgesetz (ASVG) (General Social Security Act), Articles 122 and 123 of the Gewerbliches Sozialversicherungsgesetz (GSVG) (Federal Act on Social Insurance for Persons engaged in Trade and Commerce) and Articles 113 and 114 of the Bauern-Sozialversicherungsgesetz (BSVG) (Social Security Act for Farmers), the calculation basis for periods of childcare pursuant to Article 239 of the ASVG, Article 123 of the GSVG and Article 114 of the BSVG shall be used.

FINLAND

• 1. For the purposes of determining entitlement and of calculating the amount of the Finnish national pension under Articles 52 to 54 of this Regulation, pensions acquired under the legislation of another Member State are treated in the same way as pensions acquired under Finnish legislation.

• 1. When applying Article 52(1)(b)(i) of this Regulation for the purpose of calculating earnings for the credited period under Finnish legislation on earnings-related pensions, where an individual has pension insurance periods based on activity as an employed or self-employed person in another Member State for part of the reference period under Finnish legislation, the earnings for the credited period shall be equivalent to the sum of earnings obtained during the part of the reference period in Finland, divided by the number of months for which there were insurance periods in Finland during the reference period.

SWEDEN

• 1. When parental leave allowance is paid under Article 67 of this Regulation to a member of the family who is not employed, the parental leave allowance is paid at a level corresponding to the basic or lowest level.

• 1. For the purpose of calculating parental leave allowance in accordance with Chapter 4, paragraph 6 of the Lag (1962:381) om allmän försäkring (the National Insurance Act) for persons eligible for a work-based parental leave allowance, the following shall apply:

For a parent for whom sickness benefit generating income is calculated on the basis of income from gainful employment in Sweden, the requirement to have been insured for sickness benefit above the minimum level for at least 240 consecutive days preceding the child’s birth shall be satisfied if, during the period mentioned, the parent had income from gainful employment in another Member State corresponding to insurance above the minimum level.

• 1. The provisions of this Regulation on the aggregation of insurance periods and periods of residence shall not apply to the transitional provisions in the Swedish legislation on entitlement to guarantee pension for persons born in or before 1937 who have been resident in Sweden for a specified period before applying for a pension (Act 2000:798).

• 1. For the purpose of calculating income for notional income-related sickness compensation and income-related activity compensation in accordance with Chapter 8 of the Lag (1962:381) om allmän försäkring (the National Insurance Act), the following shall apply:

• (a) where the insured person, during the reference period, has also been subject to the legislation of one or more other Member States on account of activity as an employed or self-employed person, income in the Member State(s) concerned shall be deemed to be equivalent to the insured person’s average gross income in Sweden during the part of the reference period in Sweden, calculated by dividing the earnings in Sweden by the number of years over which those earnings accrued;

• (b) where the benefits are calculated pursuant to Article 46 of this Regulation and persons are not insured in Sweden, the reference period shall be determined in accordance with Chapter 8, paragraphs 2 and 8 of the abovementioned Act as if the person concerned were insured in Sweden. If the person concerned has no pension-generating income during this period under the Act on income-based old-age pension (1998:674), the reference period shall be permitted to run from the earlier point in time when the insured person had income from gainful activity in Sweden.

• 1. • (a) For the purpose of calculating notional pension assets for income-based survivor’s pension (Act 2000:461), if the requirement in Swedish legislation for pension entitlement in respect of at least three out of the 5 calendar years immediately preceding the insured person’s death (reference period) is not met, account shall also be taken of insurance periods completed in other Member States as if they had been completed in Sweden. Insurance periods in other Member States shall be regarded as based on the average Swedish pension base. If the person concerned has only 1 year in Sweden with a pension base, each insurance period in another Member State shall be regarded as constituting the same amount.

• (b) For the purpose of calculating notional pension credits for widows’ pensions relating to deaths on or after 1 January 2003, if the requirement in Swedish legislation for pension credits in respect of at least two out of the 4 years immediately preceding the insured person’s death (reference period) is not met and insurance periods were completed in another Member State during the reference period, those years shall be regarded as being based on the same pension credits as the Swedish year.

UNITED KINGDOM

• 1. Where, in accordance with United Kingdom legislation, a person may be entitled to a retirement pension if:

• (a) the contributions of a former spouse are taken into account as if they were that person’s own contributions; or

• (b) the relevant contribution conditions are satisfied by that person’s spouse or former spouse, then provided, in each case, that the spouse or former spouse is or had been exercising an activity as an employed or self-employed person, and had been subject to the legislation of two or more Member States, the provisions of Chapter 5 of Title III of this Regulation shall apply in order to determine entitlement under United Kingdom legislation. In this case, references in the said Chapter 5 to ‘periods of insurance’ shall be construed as references to periods of insurance completed by:
• (i) a spouse or former spouse where a claim is made by:
• — a married woman, or
• — a person whose marriage has terminated otherwise than by the death of the spouse; or
• (ii) a former spouse, where a claim is made by:
• — a widower who immediately before pensionable age is not entitled to widowed parent’s allowance, or
• — a widow who immediately before pensionable age is not entitled to widowed mother’s allowance, widowed parent’s allowance or widow’s pension, or who is only entitled to an age-related widow’s pension calculated pursuant to Article 52(1)(b) of this Regulation, and for this purpose ‘age-related widow's pension’ means a widow’s pension payable at a reduced rate in accordance with section 39(4) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.

• 1. For the purposes of applying Article 6 of this Regulation to the provisions governing entitlement to attendance allowance, carer’s allowance and disability living allowance, a period of employment, self-employment or residence completed in the territory of a Member State other than the United Kingdom shall be taken into account in so far as is necessary to satisfy conditions as to required periods of presence in the United Kingdom, prior to the day on which entitlement to the benefit in question first arises.

• 1. For the purposes of Article 7 of this Regulation, in the case of invalidity, old-age or survivors’ cash benefits, pensions for accidents at work or occupational diseases and death grants, any beneficiary under United Kingdom legislation who is staying in the territory of another Member State shall, during that stay, be considered as if he resided in the territory of that other Member State.

• 1. Where Article 46 of this Regulation applies, if the person concerned suffers incapacity for work leading to invalidity while subject to the legislation of another Member State, the United Kingdom shall, for the purposes of Section 30A (5) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, take account of any periods during which the person concerned has received, in respect of that incapacity for work:

• (i) cash sickness benefits or wages or salary in lieu thereof; or

• (ii) benefits within the meaning of Chapters 4 and 5 of Title III of this Regulation granted in respect of the invalidity which followed that incapacity for work, under the legislation of the other Member State, as though they were periods of short-term incapacity benefit paid in accordance with Sections 30A (1)-(4) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.

In applying this provision, account shall only be taken of periods during which the person would have been incapable of work within the meaning of United Kingdom legislation.

• 1. • (1) For the purpose of calculating an earnings factor in order to determine entitlement to benefits under United Kingdom legislation, for each week of activity as an employed person under the legislation of another Member State, and which commenced during the relevant income tax year within the meaning of United Kingdom legislation, the person concerned shall be deemed to have paid contributions as an employed earner, or have earnings on which contributions have been paid, on the basis of earnings equivalent to two-thirds of that year’s upper earnings limit.

• (2) For the purposes of Article 52(1)(b)(ii) of this Regulation, where:
• (a) in any income tax year starting on or after 6 April 1975, a person carrying out activity as an employed person has completed periods of insurance, employment or residence exclusively in a Member State other than the United Kingdom, and the application of point 5(1) above results in that year being counted as a qualifying year within the meaning of United Kingdom legislation for the purposes of Article 52(1)(b)(i) of this Regulation, he shall be deemed to have been insured for 52 weeks in that year in that other Member State;
• (b) any income tax year starting on or after 6 April 1975 does not count as a qualifying year within the meaning of United Kingdom legislation for the purposes of Article 52(1)(b)(i) of this Regulation, any periods of insurance, employment or residence completed in that year shall be disregarded.

• (3) For the purpose of converting an earnings factor into periods of insurance, the earnings factor achieved in the relevant income tax year within the meaning of United Kingdom legislation shall be divided by that year’s lower earnings limit. The result shall be expressed as a whole number, any remaining fraction being ignored. The figure so calculated shall be treated as representing the number of weeks of insurance completed under United Kingdom legislation during that year, provided that such figure shall not exceed the number of weeks during which in that year the person was subject to that legislation.

[^E0001]: Regulation (EU) 2019/1149 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 establishing a European Labour Authority, amending Regulations (EC) No 883/2004, (EU) No 492/2011, and (EU) 2016/589 and repealing Decision (EU) 2016/344 (OJ L 186, 11.7.2019, p. 21).

[^E0002]: OJ L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 1.

[^E0003]: OJ L 160, 20.6.1985, p. 7.

[^E0004]: OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 1.

[^E0005]: OJ L 114, 30.4.2002, p. 6. Agreement as last amended by Decision No 2/2003 of the EU-Swiss Committee (OJ L 187, 26.7.2003, p. 55).

[^E0006]: OJ L 209, 25.7.1998, p. 46.