The right to an old-age pension is acquired by an insured person who has reached 65 years of age, provided that he or she has completed 15 years of qualifying periods.
Until 2029, insured persons – women are entitled to an old-age pension at a lower age in such a way that the age requirement increases by 3 months with each calendar year. In 2025, they can acquire the right to an old-age pension at the age of 63 years and 9 months (under the condition that they have 15 years of pensionable service).
Exceptionally, for insured persons who have completed insurance periods of increased duration, and who meet the conditions for the durations of such periods, the age requirement prescribed for the acquisition of an old-age pension is reduced depending on the length of the completed period during which the insurance period was calculated with an increased duration, and depending on the degree of the increase.
| YEAR OF GRANTING THE PENSION RIGHTS | PRESCRIBED AGE
– WOMEN – |
|
| years | months | |
| 2025 | 63 | 9 |
| 2026 | 64 | 0 |
| 2027 | 64 | 3 |
| 2028 | 64 | 6 |
| 2029 | 64 | 9 |
From 1 January 2030, women and men can exercise the right to an old-age pension under the same conditions, at 65 years of age and with 15 years of pensionable service.
Old-age pension for a long-term insured person (without reduction) is acquired by the insured person who has reached 60 years of age and has 41 years of insurance periods in effective (actual) duration, and who has not reached the age prescribed for acquiring the right to an old-age pension or the age for acquiring an old-age pension with a reduction of the age requirement based on a completed insurance service with an increased duration.
Early retirement pension
The right to an early retirement pension is acquired by an insured person who has reached 60 years of age and completed 35 years of qualifying periods.
Exceptionally, until 2029, insured persons – women are entitled, to an early retirement pension at a lower age and shorter pensionable service in such a way that the requirements for age and completed pensionable service increase by 3 months each calendar year. In 2025, they can exercise the right to an early retirement pension at the age of 58 years and 9 months and with 33 years and 9 months of pensionable service.
| EARLY RETIREMENT PENSION for women | ||
| YEAR | AGE | QUALIFYING PERIODS |
| 2025 | 58 years and 9 months | 33 years and 9 months |
| 2026 | 59 years | 34 years |
| 2027 | 59 years and 3 months | 34 years and 3 months |
| 2028 | 59 years and 6 months | 34 years and 6 months |
| 2029 | 59 years and 9 months | 34 years and 9 months |
After 1 January 2030, men and women acquire the right to early old-age pension benefit under the same conditions, having reached the age of 60 and 35 years of pensionable service.
Until the insured person reaches the age prescribed for acquiring the right to an old-age pension, the pension amount shall be reduced for each calendar month by 0.2% for each month of early retirement, i.e. from 2.4% per year to 12% for the maximum of 5 years of early retirement, and from 1 January 2026, after the beneficiary reaches 70 years of age, it shall be determined ex officio without the aforementioned reduction.
Early retirement pension due to the bankruptcy of the employer (without reduction) is acquired by an insured person who, after the termination of insurance due to the bankruptcy, immediately before the fulfilment of the conditions for early retirement pension, spent a continuous period of at least 2 years as an unemployed person reported to the employment service.
The right to an old-age, early retirement pension and old-age pension for a long-term insured person is acquired by the insured person from the day when the conditions for the pension are met, but the right to a pension can be exercised only after the termination of insurance. The right to a pension will be recognized at the earliest from the first following day after the termination of insurance if the claim is submitted within 6 months from the termination of insurance. If the claim is filed after the expiration of the said deadline, the insured person is entitled to a pension from the first day of the following month after the claim is filed and for six months back.
Exceptionally, an insured person who, after fulfilling the conditions for retirement, continues to work not exceeding half-time hours, may acquire the right to an old-age pension, an old-age pension for a long-term insured person and an early retirement pension without termination of employment. Also, as an exception, craftsmen and self-employed persons may acquire the right to an old-age pension without ceasing to perform the activity on the basis of which they are compulsorily insured, but in that case they shall be paid half the amount of the old-age pension.
Overview of conditions for obtaining the right to pension
Determination of pensions
The pension amount shall be calculated by multiplying personal points, the pension factor, and the actual value of the pension.
Personal points shall be calculated by multiplying the average value point with the total pensionable service and the initial factor.
Average value points are calculated on the basis of salaries earned during the entire working life in relation to the average annual salaries in the Republic of Croatia. The salary earned in the year in which the pension entitlement is exercised is not taken into account when determining the value points for calculating the pension. For that year, the average value points are taken into account, in proportion to the insurance period in that year.
Pensionable service for determining a pension is a period that covers the period spent in compulsory pension insurance (e.g. as an employed person). In addition, the pensionable service for determining the pension may also include a period of extended pension insurance, a period of compulsory pension insurance calculated with an increased duration, and a period spent outside the compulsory insurance that is recognized as pensionable service under certain conditions. When determining all types of pensions, for each child born or adopted, a period of 12 months is added to the pensionable service for determining the pension as the so-called additional service. In the case of determining disability and survivors’ pensions, if the insured person has not reached 60 years of age on the date of the occurrence of the reduction of working capacity or death, the so-called additional service shall be added to the actually incurred pensionable service.
The initial factor depends on the insured person’s age on the date of acquiring the right to a pension and affects the amount of pension in the case of old-age pension, old-age pension for a long-term insured person and early retirement pension, in the following ways:
- for an insured person who first acquires the right to a pension after meeting the age requirement for old-age pension, their old-age pension shall be increased by 0.45% for each month after reaching the age prescribed for acquiring the right to an old-age pension and the same increase is applied to the determination of the survivors’ pension after the death of this insured person who died after the age prescribed for the acquisition of the right to an old-age pension and did not acquire a pension,
- for an insured person who took an early retirement pension, their early retirement pension shall be reduced by 0.2% for every month of early retirement before reaching the age requirement for acquiring the right to an old-age pension, i.e. from 2.4% per year to 12% for the maximum of 5 years of early retirement, and from 1 January 2026, after the beneficiary reaches 70 years of age, it shall be determined ex officio without the aforementioned reduction,
- for a long-term insured person who first acquires a pension after the age of 60 and has 41 years of insurance periods in effective duration, the old-age pension increases by 0.15% per month for each month after reaching the age requirement for the acquisition of the right to that pension, and it increases by 0.45% after reaching the age requirement for the acquisition of the right to an old-age pension, and the same initial factor is applied in determining the survivors’ pension after the death of this insured person who died after the age of 60 and has 41 years of insurance periods in effective duration and has not acquired a pension.
The pension factor is determined by the type of pension that is being realized, and the actual value of the pension is the pension amount determined for one personal point by the Governing Board of the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute based on the data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, no later than two months after the end of every half-year term.
In addition to the pension determined pursuant to the Pension Insurance Act, and on the basis of a special act, a pension supplement is calculated and paid. All pension beneficiaries are entitled to a pension supplement, except for beneficiaries of the minimum pension, beneficiaries of the maximum pension and beneficiaries of pensions earned and/or determined on the basis of special regulations under more favourable conditions than those determined under the Pension Insurance Act. The pension supplement is determined as 27% of the pension amount and is paid together with the monthly pension amount.
At the end of the calendar year, the pension beneficiary is also entitled to receive the annual pension supplement. The annual supplement amount is determined by multiplying the full years of pensionable service on the basis of which the pension was determined by the value of the annual supplement for one year of pensionable service, based on the decision made by the Government of the Republic of Croatia no later than 31 October of each calendar year, and the annual supplement is paid in December.
Minimum pension
Insured persons whose pension, determined on the basis of salaries or insurance bases, is lower than the so-called minimum pension, are entitled to the minimum pension. The minimum pension is determined by multiplying each full year of pensionable service by the actual value of the pension on the day of determining the pension, with the application of the appropriate initial factor and pension factor, and can be determined as an old-age pension, early retirement pension, disability or survivors’ pension.
The minimum pension from 1 January 2023 until the entry into force of the new Pension Insurance Act was determined for each year of pensionable service in the amount of 103% of the actual pension value on the day of determining the pension, while from 1 July 2025 it shall be determined for each year of pensionable service in the amount of 106% of the actual pension value on the day of determining the pension. For beneficiaries who acquired this pension by June 30, 2025, a new amount of the minimum pension shall be determined in accordance with the new rate of the actual pension value for determining the minimum pension.
Indexation of pensions
By determining the actual value of pension (AVM), pensions are adjusted twice a year (from January 1 and July 1 of each year) in relation to economic trends in the Republic of Croatia.
The actual pension value adjustment rate applicable from 1 July 2025 is determined by adding the rate of change in the average consumer price index in the previous half-year period compared to the half-year period preceding it to the rate of change in the average gross salary of all employees in the Republic of Croatia in the previous half-year period compared to the half-year period preceding it (in the ratio 15:85 or 85:15, whichever one is more favourable).
Pension payment
Pensions and retirement benefits are fixed in monthly instalments and paid retroactively for each previous month.
During employment or self-employment, which entails an insurance obligation, the payment of the pension is suspended and the status of the insured person is established, and after reaching at least one year of insurance period, the pension beneficiary may, under certain conditions, request a re-determining of the pension, on which a decision shall be made.
The following beneficiaries are exempt from the suspension of pension payments during employment or self-employment:
- the beneficiaries of an old-age pension, old-age pension for a long-term insured person, early retirement pension, survivors’ pension or a part of a survivors’ pension, who are employed in a part-time job (not exceeding half the working hours of a full-time position) while receiving the pension
- the beneficiaries of an old-age pension, old-age pension for a long-term insured person, early retirement pension, survivors’ pension or a part of a survivors’ pension who, after reaching the age of 65, are employed for longer than in a part-time job not exceeding half the working hours of a full-time position or start performing an activity that entails an insurance obligation, while receiving half of the pension amount (from 1 January, 2026),
- the beneficiaries of pensions based on special regulations concerning active military personnel, police officers, demining employees and professional firefighters, who are employed in a part-time job not exceeding half the working hours of a full-time position with the payment of the full pension amount, or whose work exceeds half the working hours of a full-time position with the payment of half of the pension amount,
- craftsmen and self-employed persons who have acquired the right to an old-age pension without the termination of the activity which entails an insurance obligation, with the payment of half of the pension amount (from 1 January 2026)
- the beneficiaries of disability pensions due to partial loss of working capacity or professional incapacity for work (according to previous regulations),
- the beneficiaries of disability pensions due to complete loss of working capacity as well as beneficiaries of the pensions that have been converted to an old-age pension who work less than 3.5 hours per day (from 1 January 2026)
- seasonal workers in agriculture according to the regulations on the promotion of employment and other regulations that regulate this issue in a different manner or explicitly stipulate that the payment of pensions is not suspended
- beneficiaries who earn other income or perform other activities
The Institute may suspend the payment of pensions and other retirement benefits if a beneficiary does not submit any information or document requested by the Institute, which cannot be obtained by official means.
Your right to an old-age pension pursuant to international agreements on social insurance
If you were insured in one or more countries with which the Republic of Croatia applies bilateral agreements on social insurance, the procedure for obtaining the right to pension is initiated by submitting an application to the pension insurance holder in the contracting state in which you have residence or in the contracting state of last insurance. If you have never been insured in your country of residence, your application will be forwarded to the contracting state of last insurance. An application submitted in one contracting state shall be deemed as an application submitted in all contracting states in which you have completed your insurance periods.
You will be entitled to pension in all contracting states in which you have been insured for at least twelve months, and if you satisfy other conditions under the national regulations of those states, for example, mandatory age condition.
All insurance periods that you have completed in other contracting states, if necessary, will be taken into account when you reach the necessary years of age for an old-age pension, and the amount of pension from each contracting state depends on the length of the period of insurance or residence in that state and national regulations of each contracting state.
Besides the request specified above under 1.1. that can be found on the website of the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute under the forms section, certain forms must also be filled out with the requests for recognition of the right to a foreign pension (additional request form for the old-age pension under 1.5.) for the following countries:
– Canada
Your old-age pension will be paid regardless of where you reside (in which contracting state).
