Own pension account – a better overview of your pension

The Storting has decided that all employees that has contribution pension will receive an own pension account. Own pension account will make it easier for you to get an overview of your pension. All pension savings will be gathered into one account.

Own pension account was introduced in January this year.

The purpose of own pension account

The purpose of own pension account is for employees to get a better overview and greater ownership over their own pension. When your contribution pensions are gathered with one provider, the costs associated to pension savings will most likely be lower due to fewer pension providers.

Who will receive own pension account?

To get own pension account, you must have contribution pension with your current employer. Contribution pension is the most common occupational pension scheme in the private sector. The scheme entails that the employer saves a given percentage of the employees' monthly paycheck for pension savings.

If you for example work in the public sector and have a pension capital certificate from previous employers, you will not get an own pension account. The same applies to those who already have started pension payments.

What does own pension account mean to you?

Increased influence over own pension

With own pension account, you will get increased influence over your pension through three choices:

Earned contribution pension from previous employer(s), pension capital certificate, is gathered by the company’s pension provider. If you want option 1, you don’t have to do anything, the move will happen automatically.
Current contribution pension and pension capital certificate are collected from a self-selected provider, which means the pension provider you want. If you would like option 2, please contact the wanted pension provider yourself.
Current contribution pension and pension capital certificates are distributed to several pension providers. That means that you keep the provider you have today. To continue with your current scheme, option 3, go to norskpensjon.no and report it. You can do this from 1 February until 30 April.

Removes 12-month rule to receive pension savings

Earlier, you had to work at a company for 12 months before you got to keep your pension savings. This rule was removed when own pension account was introduced. This means that you will receive pension savings regardless of the length of your employment relationship.

Same pension profile on current and previously earned contribution pension

If you gather your pension capital certificates in your own pension account, they will be automatically placed in the same pension profile that your employer has chosen for you. A pension profile consists of a combination of equity and fixed income funds and has different risks profiles as to how the money is invested.

If you do not want the pension profile your employer has chosen, you can switch to another pension profile or choose individual funds at any time. To do this, log in to your employer’s pension provider. If you have your pension account in Gjensidige, you can change your pension profile by logging into gjensidige.no.

Is it a short time until your pension payment starts?

Pension capital certificates less than 20 % of G, currently approximately 20 000 NOK, you can be paid as a one-time payment. This means that if you do not reserve yourself against moving your pension capital certificates to your own pension account, the payment time will be the same as for your entire pension account, which means a minimum of 10 years and until you are 77 years old.

Own pension account – the road ahead

Even though own pension account was enforced January 1st, 2021, it takes time before everything is in order. Among other things, it is because we want to make sure you have time to reflect on the decision you want for your contribution pension, and because there are several pension schemes that will be moved.

What is happening:

January

From 1 January 2021, you will find your contribution pension from your current employer under the tab "Egen pensjonskonto" when you log in at gjensidige.no.
February

During the first half of February, everyone with contribution pension in Gjensidige who has pension capital certificates from previous employers, will be informed about which pension capital certificates will be transferred to your own pension account in Gjensidige. If you have contribution pension with another employer, you will receive information from the company in question.

From 1 February until 30 April, you can reserve the right to have your pension capital certificates be transferred to your own pension account. Before 1 May, you can also speed up the transfer process of your pension capital certificates to your own pension account.
May

From 1 May, you can log into Norsk Pensjon and find out when your pension capital is being moved.
May – November

The relocating of your pension capital certificate will take place until 30 November 2021.

Information from Finance Norway

In cooperation with pension providers, Finance Norway has created a information letter about own pension account.

Information letter about own pension account from Finance Norway (PDF, 152 kB)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it profitable to collect your pension capital certificates in own pension account with the employer's pension provider?
Yes, because when you collect your pension capital certificates in one place, you're likely to get lower costs associated with your retirement savings. The cost distribution related to your own pension account is as follows:
- The employer pays for the management and administration of your defined contribution pension.
- You pay for the costs associated with your pension capital certificates.
Where can I reserve against my pension capital certificates being collected at my employer's pension provider?

If you wish to keep the pension capital certificates at the provider(s) you have today, you can opt out of the gathering of certificates at norskpensjon.no. This can be done from 1 February 1st until 30 April.
Where can I find my pension capital certificates?

You can find them by logging into our pension calculator. The numbers are gathered from Norsk Pensjon.
What happens if I don't make any active choices related to my own pension account?
- Earned contribution pensions from current and former employers are collected by the pension provider of your current employer.
- The employer pays for the management and administration of your contribution pension.
- You pay for the costs associated with your pension capital certificates.
- The pension capital certificates, by merging and transferring to your own pension account, automatically receive the same pension profile/fund choice as you have on your contribution pension with your current employer.
Can I regret my choice after my pension has been moved to my own pension account?

Yes, you can, but if you have more pension capital certificates, they will be merged. This means that, in the event of a move to another pension provider, they will be transferred as one total amount.
What happens if I reserve against my pension capital certificates being collected with the pension provider of my current employer?
- The pension capital certificates remain where they are today.
- Your employer pays for the management and administration of what you earn in your job’s contribution pension scheme.
- Costs related to managing and administrating your pension capital certificates, you pay for yourself.
What happens if I collect all defined contribution pensions with a pension provider other than the one my employer has chosen?
- You will have to pay for the management and administration of both past and current pension earnings, but you will receive a standardized compensation from your employer to cover the benefits associated with current pension earnings. This amount does not necessarily cover the full amount the self-selected provider requires for management and administration; however, it can also cover more.
- You must choose your pension profile/fund with the pension provider(s) you have chosen. This will apply to both your pension earnings at your current employer and your pension capital certificates.