“For most people, the pension granted in 2026 will be higher than the one granted this year and subsequently valued in January,” said pension consultant Martin Kohoutek from Kohoutek & partners.
The reason is the growth of the national average wage, which is used in the calculation of the merit portion of the pension. “It increased by 5.2 percent for 2026. The higher the growth, the higher the pensions granted in the new year,” he added.
But it is necessary to count on the fact that it will pay off in the aggregate only in the course of several years. “During the deferral period, you will lose possible pension payments, but the pension granted later will be slightly higher. The question of calculation is how long such a step will take to pay back,” added Kohoutek.
However, for whom it is clearly worthwhile to retire next year, there are people who do so even before reaching the standard retirement age.
“Early pension granted this year will not have a percentage, merit-based amount valued in January,” Kohoutek said, adding that for most people, early retirement won’t be advantageous this year yet.
People who will take early retirement after working for 45 years will earn significantly for “waiting”. This is shorter than the normal one. If you leave two years earlier, according to the calculations of the Ministry of Labor, it is approximately 2,240 crowns. “Newly, after 45 years of service, this reduction will only be halved, i.e. by approximately 1,210 crowns,” the ministry said.
