Self-employed people decide for themselves whether and how they accrue pension and insure themselves against incapacity for work. The Association considers it important that they can make an informed choice based on objective information about possibilities and costs.
Over the past decade, the number of self-employed without personnel (self-employed) has grown by almost 50%, according to figures from statistics Netherlands (CBS). The Netherlands now has around 800,000 self-employed people who earn their main income as self-employed. They are responsible for their own pension accrual and bridging loss of income due to illness or incapacity for work.
Self-employed people who cannot or do not want to bear these risks themselves can take out disability insurance with a private insurer and build up a pension. Not all self-employed people do this. The Association estimates that more than half of the self-employed are not insured for incapacity for work. An approximately the same size group does not accrue a pension as a supplement to the AOW.
Views on insurance and self-employed persons
The lack of pension accrual does not always have to be a problem. For example, some self-employed people have a large financial buffer, which means that it is not necessary to build up a supplementary pension. The need for disability insurance also depends on the personal situation of the entrepreneur. Nevertheless, some of the self-employed would be wise to insure themselves and build up a supplementary pension. For example, they do not do this yet because they underestimate the risks or postpone arranging finances. Many self-employed people also think that the premiums are high. It is therefore important that self-employed persons receive objective information about costs and possibilities.
Government, self-employed organisations and market parties must work together to inform self-employed people about the risks and the possibilities for building up a pension. Insurers already offer self-employed people insight and overview into their various claims via the internet and financial advisors; in the long term, in addition to second pillar, third pillar products can also be included in mijnpensioenoverzicht.nl .
The Association believes that self-employed people should be able to choose for themselves where they insure themselves and build up a pension. And that they should be able to turn to insurers for customization. The self-employed does not exist. The self-employed have different needs when it comes to covering the risk of incapacity for work and building up a supplementary pension.
A small group of self-employed people want to insure themselves against incapacity for work, but cannot do so because of an increased risk profile. Their premium becomes too high or they are not accepted for medical reasons. The Association believes that every self-employed person who wants to do so should have access to a socially acceptable product.
Initiatives for the provision of information and regulations
The Dutch Association of Insurers has developed various initiatives to improve the provision of information and to ensure that all self-employed people can take out insurance.
- The website insurance for the self-employed contains independent information about pension accrual, insurance against incapacity for work and liability insurance. This is an initiative of the Association with the Platform Self-Employed Entrepreneurs (PZO), the Chamber of Commerce and FNV Zelfstandigen.
- The health declaration has been renewed and a detailed explanation has been added. Customers must complete the statement when taking out disability or life insurance. In the Insurance Inspections Protocol , the Association also pays more attention to the communication to the customer about the medical examination and its results.
- The Association has drawn up the Code of Conduct for informed extension and contract terms for business non-life and income insurance . In the code of conduct, insurers have agreed that they will no longer tacitly renew business disability and non-life insurance policies and that the insurances have a maximum term of three years.
- Insurers have developed a safety net insurance for self-employed people who, for health reasons (now or in the past), cannot insure themselves on the private market. The Association actively participates in the social discussion about the accessibility of disability insurance and is looking for ways to guarantee access.
Taskforce Income for later
Saving via a savings account in box 3 is less advantageous than saving via an annuity, because the premiums paid in box 3 are not tax deductible. Unfortunately, many self-employed people are not aware of these and other tax rules and possibilities to save for later. This ignorance has marked the starting point of the Income Taskforce for later.
The Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Wijzer in Geldzaken, Stichting ZZP Nederland, Het Verbond van Verzekeraars and NIBUD participate in the Taskforce. This structural cooperation aims to stimulate the pension accrual of the self-employed person and to let self-employed people actually take steps to build up an old-age provision. The Taskforce does this by proposing solutions in which simplicity and flexibility are central.
Suggestions? Report them to the Taskforce!
The Taskforce is there for and with self-employed people. That is why she calls on self-employed people to report mainly with ideas, solutions, but also with bottlenecks and issues that are needed. Then the Taskforce can get to work on that! Sign in to r.kleuters@verzekeraars.nl
Procedure
The Taskforce Income for later has periodic consultations on three overarching themes:
- Awareness: self-employed and pension
- Flexibility: deposit and withdrawal
- Simplicity: opportunities to save for retirement in an easy way