Methodology - Social security of women and men

The pension insurance scheme provides security to citizens for old age, disability, or death of the breadwinner. The compulsory basic pension insurance scheme provides old-age pensions, disability pensions, and survivors’ pensions (widows’ and widowers’ pensions, and orphan pension). The scheme has continuous funding and the legal regulation is unified for all pension insured persons according to the Act No. 155/1995 Coll., on Pension Insurance, as subsequently amended. They do not include data on armed forces of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Justice

The full old-age pension may be received either once the age limit for retirement has been reached, then it is a regular old-age pension, or before the age limit for retirement has been reached as determined by law and then it is an early old-age pension (sometimes called “premature”). Entitlement to the full old-age pension as well as the early (premature) one is simultaneously conditioned by acquiring the necessary period of insurance. When the required period of insurance for the full old-age pension has not been met, the insured person may, after having reached a determined shorter period of insurance and the higher age determined by law, be granted a proportional pension.

The disability pension is acquired by an insured person whose ability to work was reduced due to long-term bad health by at least 35% and who has not reached the age of 65 years or the old-age retirement limit, if it is higher. In order the disability pension may be granted the condition of the necessary period of insurance for the entitlement to a disability pension must be complied with as well unless it is disability due to an occupational injury, an occupational disease, or due to some of causes related to the national defence. At the age of 65 years, the entitlement to a disability pension is void and is converted into an old-age pension. Depending on the level of the reduction of the ability to work, the disability is broken down to the disability of the first degree (reduction by 35% to 49%), the disability of the second degree (reduction by 50% to 69%), and the disability of the third degree (reduction by 70% and more); the amount of the disability pension is also derived from that.

A widow/widower is entitled to the widow’s / widower’s pension on condition that the deceased persons was a recipient of an old-age pension or a disability pension, or by the day of his/her death had met prerequisites for entitlement to the disability pension or the old-age pension, or deceased due to an occupational injury (occupational disease).

Entitlement to an orphan pension can only arise for a dependent child whose deceased parent (a person who took over the care of the child) was compliant with the duration of insurance condition established by law or was a recipient of the old-age pension or the disability pension or died due to an occupational injury (an occupational disease).

Pensions may be paid separately, then they are so-called single pensions. Widows’ and widowers’ pensions may be paid simultaneously with the old-age pension or the disability pension (combined pensions).