Almost three-quarters of KPA Pension customers who paused their occupational pension payments this year were women, the pension provider has revealed.

Between 1 January and 31 August 2025, 297 members opted to pause their pensions, after KPA Pension became the first insurer in the Swedish municipal and regional sector to introduce the new option at the start of the year, after the law passed at the end of 2024.

This accounted for 0.15 per cent of KPA’s 200,000 customers in payment, of whom 72 per cent were women. KPA Pension said the proportion of women who made use of the break option reflects the overall gender distribution of its customer base.

The rule change is intended to make it easier for pensioners to re-enter working life, helping to extend careers, increase retirement incomes and ensure valuable skills are retained in the labour market.

Among those who have suspended their occupational pension, ages, savings and monthly payment amounts vary widely, from the youngest at 57 to the oldest at 80, with a median age of 68.

Pension capital ranges from around SEK 10,000 to SEK 3.9m, with an average value of SEK 330,000. Monthly payments also vary widely – from a few hundred kronor to over a hundred thousand kronor. The median monthly amount is around SEK 4,000.
Of those who chose to pause their payments, 80 per cent had a fixed-term payment and 20 per cent a lifetime payment.

When applying to pause their pension payment, members specify how long they want their payments suspended. So far, the longest is 10 years and the shortest is three months – the minimum period permitted by KPA Pension.

On average, members have opted for a two-year pause, with 11 months the most common choice. Breaks can be cancelled or extended. KPA said it is still too early to conclude the actual duration of these pauses.

In addition, the new rules allow pensioners to extend the payment period of their pension. During the period 1 January to 31 August 2025, 200 customers chose to extend their payment period.

Of these, 41 customers (21 per cent) chose to switch from fixed term to lifetime payments. The majority of those who extended the payment period had originally chosen a payment period of 10 years – the shortest allowed in the local government sector. The choice of extension period varies, but five years is a common option, with the average extension at 4.4 years.

KPA said it will publish a full report on members’ experiences of pausing or extending pensions in early 2026, which may offer clearer insights into how the reforms are working in practice.

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