A rising number of Dutch pension funds are expected to postpone the date they plan to transition to the country’s new pension system.

The law behind the reform, the Future Pensions Act (Wtp), came into effect on 1 July 2023, requiring pension funds to transition to the new pension system by 1 January 2028.

Aon Netherlands previously predicted that the peak of the shift for transitioning schemes would be 2026, but it now believes this peak will shift to 2027.

Aon Netherlands director wealth, Frank Driessen, said administrators, in particular, are struggling to have the systems ready on time to transition.

He added: “Several funds that had 1 January 2026 as their intended transition date have had to conclude that this will have to be postponed. We expect that more funds will postpone the transition.”

“The practicalities are proving difficult and it is demanding a lot from the pension administrators to make a controlled transition to the new system. The big peak will probably shift to 2027.”

Last month, the pension fund for PostNL workers announced it has delayed its switch to the new system by three months, from 1 January 2026 to 1 April 2026. The firm said it had discovered it needed "more time" to transition to the new pension scheme carefully.

In addition, PME, the scheme for workers in the metal and tech industry, has also pushed back its transition date by a year to 1 January 2027.

Despite this, several schemes have already moved across, with Stichting Beroepspensioenfonds Loodsen, the Dutch pension fund for pilots, confirming at the start of 2025 that it had switched across.

The reform has been blighted by in recent months by a political dispute over a proposed amendment to the Wtp by New Social Contract (NSC) and Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB).

NSC and BBB first proposed introducing a mandatory referendum for schemes, which would mean schemes could only transfer to the new system if there is enough support from members.

In the latest amendment, the two political parties propose making the individual right to object as standard. Both suggestions have received strong opposition from the pensions industry.

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