Pension for the self-employed: how much should you set aside?
If you are self-employed or a director-shareholder (DGA), you arrange your pension yourself. How much you should set aside depends on what you need later. This calculator shows what you will have if you do nothing, how much you can pay in this year with a tax benefit and what that costs you net.
Work it out
Enter what you know. The calculator uses the Dutch Tax Administration's tables and rates for 2026 and the AOW amounts of the SVB.
Aukje Lonhard · pension adviser for more than 30 years
Will this be enough to live on?
That is the question behind every calculation, and a calculator cannot answer it. For many people, pension is a pile of letters full of difficult words, with choices whose meaning for you is unclear. I take you through it step by step, in plain language:
- first we list what you have and what will come in later;
- then we look at what you need to live the way you want;
- after that I explain which choices you have and what each one means for you.
You do not need to prepare anything or know any jargon. By the end you know where you stand.
Go through it together with AukjeNo obligation. Your result comes along, so you do not have to enter your amounts again.
Employer or HR? Have Aukje explain it to your employees in plain language.
Do you reach the AOW age during 2026? Then different monthly rates apply in that year. Aukje will work it out for you. The calculator gives general information and is not personal tax advice.
Without your own provision you will only have the AOW
As a self-employed person you do not build up a pension through an employer. If you arrange nothing yourself, you will only have the state pension (AOW) later. The calculator shows how much that is net. For most people it is considerably less than they are used to while working.
What is the annual allowance?
What you set aside for later can be deducted from your income up to a certain amount, so you pay less tax. That amount is called the annual allowance (jaarruimte). For 2026 you calculate with your income in 2025. You put the money in an annuity account or annuity insurance (lijfrente), and it must be paid by 31 December 2026. How the calculation works step by step is explained in Calculating your annual allowance.
What paying in costs you
Because you deduct what you pay in, you get part of it back from the Tax Administration. How much depends on your income. If you pay little or no income tax, the deduction gives you little as well. So enter your taxable income: then you see what paying in costs you net.
How accurate is this calculator?
The calculator follows the calculation rules of the Dutch Tax Administration and has been tested against them. The monthly wage tax has been compared with all 2,465 rows of the 2026 monthly table for pensions and benefits, without any difference. The net AOW matches the SVB amounts from 1 July 2026 to the cent. What the calculator does not know are your deductions, your assets and your partner's income. So the result is a good start, and not personal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I set aside for my pension as a self-employed person?
In 2026 it is 30 percent of your 2025 income above €19,172, up to an income of €137,800. If you also built up a pension through work in 2025, an amount is deducted from that. The highest annual allowance is €35,589.
Is the AOW alone enough to live on?
From 1 July 2026 a full AOW for a single person is €1,581.55 net per month, excluding holiday allowance. Whether that is enough depends on your fixed costs. For most self-employed people it is much less than their current income.
Can I still use the annual allowance of earlier years?
Yes. Allowance you have not used in the past ten years is called reserveringsruimte. In 2026 it is at most €42,753. The calculator does not work this out; you need your figures of the past ten years for it.
Would you rather have someone go through it with you?
Aukje explains what the figures mean for you and which choices you have. Without jargon, and without obligation.
Request a no-obligation conversation