The Oog voor Impuls program promotes greater stability in employment and income for employees and organizations within the cultural and creative sector. While employees consider pension accrual a vital employment condition, not all employers provide this option. To address this, a dedicated budget has been allocated to encourage employers in the sector to establish pension provisions for their employees and support them in this process. Employers can apply for 2 different contributions for this:
1. Exploratory contribution
Are you, as an employer, considering setting up a pension provision for your employees? SER and the Labour Foundation (NL: Stichting van de Arbeid) advise exploring the possibilities with the help of an independent pension advisor. To do this, the Oog voor Impuls program provides an Exploratory Contribution of up to €3,000. As an employer, you can apply for this Exploratory Contribution if you have hired a pension advisor after January 1, 2023.
2. The Pension Incentive
Employers in the cultural and creative sector who establish a pension scheme for their employees on or after January 1, 2024, are eligible to apply for a Pension Incentive. This incentive will be distributed in two installments:
The first contribution amounts to €2,000 per employee and is intended to help cover the start-up costs of the pension scheme. This payment is made to the employer once the application has been approved.
The second contribution covers 50% of the pension premiums paid by the employer during the first 12 months of the pension scheme, it amounts to up to €2,000 per employee. This amount is reimbursed to the employer based on a declaration, which needs to be submitted 12 months after the pension incentive has been approved.
Before you apply, carefully read the rulebook. Make sure you have PDF versions of a Chamber of Commerce (NL: KvK) extract of your organization, a bank statement, proof of the costs of the hired pension advisor (if applicable), and a document showing that your organization has set up a pension provision (if applicable). This document must show how many employees the pension provision applies to.