You pay 4% of the wages and the employer pays 11.5%. Thus, retirement rights and important rights are created for you and your family if you experience trauma later in life.
You can start taking a pension from the age of 60, and the amount is based on the premiums paid to the fund throughout your working life and the age of the fund member when retirement begins.
There are two main options available to cohabiting partners who want to share their pension rights or payments. In some cases, it is necessary to apply for a division before the age of 65.
Taxation of retirement benefits and pensions
Traditional income tax must be paid on retirement benefits or pension payments and the tax is deducted from monthly payments. If you receive a salary or pension from other bodies than LSR, you need to assess which payer should use the personal tax credit and in which tax bracket the fund's payments should be taxed.
You are responsible for notifying the fund in which tax bracket retirement benefits or pension payments should be taxed, and whether the personal tax credit should be used. In this way, you prevent tax payments from being either over- or under-calculated, which can lead to inconvenience later.
If the spouse does not fully use their personal tax credit, retirement benefits recipients and pensioners can use up to 100% of the spouse's unused personal tax credit.
There are three monthly tax brackets plus the tax-free limit:
- Income under ISK 498,122 (31.49%)
- Income from ISK 498,123 to 1,398,450 (37.99%)
- Income over ISK 1,398,450 (46.29%)
- Tax-free limit: ISK 230,206 /mo. based on 100% utilisation of personal tax credit
Division A – Frequently Asked Questions
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You can check which division your pension rights belong to on My Pages.
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If you are a member of Division A, you can start receiving your pension at any time between the ages of 60 and 80. The standard retirement age is 67. If you start receiving your pension before or after age 67, your monthly payments will be adjusted accordingly.
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On My Pages, you can see your current pension entitlement based on starting your pension at age 67. You can also view estimates for different retirement ages, both with and without future contributions.
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Yes. On My Pages, you can see your current pension entitlement based on starting your pension at age 67, as well as estimates for different retirement ages.
The standard retirement age is 67. If you start receiving your pension earlier, your monthly payments will be lower, as they are expected to be paid over a longer period. If you start after age 67, your monthly payments will be higher, as they are expected to be paid over a shorter period.
You can use the pension calculator on My Pages to compare estimated payments at different retirement ages.
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Yes. You can receive a pension from Division A while continuing to work. If you continue to earn a salary after starting your pension, you will continue to build up additional pension rights until age 70. These additional rights will automatically be added to your pension payments once you turn 70, so you do not need to apply for them separately.
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In Division A, you can choose to start by receiving half of your pension and switch to a full pension later. You will initially receive half of your pension entitlement, while the remaining half continues to grow based on any further contributions and the fund’s rules on deferred pension payments.
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You can apply for your pension on My Pages. Applications usually take 4–6 weeks to process. You can find a step-by-step guide to the application process here.
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You can update your bank account details, tax bracket and tax card settings under My Information on My Pages.
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Spouses can choose to share pension rights or pension payments to help balance their retirement income. You can find more information about pension sharing between spouses here.
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When a member of Division A dies, their spouse may be entitled to a spouse’s pension. The amount is based on the deceased member’s pension rights and is normally paid for five years. Payments may continue for longer if the surviving spouse is supporting children they had with the deceased member, in which case payments continue until the youngest child turns 22.
If a member dies or becomes disabled, their children may be entitled to a child pension until age 22. The child pension is paid as a fixed monthly amount.
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A disability pension from Division A can help make up for lost income if illness or an accident means you need to reduce your working hours or stop working altogether. You may be entitled to a disability pension if your ability to work is reduced by 40–100% for six months or longer.
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If you receive a retirement pension and live abroad, you must confirm each year that you are still living in order to continue receiving payments. You can do this simply by logging in to My Pages at the beginning of each year.
If you receive a spouse’s pension, you must also provide a certificate from your country of residence confirming your current marital status each year.
If you receive a disability pension, you must submit a copy of your latest tax return from your country of residence each year.
You can find further information on pension payments while living abroad here.
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If your pension is paid in arrears, it is paid on the last day of each month. This applies to most members of Division A. If you receive your Division A pension in advance, it is paid on the first day of each month.