Every dated obligation we have verified in a national pension system that expires, destroys money, or suspends a payment, for a person who no longer lives in that country. Each row says what starts the clock, how long it runs and what is lost, with the official source and the date we checked it. 486 obligations across 41 countries. Checked 1 September 2026.
This register currently covers 41 of the 41 countries we research. Last expanded 1 September 2026.
Where an official source is silent or contradicts itself, we say that on the row rather than choosing an answer for you.
This register is not exhaustive. It contains what we have verified from official sources, with the date we checked it. Where a rule rests on an authority's published guide rather than on the statute itself, we say so. Where we could not establish a rule, it is absent rather than guessed. If you find an error, tell us and we will publish the correction the same day.
Sorted by what is at stake: lost outright, then arrears destroyed, then payment suspended.
Showing 25 of 486 obligations.
BrazilLost outright
Per paragrafo 4 of Art. 15, perda da qualidade de segurado (loss of insured status) occurs on the day following the end of the deadline fixed in the Plano de Custeio da Seguridade Social for paying the contribution referring to the month immediately after the end of the periods set out in this article and its paragraphs. Paragrafo 3 states that during the periods set in this article the segurado conserva todos os seus direitos perante a Previdencia Social, so those rights are what is lost once the period and the following payment deadline both expire.
What starts the clock
According to Art. 15, the count runs from cessacao das contribuicoes (for those who stop remunerated activity or are suspended or on unpaid leave), from cessar a segregacao (compulsory medical segregation), from o livramento (release from custody), from o licenciamento (discharge from military service), or from cessacao das contribuicoes for a segurado facultativo
How long
Up to 12 months after cessacao das contribuicoes for most cases (inciso II); this 12-month period is extended to up to 24 months under paragrafo 1 if the segurado already paid more than 120 monthly contributions without an interruption that would cause loss of qualidade de segurado; paragrafo 2 adds a further 12 months on top of inciso II or paragrafo 1 for a segurado desempregado, provided that situation is proven by registration with the competent Ministerio do Trabalho e da Previdencia Social body; up to 12 months after cessar a segregacao for compulsory medical segregation (inciso III); up to 12 months after o livramento for a segurado retido ou recluso (inciso IV); up to 3 months after o licenciamento for military service (inciso V); up to 6 months after cessacao das contribuicoes for a segurado facultativo (inciso VI)
What is lost
Per paragrafo 4 of Art. 15, perda da qualidade de segurado (loss of insured status) occurs on the day following the end of the deadline fixed in the Plano de Custeio da Seguridade Social for paying the contribution referring to the month immediately after the end of the periods set out in this article and its paragraphs. Paragrafo 3 states that during the periods set in this article the segurado conserva todos os seus direitos perante a Previdencia Social, so those rights are what is lost once the period and the following payment deadline both expire.
Under Art. 15 of Lei 8.213/1991, a person who stops contributing to the Regime Geral de Previdencia Social keeps qualidade de segurado (insured status), and with it the right to claim benefits, for a limited period after contributions or the triggering situation ends. The base period is up to 12 months for most segurados who stop working or contributing, extended to up to 24 months for those with more than 120 uninterrupted monthly contributions, plus a further 12 months on top of that if the person is registered as unemployed. Shorter periods apply to other situations: 3 months after discharge for military service, and 6 months after contributions stop for a segurado facultativo.
What the source does not say
The fetched consolidated text of Art. 15 does not state any different rule for a segurado residing abroad; the article's incisos and paragrafos apply uniformly regardless of country of residence, and the page gave no separate exterior-specific wording.
If Part XIII.2 tax is owed for the year and the return is filed late, the CRA charges a late filing penalty of 5 percent of the balance owing plus 1 percent of the balance owing for each full month the return is late, to a maximum of 12 months.
What starts the clock
The end of the calendar year for which the OASRI is being filed.
How long
No later than April 30 of the following year (the page's example: the OASRI for 2025 must be filed no later than April 30, 2026).
What is lost
If Part XIII.2 tax is owed for the year and the return is filed late, the CRA charges a late filing penalty of 5 percent of the balance owing plus 1 percent of the balance owing for each full month the return is late, to a maximum of 12 months.
Non-resident OAS pensioners subject to the Part XIII.2 tax must file the annual Old Age Security Return of Income by April 30 of the following year.
What the source does not say
The page does not state that OAS payments stop the following July if the OASRI is not filed on time. It only says filing on time helps ensure the pension is not suspended by Service Canada; it does not name a specific suspension month or date. Our archive's 'stops the following July' consequence could not be confirmed on this page and is not included.
If you file late and the required non-resident tax was withheld on your eligible section 217 income, the withheld amount becomes your final tax obligation for that income, and the CRA will send you a notice of assessment for the difference if less than the required amount was withheld.
What starts the clock
The end of the calendar year in which the eligible income was received.
How long
June 30, the filing due date for a section 217 return; the CRA cannot accept the election if filed after June 30.
What is lost
If you file late and the required non-resident tax was withheld on your eligible section 217 income, the withheld amount becomes your final tax obligation for that income, and the CRA will send you a notice of assessment for the difference if less than the required amount was withheld.
A non-resident who wants to elect under section 217 of the Income Tax Act to be taxed on certain Canadian source income (including CPP and OAS) as if a resident must file the section 217 return by June 30 of the year after the income was received.
What the source does not say
None identified; deadline and consequence were both directly and consistently stated across two fetches of the same page.
Et il ne peut pas se situer avant la date a laquelle vous avez fait votre demande de retraite
What starts the clock
The date L'Assurance Retraite receives the pension claim
How long
The pension starts at the earliest on the first day of the month following the date the claim is received; recommended to claim 5 months before the desired departure date
What is lost
Et il ne peut pas se situer avant la date a laquelle vous avez fait votre demande de retraite
The pension is not paid automatically and must be requested, ideally 5 months before the desired departure date. The pension's start date is fixed at the earliest as the first day of the month following the date the claim is received, and it cannot be set before the date on which the claim was made.
What the source does not say
This page covers the base pension (regime general, CNAV/L'Assurance Retraite). Agirc-Arrco's own domain independently states, in its own words on a different page (agirc-arrco.fr/particuliers/mes-services-particuliers/preparer-ma-retraite/demande-et-suivi-de-retraite/), that 'La retraite n'est pas attribuee automatiquement : il faut la demander', confirming the non-automatic rule also applies to t
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
The last day of the last activity abroad
How long
Within 10 years of the last day of the last activity abroad
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
To buy back periods of salaried activity abroad (or in most French overseas collectivities, or Mayotte), the applicant must have been covered by a compulsory French health insurance scheme for at least 5 years and must request the buyback within 10 years of the last day of the last activity abroad.
What the source does not say
The page sets the 10 year window and the 5 year prior health insurance coverage condition but does not say what happens to a request made after the 10 years have passed (refused, inadmissible, or otherwise); this consequence could not be sourced from the page and is therefore not stated.
The account is classified as an Inoperative account
What starts the clock
The member's retirement, permanent migration abroad, or death (whichever event applies)
How long
3 years after that event, with no contribution received in between
What is lost
The account is classified as an Inoperative account
EPFO's own FAQ page defines when a member's EPF account is reclassified as inoperative. The trigger is the absence of any contribution for a three year period following one of three events: the member's retirement, their permanent migration abroad, or their death. Once that three year gap is reached, EPFO classifies the account as inoperative, which is the stated consequence of letting the gap run.
What the source does not say
The FAQ page does not state what interest treatment applies to an inoperative account for a member who has not yet reached 58 years of age, or what steps a member or nominee must follow to reactivate or claim an already inoperative account; it only gives the classification rule itself.
The same table row gives a late claim disqualification of 6 months before date of claim for this scheme, meaning a claim made outside the 3 month prescribed time is treated as a late claim and backdated payment is limited to the 6 months before the date the claim is actually made, subject to the extended backdating grounds set out separately for this scheme.
What starts the clock
First date of entitlement
How long
Within 3 months of the first date of entitlement
What is lost
The same table row gives a late claim disqualification of 6 months before date of claim for this scheme, meaning a claim made outside the 3 month prescribed time is treated as a late claim and backdated payment is limited to the 6 months before the date the claim is actually made, subject to the extended backdating grounds set out separately for this scheme.
The Department of Social Protection's own operational guidelines set out a table of the prescribed time for making a claim, and the associated late claim disqualification period, for each social welfare scheme. For State Pension (Contributory) the prescribed time entry reads Within 3 months of first date of entitlement, and the late claim disqualification entry for the same scheme reads 6 months before date of claim.
What the source does not say
The page presents this as two adjacent cells of a table (scheme name, prescribed time, late claim disqualification) rather than as flowing prose; the cells have been flattened to plain text here. The page does not separately define who counts as a claimant beyond naming the scheme, and does not state a consequence distinct from the late claim disqualification period shown in the same table.
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
Der Zeitpunkt des gewuenschten Rentenbeginns (Erreichen des Referenz- bzw. Rentenalters oder des gewaehlten Vorbezugs- oder Aufschubzeitpunkts).
How long
Ca. 3 Monate vor Erreichen des gewuenschten Rentenbeginns.
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
Personen, die eine ordentliche AHV-Altersrente beziehen wollen, sollten die Rentenanmeldung rund drei Monate vor dem gewuenschten Rentenbeginn bei der zustaendigen Stelle einreichen.
What the source does not say
Die Seite erklaert, dass die AHV ohne schriftliche Anmeldung keine Leistungen berechnen und auszahlen kann, nennt aber keine ausdrueckliche Rechtsfolge (z.B. Rentenverlust oder verzoegerte Zahlung) fuer eine verspaetete Anmeldung. Die Saetze zu den unterschiedlichen Einreichstellen je Wohnsitzstaat liessen sich beim Abruf nicht zeichengetreu als vollstaendige Saetze extrahieren und werden daher hi
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
Das Erreichen des ordentlichen Rentenalters.
How long
Spaetestens innerhalb eines Jahres nach Erreichen des ordentlichen Rentenalters.
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
Wer die AHV-Altersrente erst nach dem ordentlichen Rentenalter beziehen will, muss diesen Rentenaufschub gesondert und spaetestens innerhalb eines Jahres nach Erreichen des ordentlichen Rentenalters beantragen.
What the source does not say
Die Seite nennt keine ausdrueckliche Rechtsfolge, wenn diese Einjahresfrist fuer die Aufschubanmeldung verpasst wird.
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
Der Nachweis bzw. das Bestehen der obligatorischen Rentenversicherung im EWR-Zuzugsstaat bei endgueltigem Verlassen von Liechtenstein/Schweiz.
How long
Das gesperrte Guthaben kann erst bar bezogen werden, sobald die Person das ordentliche Ruecktrittsalter erreicht.
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
Ist eine Person, die den Wirtschaftsraum Liechtenstein/Schweiz endgueltig in einen EWR-Staat verlaesst, dort weiterhin obligatorisch gegen Alter, Tod und Invaliditaet rentenversichert, ist eine Barauszahlung ihrer Freizuegigkeitsleistung vorerst nicht moeglich; das Guthaben aus der beruflichen Vorsorge kann erst samt Zins bar bezogen werden, sobald sie das ordentliche Ruecktrittsalter erreicht.
What the source does not say
Die FAQ verknuepft die Sperre mit dem individuellen ordentlichen Ruecktrittsalter, ohne dieses Alter auf dieser Seite selbst zu beziffern; ein festes Kalenderdatum wird nicht genannt.
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
Expiry of the work permit, termination of contract by the employer, or date of resignation (whichever applies to the applicant)
How long
Apply 2 months before that date
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
KWSP's Leaving Country Withdrawal page gives this timing instruction under its Expatriate applicant category: expatriates should apply two months before the expiry of the work permit, termination of contract by the employer, or the date of resignation. The same page, under its separate Foreign Worker applicant category, lists Check Out Memo from the Immigration Department of Malaysia as a Proof of Departure document. The two requirements sit in different applicant category sections of the same page rather than in one combined sentence.
What the source does not say
The page does not state a consequence for applying late or leaving Malaysia without applying in time. It also does not state that Check Out Memo is required from expatriates specifically; that document is listed only under the page's separate Foreign Worker section, while the two month timing instruction is listed only under the page's Expatriate section, so this row combines requirements drawn fr
Dividend ceases to be credited to the account and the member's EPF savings are transferred to the Unclaimed Money Management Division (BWTD), Accountant General's Department of Malaysia
What starts the clock
The date of the member's last contribution
How long
3 years after that date, with no further contribution credited
What is lost
Dividend ceases to be credited to the account and the member's EPF savings are transferred to the Unclaimed Money Management Division (BWTD), Accountant General's Department of Malaysia
KWSP's own Unclaimed Savings page sets out this rule specifically for non Malaysian citizens who registered as EPF members on or after 1 August 1998. If no contribution is credited to the member's account for three years since the date of the last contribution, dividend stops being credited and the member's EPF savings are transferred to the Unclaimed Money Management Division, known by its Malay initials BWTD, at the Accountant General's Department of Malaysia. The same page states that after that transfer, the member or their next of kin must liaise directly with BWTD to make any claim, and separately advises making a withdrawal, subject to EPF terms and conditions, before the transfer to BWTD takes effect.
What the source does not say
The page does not name a specific form or document the member or next of kin must submit to BWTD to make a claim after transfer, only that they must liaise directly with BWTD; it also does not state whether dividend continues to accrue, or at what rate, once the funds are held by BWTD rather than by KWSP.
En NINGUN caso se puede otorgar una pension si el asegurado ha salido de la conservacion de derechos aunque reuna las semanas cotizadas y la edad o el dictamen medico, meaning no pension can be granted once the person is outside the conservación de derechos period, regardless of otherwise meeting the contributed weeks and age or medical opinion requirements
What starts the clock
The person's baja laboral, meaning the date insured employment ends
How long
For a period equal to la cuarta parte del tiempo total cotizado (one quarter of the person's total contributed time)
What is lost
En NINGUN caso se puede otorgar una pension si el asegurado ha salido de la conservacion de derechos aunque reuna las semanas cotizadas y la edad o el dictamen medico, meaning no pension can be granted once the person is outside the conservación de derechos period, regardless of otherwise meeting the contributed weeks and age or medical opinion requirements
Conservación de derechos is the time IMSS grants to insured persons after they stop working to claim a cesantía, vejez or invalidez pension. That period equals one quarter of the person's total contributed time. If the person is outside the conservación de derechos period, IMSS states a pension cannot be granted under any circumstance, even if the person otherwise meets the contributed weeks and age or medical opinion requirements.
What the source does not say
This IMSS training document states the quarter of contributed time formula and the all or nothing consequence but does not cite the LSS article number, does not state the 12 month statutory minimum that other secondary sources mention, and does not state any maximum length for the period.
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
Vertrek uit Nederland, meaning the date the person leaves the Netherlands
How long
Voor vertrek of binnen 1 jaar na vertrek uit Nederland, meaning before departure or within 1 year after leaving the Netherlands
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
A person who moves or works outside the Netherlands normally stops building up AOW old age pension. NederlandWereldwijd, the Dutch government's own portal for citizens abroad, states that this can be prevented by taking out voluntary insurance with the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB), but only if the person meets a set of conditions: the application must be made before departure or within one year after leaving the Netherlands, the person must already have been insured in the Netherlands for AOW for one year or more, and the person must not yet have reached AOW pension age. The page also states that a person can be voluntarily insured for a maximum of ten years, with some exceptions.
What the source does not say
The page states the one year application window, the prior one year insurance condition and the ten year maximum duration as eligibility conditions, but it does not say in so many words what happens if someone applies after the one year window closes. It also does not state a 2 percent per year accrual rate tied specifically to the voluntary insurance scheme; SVB's own general AOW build up page (s
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
The page does not state a separate trigger date; the deadline is expressed as a fixed distance before the person's own AOW-leeftijd (AOW pension age)
How long
6 maanden voor uw AOW-leeftijd, meaning 6 months before the person's AOW pension age
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
NederlandWereldwijd states that a person living outside the Netherlands must remember on their own to apply for AOW on time, and that this must be done six months before the person's AOW pension age.
What the source does not say
This page states the 6 month self initiated deadline for people living abroad but does not state that SVB automatically writes to residents about 4 months before AOW pension age; that separate figure appears only on a different official page, rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/algemene-ouderdomswet-aow/vraag-en-antwoord/hoe-vraag-ik-mijn-aow-uitkering-aan (fetched today), which states 'U krijgt automati
If you don't apply for these payments within the required timeframes, you'll need to pay back any payments you received after you left NZ. You'll need to pay back the 26 weeks of NZ payment you received after you left NZ.
What starts the clock
The date of leaving New Zealand, for the AAP application deadline; the date of applying for the AAP, for the continuation application deadline
How long
AAP application: within 26 weeks of leaving NZ. Continuation application: within 12 months of applying for the AAP (or within 26 weeks of leaving NZ if already receiving AAP)
What is lost
If you don't apply for these payments within the required timeframes, you'll need to pay back any payments you received after you left NZ. You'll need to pay back the 26 weeks of NZ payment you received after you left NZ.
Work and Income states that under the Social Security Agreement with Australia, a person must apply for the AAP within 26 weeks of leaving NZ, and apply to continue getting their NZ Super or Veteran's Pension payment, needing to apply within 12 months of applying for the AAP. If already receiving the Australian Age Pension, the continuation application needs to be made within 26 weeks of leaving New Zealand. The page states that if a person doesn't apply for these payments within the required timeframes, they'll need to pay back any payments received after they left NZ, and specifically, if already receiving AAP, they'll need to pay back the 26 weeks of NZ payment received after leaving NZ.
What the source does not say
The page's exact wording distinguishing the general 'any payments received' repayment language from the specific '26 weeks of NZ payment' repayment language, and precisely which scenario each applies to, was returned by the fetcher in summarized form rather than as one continuous verbatim block. Quote was obtained via an automated fetch-and-extract tool that converts the page to text through a sum
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
The date the person leaves New Zealand
How long
At least 6 weeks before you leave New Zealand
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
Work and Income states that a person can apply to keep getting NZ Super or Veteran's Pension while overseas if, among other criteria, they are ordinarily resident in New Zealand when they apply and intend to travel overseas for more than 26 weeks. Under 'How to apply', the page states as a note that you need to apply at least 6 weeks before you leave New Zealand.
What the source does not say
The page does not state what happens if someone applies fewer than 6 weeks before departure (e.g. refusal, delay, or a different repayment rule); it is stated as an instruction, not tied to an explicit stated penalty. Quote was obtained via an automated fetch-and-extract tool that converts the page to text through a summarizing pass rather than returning raw HTML; the tool was asked for short verb
You cannot apply retroactively, so pension is not paid for the period before the month after Nav received the application
What starts the clock
The month Nav receives the pension application
How long
Payment starts at the earliest from the month after Nav receives the application; the page states you cannot apply retroactively
What is lost
You cannot apply retroactively, so pension is not paid for the period before the month after Nav received the application
Nav's own page for people living outside Norway states that retirement pension from Nav is paid at the earliest from the month after Nav receives the application, and that retroactive application is not possible. A person who delays applying only loses months of pension for the period before Nav received the application; if the person is entitled to a pension, Nav pays it back to the date they applied to start receiving it.
What the source does not say
The page does not state a specific number of days or months by which an application must be submitted before the desired pension start date beyond the separate 6 month/4 month advance filing window captured in a separate row; it does not state any penalty beyond loss of the unpaid earlier months.
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
The point at which the person decides to apply for their Norwegian retirement pension
How long
At the time the application is sent, the described documentation (work history in Norway, marital status evidence) should be included with it
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
Under 'Cannot find your country?', Nav states that if you live in a country outside the EU/EEA that does not have a social security agreement with Norway, you must send your application for a Norwegian retirement pension to Nav. The expandable 'What to include with your application' section states that, to help speed up the application process, you should include a detailed description of where and when you worked in Norway, and that Nav also needs documentation of marital status, meaning a copy of a spouse's or partner's passport, and, if the marriage is not registered in the Norwegian National Population Register, a copy of the marriage certificate plus information about the spouse's income.
What the source does not say
The page frames the documentation as something that helps speed up processing rather than stating an explicit penalty (such as rejection or a specific delay in days) if it is omitted; no such stated consequence was found.
Your CPF account will be automatically closed in the following month.
What starts the clock
Completion of the renunciation of Singapore Citizenship or Permanent Residency
How long
Member-initiated closure can happen once renunciation is completed; if not done by the member, closure happens automatically in the following month
What is lost
Your CPF account will be automatically closed in the following month.
CPF Board states that for renunciation on or after 1 April 2024, the member may close their own CPF account and transfer the savings to their bank account once renunciation is completed; otherwise the account will be automatically closed in the following month.
What the source does not say
The page does not state any adverse consequence attached to automatic closure beyond the closure itself (e.g. no stated interest-rate penalty for this post 1 April 2024 group is given on this page). Quote was obtained via an automated fetch-and-extract tool that converts the page to text through a summarizing pass rather than returning raw HTML; the tool was asked for short verbatim excerpts and c
los efectos serán retroactivos durante un máximo de tres meses desde la fecha de la solicitud (the pension's economic effects are backdated only three months from the date of the application, meaning any part of the delay beyond three months is not paid retroactively)
What starts the clock
la fecha del hecho causante (the date of the triggering/qualifying event for the pension)
How long
Application filed more than three months after the hecho causante: retroactive effects are capped at three months, counted back from the date the application is filed.
What is lost
los efectos serán retroactivos durante un máximo de tres meses desde la fecha de la solicitud (the pension's economic effects are backdated only three months from the date of the application, meaning any part of the delay beyond three months is not paid retroactively)
If a person applies for a retirement pension more than three months after the triggering event (hecho causante), the pension's economic effects are only paid retroactively for a maximum of three months counted from the date of the application, not from the triggering event itself.
What the source does not say
The page as fetched does not cite a specific Ley General de la Seguridad Social article number for this three-month cap; only the operative rule text was retrievable, not a statute cross-reference on the same page.
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
la fecha de presentación de la solicitud (the date the application for the convenio especial is submitted)
How long
Puedes darte de alta en cualquier momento, no fixed deadline; but effects only run from the first day of the month after the request is filed, with no retroactive coverage stated.
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
Spanish nationals who are emigrants, and children of emigrants who hold Spanish nationality, can subscribe to a special agreement (convenio especial) with Spanish Social Security that requires no prior contribution period, and is not conditional on the country involved having a Social Security agreement with Spain. Registration can be made at any time; the agreement's effective date is fixed as the first day of the month following the date the application is submitted, so nothing is backdated to the emigration date.
What the source does not say
The page does not state a penalty or lost-right consequence for not subscribing, because it also does not state any deadline for subscribing; it only ties the effective (contribution-counting) date to whenever the request happens to be filed. It also does not restate the older Real Decreto 996/1986 condition, found separately on boe.es, that historically limited this agreement to countries without
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
The applicant permanently settling abroad (sich endgueltig im Ausland niedergelassen), i.e. leaving Switzerland with the qualifying family members
How long
As soon as the applicant has left Switzerland, the relevant claim form must be completed; the page does not state any further numeric time limit for filing the claim after departure
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
The Zentrale Ausgleichsstelle (ZAS), the federal body that administers this refund, states on its own page that a refund of paid AHV contributions is available to persons holding the nationality of a country with which Switzerland has no social security agreement (naming Australia, Brazil, China, India, the Philippines, South Korea, Tunisia and Uruguay among those covered under conditions), provided at least one year of contributions was paid and the applicant, spouse and children under 25 have left Switzerland. The page instructs that once the applicant has left Switzerland, the relevant form must be completed, but does not give a numeric time limit for doing so.
What the source does not say
The page gives no deadline, whether in days, months or years, for how long after leaving Switzerland the refund may still be claimed, and states no consequence for a late claim; both points are recorded here as genuinely absent from the page rather than inferred.
SwitzerlandLost outright1208 days left, closes 31 December 2029
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
What starts the clock
The date the insured person reaches the AHV reference age
How long
Within five years of reaching reference age, but at the latest in the year 2029 (the worked example in the same document gives 31 December 2029 as the date the vested benefit must be drawn)
What is lost
the source does not state what happens if this is missed
As part of the AHV 21 reform, which entered into force on 1 January 2024, a transitional provision to Art. 16 FZV applies for the years 2024 to 2034. Under this provision, insured persons who are no longer working after reaching the reference age must withdraw their vested benefits credit within five years of reaching reference age, but at the latest in 2029. The federal EDI's own published guidance on the reform sets this out in an example under this transitional rule, with the concrete date given as 31 December 2029.
What the source does not say
The document is the EDI's own question and answer style guidance (Mitteilung style material referencing Rz 1124) rather than the bare statutory text of Art. 16 FZV itself; the live Fedlex page for the Freizuegigkeitsverordnung was not separately fetched to quote the statutory paragraph directly. The document does not state what happens to a person's vested benefits or the vorsorgeeinrichtung's obl
Sie koennen nicht mehr eingefordert oder entrichtet werden, that is the contributions can no longer either be demanded by the compensation fund or paid by the person or employer who owes them; the claim is extinguished for both directions.
What starts the clock
Ablauf des Kalenderjahres, fuer welches die Beitraege geschuldet sind, that is the end of the calendar year for which the contributions are owed
How long
Within five years after the end of that calendar year (with a one year extension from finalization of the tax assessment for certain self employed and non employed contributions under Art. 6, 8 and 10)
What is lost
Sie koennen nicht mehr eingefordert oder entrichtet werden, that is the contributions can no longer either be demanded by the compensation fund or paid by the person or employer who owes them; the claim is extinguished for both directions.
AHVG Art. 16 Abs. 1 sets a five year rolling forfeiture rule for AHV contribution claims. If contributions are not asserted by a formal Verfuegung (decision) within five years of the end of the calendar year for which they are owed, they can no longer be either collected by the compensation fund or paid by the insured or employer. The same paragraph extends this by one further year for certain self employed and non employed persons' contributions where the deadline runs instead from the calendar year in which the relevant tax assessment became final.
What the source does not say
The page did not, in what was returned, address whether or how this five year rule interacts with the separate gap filling mechanism under Art. 29bis Abs. 4 AHVG for closing contribution gaps through later contributions; that cross reference is noted by the fetcher but was not itself quoted. As instructed by the brief, this row is built strictly on what Art. 16 Abs. 1 itself states rather than on
A pension you cannot name is a pension you cannot claim before its clock runs out. The free checker asks where you worked and tells you which systems could hold something in your name.