Statutory pension
Buying back your study years for your self-employed pension: cost and deadline
By the Finances Indépendants editorial teamUpdated on 4 min read
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Contents
Which study years can a self-employed person buy back?
Full-time higher education, at university or elsewhere, provided you obtained the degree. The NISSE (National Institute for the Social Security of the Self-employed, INASTI/RSVZ) calls it "assimilation": in return for payment, the study period is treated as a career period for calculating your pension. A course abandoned partway through cannot be bought back.
Only one course of study is taken into account. Someone who did two master's degrees back to back chooses one of them. Preparing a doctorate can be added, up to 2 years and provided it was obtained. Certain years of secondary education after the sixth year, leading to a diploma, are also covered.
- University and non-university higher education.
- Full-time technical, vocational, maritime or arts higher education.
- Preparation of a doctoral thesis, 2 years at most, doctorate obtained.
How much does it cost to buy back a year of study?
If the application is made within 10 years of finishing your studies, the contribution is €494.81 per regularised quarter, or €1,979.24 for a full year. After that window, a buyback is still possible but the contribution charged is higher.
The amount is due in one go, for the whole period chosen, to your social insurance fund. You do, however, choose how many years to buy back: nothing obliges you to regularise your entire course of study.
Quarters
Cost within the window
One year
4
€1,979.24
Three-year bachelor's
12
€5,937.72
Five-year master's
20
€9,896.20
Do bought-back study years let you retire earlier?
No. A regularised study period counts towards calculating the amount of your pension, never towards the career length required for early retirement. Buying back five years of study therefore does not bring your retirement date forward by a single day.
This is the most common trap: many self-employed people buy back their studies thinking they will gain years on their retirement date. The age and career conditions for early retirement are set out on our statutory pension page and in the article on the 2027 pension reform.
Another limit: a pension never rewards more than 45 years of career; this is the career unit principle. If your career looks set to be long, bought-back study years may add nothing. The earlier you started your first job, the more carefully the calculation needs to be checked before you pay.
Is buying back study years worthwhile for a self-employed person?
Mainly for a career that will remain incomplete: a late start on the job market, long studies, interruptions. For a career that will reach 45 years anyway, the purchase may bring in nothing. The answer depends on your own file, not on a general rule.
Before you pay, three questions settle most cases. They require an up-to-date career overview, which you can find on mypension.be using your electronic identity card or itsme.
- Will my career reach 45 years without the study years? If so, the buyback may well be pointless.
- Am I still within 10 years of finishing my studies? After that, the price goes up.
- Can I tie up the sum in one go, or would spreading payments into a second-pillar scheme suit my cash flow better?
How and when to apply
The self-employed person submits the application to their social insurance fund, before their pension start date. In a mixed career, you apply under the scheme in which you are active when you submit it: employee, self-employed or civil servant.
Timing matters more than the procedure. A 23-year-old graduate who sets up as self-employed has until 33 to buy back at the basic rate. Waiting until your fifties means paying considerably more for the same years. The right reflex: estimate the gain in your first years of activity, then decide.
This money could also fund a second-pillar scheme. Compare the buyback with a free supplementary pension for the self-employed (PLCI/VAPZ), which is deductible and built on your current income; our PLCI/VAPZ simulator puts figures on this alternative. To set an overall target, see how much to save for your pension.
Further reading
The pages on this site that explore each of the points covered here in more depth.
- The statutory pension for the self-employedCalculation, statutory age and conditions for early retirement.
- The 2027 pension reform for the self-employedWhat changes in the career conditions and the bonus.
- PLCI/VAPZ: the deductible supplementary pensionThe alternative to a buyback for topping up your pension.
- How much to save for your self-employed pensionSet a savings target before buying back years.
- PLCI/VAPZ simulatorPut a figure on the tax advantage of a PLCI/VAPZ to compare with a buyback.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, if they obtained a higher education degree. In return for a contribution, the NISSE treats the study period as career time for calculating the pension. If applied for within 10 years of finishing your studies, it costs €494.81 per quarter.
€1,979.24 per year, or €494.81 per quarter, if the application is submitted within 10 years of finishing your studies. After that, the contribution is higher. The amount is indexed; your social insurance fund confirms the rate that applies on the date of your application.
Yes, you can apply right up until your pension starts, but the contribution charged is higher. The benefit of a buyback therefore decreases over time. Check the exact cost and the estimated gain before committing, as the payment is made in one go.
No. They increase the amount of your pension, but do not count towards the career length required to retire before the statutory age. Buying back your studies therefore never lets you retire earlier. Only years of work and the equivalent periods provided for by law count towards that condition.
To your social insurance fund, before your pension start date. In a mixed career, you apply under the scheme in which you are active when you submit the application. The contribution is paid in one go, for the whole period chosen.
The Federal Pension Service classifies the regularisation contribution as a personal social security contribution, which is deductible, and issues a tax certificate for the applications it handles. If you are self-employed, have your accountant confirm the relevant box on your tax return before counting on the tax advantage.
Topics covered
Topics covered: buy back study years pension self-employed · regularisation of study periods self-employed · NISSE study period assimilation · cost of buying back study years pension · buy back study years after 10 years · study years and early retirement · study years buyback tax deductible.
Official sources
- NISSE (INASTI/RSVZ), Are my studies taken into account for my pension?. View (new tab)(Official source, accessed on 2026-10-07)
- news.belgium.be, Assimilation of study periods in the pension scheme for self-employed workers. View (new tab)(Official source, accessed on 2026-10-07)
- NISSE (INASTI/RSVZ), I have worked for more than 45 years as a self-employed person. What will be the impact on my pension?. View (new tab)(Official source, accessed on 2026-10-07)
- Federal Pension Service, Regularisation of study periods. View (new tab)(Official source, accessed on 2026-10-07)
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