How to get an overview of your pension
Most Europeans have pension money in three or more places — a state pension, one or several employer schemes, and often old plans from previous jobs they've half forgotten. Each sends its own statement in its own format. This guide shows where to find everything, and the one modelling rule that makes the numbers honest: never add a pension pot to a pension per-year.
The two kinds of pension — and why you can't add them
Every pension you have is one of two fundamentally different things:
- Pension capital — money that exists today with your name on it: a defined-contribution balance, a personal pension account, capital from a former employer. It's measured as an amount, like 2 300 000 kr or 180 000 €.
- Pension entitlements — a promise of income: the state pension, a defined-benefit scheme, an old paid-up policy. It's measured as an amount per year from a given age, like 375 000 kr/year from 67.
Adding these together — a pot plus a yearly income — produces a number that means nothing, and pension statements quietly invite the mistake. The honest overview keeps them in two columns: what you own, and what you'll receive per year. To compare, convert capital into a rough yearly figure (a common guidance approach divides the pot by the expected number of payout years) — and label it clearly as an estimate.
Where to find your pension, country by country
Most European countries have a national portal that gathers your pensions in one view — log in with your national eID:
- Norway: Norsk Pensjon (norskpensjon.no) shows folketrygden, employer schemes, AFP and paid-up policies. NAV's own planner covers the state pension in detail.
- Sweden: minPension (minpension.se) — state, occupational and private pensions with forecast scenarios.
- Denmark: PensionsInfo (pensionsinfo.dk) — nearly every Danish scheme in one report.
- Netherlands: Mijnpensioenoverzicht.nl — AOW plus workplace pensions.
- Germany: the Digitale Rentenübersicht (rentenuebersicht.de) is rolling out; statutory pension statements come yearly by letter.
- France: Info-Retraite (info-retraite.fr) — all régimes with an age-by-age simulator.
Everywhere, the pattern is the same: the portal can show you the pieces, but the picture disappears the moment you log out — and it never sits next to the rest of your money.
Don't forget the pensions that don't follow you
Changed jobs a few times? Each old employment may have left pension capital behind under a different provider — in Norway these become pensjonskapitalbevis or fripoliser, and equivalents exist across Europe. They're easy to lose track of and they're still your money. Your national portal usually lists them; if a past employer is missing, ask the provider directly.
Turn the statements into one picture
A practical method: once a year, download the overview from your national portal, and record each plan in one place with its type (capital or entitlement), provider, and amount. Then look at three things: your estimated total per year from retirement age, how that compares with today's income (the coverage ratio), and whether the split between public and private legs feels safe.
ZivaFinance has a dedicated Pension tab built exactly on this model — capital and entitlements kept honestly apart, an estimated annual pension from 67, and coverage against your real income. You can even upload the PDF from your national pension portal and let the app read the plans in for you, then confirm each one before it's saved. Informational only — it records and summarises, it doesn't sell or advise.
When to look deeper
An overview beats a forecast you don't understand. But dig deeper when life changes: a new job (what happens to the old scheme?), going self-employed (nobody pays your occupational pension anymore), moving country (state pensions accrue separately per country under EU coordination rules), or divorce. For decisions — moving capital, choosing payout ages — talk to a licensed adviser; that's deliberately outside what an overview app should do.
Frequently asked questions
Why shouldn't I add my pension pot and my state pension together?
Because they're different units: a pot is a one-time amount, the state pension is an amount per year for life. Adding 2 000 000 kr to 375 000 kr/year gives a meaningless number. Keep them apart, and convert the pot to a rough per-year estimate only for comparison — clearly labelled as an estimate.
Where do I find pensions from old jobs?
Your national pension portal (Norsk Pensjon, minPension, PensionsInfo, Mijnpensioenoverzicht and others) usually lists capital left behind by previous employments — in Norway as pensjonskapitalbevis or fripoliser. If something's missing, contact the provider from your old employment contract.
What is a good pension coverage ratio?
A common target is that total pension income should replace somewhere around two-thirds of your pre-retirement income, but the honest answer depends on your mortgage status, savings and plans. The point of an overview is seeing your own number early enough to adjust.
Can ZivaFinance read my pension statement automatically?
Yes — upload the PDF overview from your national pension portal and the app reads out each plan (provider, type, amounts) and shows them as suggestions you confirm one by one. Nothing is saved until you approve it, and the app gives no advice on moving or choosing pension products.
I've worked in several countries — where is my pension?
In each of them. State pensions accrue separately per country and are coordinated under EU/EEA rules when you retire; occupational pensions stay with the scheme in the country where you earned them. Check each country's portal and record everything in one overview.