When am I entitled to an invalidity pension?
Where your working capacity falls by more than 40% — and it is the assessment, not the diagnosis, that decides. An invalidity pension is granted for a long-term adverse state of health causing a fall in the capacity to perform gainful activity of more than 40% compared with a healthy person. The law draws two bands. A fall of more than 40% but not more than 70% is partial invalidity, and the pension is multiplied by the percentage of the fall. A fall of more than 70% counts as full invalidity. The calculation: APEP × years of insurance × the current pension value, which for 2026 is €19.7633. From 1 January 2026 pensions were uprated by 3.7%.
📋 The rules
- The condition: a fall in working capacity of over 40%
- Band 40–70%: partial invalidity
- Above 70%: full invalidity
- Formula: APEP × years of insurance × pension value
- Pension value for 2026: €19.7633
🔓 Exceptions
- In the 40–70% band the sum is multiplied by the percentage of the fall
- From 1 January 2026 pensions were uprated by 3.7%
- Entitlement comes from the assessment, not from years worked
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Years of contributions alone are not enough. Entitlement to an invalidity pension does not arise from having paid contributions — what decides is the medical assessor's finding on the fall in working capacity. The threshold is 40%, and not "40% or more" but more than 40% — a great many applications fail on exactly that. The gap between the bands matters enormously: at a fall of 40–70% the calculated sum is multiplied by the percentage of the fall, so at 50% you receive half. Only a fall of more than 70% means full invalidity and the full calculation. That is why the medical records are decisive — submit all your findings, not just the recent ones.
📎 Official sources
- Social Insurance Agency · Invalidity pension →
- Slov-Lex · Social Insurance Act (461/2003) →
- Ministry of Labour of the Slovak Republic →
❓ Frequently asked
When am I entitled?
Where a long-term adverse state of health causes a fall in your capacity for gainful activity of more than 40% compared with a healthy person. The assessment decides, not the diagnosis by itself.
What is the difference between 40% and 70%?
A fall of more than 40% but not more than 70% is partial invalidity, and the pension is multiplied by the percentage of the fall. A fall above 70% is full invalidity, calculated in full.
How is the pension calculated?
By the formula: the average personal earnings point, times the years of pension insurance, times the current pension value, which for 2026 is €19.7633. In the 40–70% band the result is then scaled by the fall.
Are years worked enough?
No. Entitlement does not follow automatically from contributions paid — it is granted only on the medical assessor's finding about the fall in working capacity. Your medical records are therefore decisive.
Are invalidity pensions uprated?
Yes. From 1 January 2026 pensions rose by 3.7%, and the uprating covers not only old-age pensions but invalidity, early and survivors' pensions as well.
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