Alto Bonus: reward exceptional performance with a bonus pension plan

As an employer or HR manager, you are always seeking ways to keep your employees as motivated as possible, or to tempt high-performers into joining your company. What better weapon is there in the war for talent than an attractive pension plan? As an employer, the premiums are also tax deductible, so everyone is happy!

Is Alto Bonus right for your company?

  • Are you seeking a creative solution to help your employees receive an additional pension?
  • Do you want an approach that is tax efficient for both you and your employees?
  • Are you trying to simplify your administrative work?

Then make sure to learn what Alto Bonus can offer you.

Advantages

Variable remuneration

Alto Bonus is a Cash Balance plan with financing in collective management under Branche 23 / Tak 231. This is a group insurance policy that uses variable remuneration to build up a supplementary pension for your employees.
What makes Alto Bonus unique is that the pension premium is linked to your employees' performance. That's why it's called a "bonus" pension plan.

A win-win tax situation

A bonus pension plan is much more financially attractive for your employee than a pay rise.

The premiums are deductible as business expenses within the limits of the 80% rule2.

A chance of higher returns thanks to Branche 23 / Tak 231

With a Branche 23 solution1, there is no guaranteed return3 and it is possible for good years to be followed by bad ones. However, the long term nature of a group insurance policy means that risks even out, and there is a greater chance that you will be able to meet your financial obligations in full so that your employees can benefit from a healthy boost to their pension pots.

It's also worth thinking about convenience. As an employer, you choose from an extensive range of investment funds in Branch 231, defensive and dynamic. Through the various profile funds, you can easily choose which risk you want to take, without being responsible for active management. That leaves you in the safe hands of our experts.

Simple administration

Thanks to the online My WorkPlace application, you have access to everything you need to easily and securely manage your group insurance policy wherever and whenever you want – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

A helping hand when buying real estate

Is one of your employees planning a real estate project? With this group insurance policy, you can give them the chance to finance their plans at a better rate, by means of an advance payment4 on their contract, which comes with some extremely attractive terms. This arrangement will not result in any paperwork for you, as NN will arrange everything directly with the employee involved.

Premiums and taxation

Premiums

The premiums are deductible as business expenses within the limits of the 80% rule2.

Taxes and social security contributions on premiums

  • for pension, death and incapacity for work: 4.4%
  • social security contributions on pension and death: 8.86% (on employer contributions)
  • Wijninckx contribution (if applicable)5

Management fees 

  • Entry fees on the life and death premiums of maximum 1,5% (see technical sheet for more details)
  • For the life reserve vie (Branch 23): depends on investment fund and annual premium branche 23 (see technical sheet for more details)

Contributions and tax on payouts

  • RIZIV/INAMI contribution on the total amount transferred (excluding incapacity for work): 3.55%
  • Solidarity contribution: 0% to 2% of the total amount (excluding incapacity for work)
  • Tax on capital/interest: dependent on various factors6

Are you interested? A financial adviser will help you get started

If you have any questions as an employer, then you can get in touch with one of our independent brokers.

Or send an email to EBsolutions@nn.be. An NN Employee Benefits Consultant will then quickly get in touch to offer you advice and support.

Essential documents

Before you sign your insurance policy, it is essential to go through the following information.

The Branch 23 version of this product is not suitable for US Persons. With regard to the Branch 23 version, NN Belgium Ltd. does not act under the supervision of the American regulator SEC. Click here for more information.

 

Help with new plans and improving existing plans

A custom solution based on analysis

We carefully analyse your company's situation, before offering you a custom solution based on the often complex reality of your business.

Support during roll-out

You can rely on personal support as you introduce your plan. We will also explain the added value of the group insurance policy to your staff – after all, your investment deserves to be properly appreciated.

Are you already an Alto Cash Balance user? Then we will provide a non-binding in-depth analysis.

Find out how we can help you launch your pension plans and carry out interim evaluations

Alto Cash Balance: the group insurance policy based on collective capitalisation

Choose even greater simplicity and convenience with Alto Cash Balance, which is customised for SMEs and large companies.

My Workplace: make managing your policy a great experience

Using My Workplace, you can quickly and easily make adjustments to your insurance policies.

The reception structure: investment opportunities for pension reserves established with former employers

The reception structure is designed to hold group insurance policies from former employers.

Your unique life deserves a personal approach. That is why we are happy to help you find an independent broker in your area

Footnotes

  1. Branche 23: In Branche 23 investments, neither the capital nor the return are guaranteed. Employers are required by law to guarantee a minimum return on employer and employee contributions to be used to build a supplementary pension. The return from a Branche 23 investment fund depends on how the unit value of the fund changes. There is no entitlement to profit sharing. Your profile is determined in the needs and risk profile analysis together with your broker.
  2. 80% rule: This rule states that mandatory and supplementary pensions, expressed as annual pension payments, may not be higher than 80% of the final normal annual gross salary. This does not take individually agreed contracts into account.
  3. Under the Belgian Supplementary Pensions Act (Wet op de Aanvullende Pensioenen, or WAP), the minimum guaranteed return is the minimum return that the employer must guarantee on employer and employee contributions to the supplementary pension scheme. Before 1 January 2016, this guarantee was 3.25% on employer payments and 3.75% on employee payments. On 1 January 2016, the minimum guarantee was reduced to 1.75% for both employer and employee payments.
  4. A down payment or registered pledge is possible provided that this relates to the improvement, renovation or restoration of a real estate property located in the European Economic Area that will generate taxable income for the policyholder.
  5. Wijninckx contribution: A special NSSO contribution of 3% that employers are required to pay on supplementary pension premiums or contributions that exceed the level of EUR 30,000 per year (excluding tax and subject to indexation).
  6. Apart from legislated exceptions, the supplementary pension payment must start to pay out at the moment when the employee actually retires.
    If an employee retires after the statutory retirement age, the employee may choose when the payment of benefits and reserve should occur – either when they reach the statutory retirement age, or on their actual retirement date.