Colombia
Worked in Colombia? Any pension you built up here is yours to keep and can usually be paid to you abroad — but you have to claim it; it won't start automatically. The full state pension age is 62. On totalization, Colombia has bilateral totalization agreements, so the years you worked here may combine with other countries you've worked in. Below is Colombia's system at a glance and what expats should check.
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Overview
Colombia's pension system is currently governed by Law 100 of 1993, which established two competing mandatory regimes: the public defined-benefit pay-as-you-go scheme (RPM – Régimen de Prima Media) managed by Colpensiones, and the private individual savings scheme (RAIS – Régimen de Ahorro Individual con Solidaridad) managed by private Pension Fund Administrators (AFPs: Porvenir, Protección, Colfondos, and Skandia). Workers choose between the two regimes and may switch every five years, up to ten years before reaching retirement age. The RPM requires 1,300 weeks of contributions and retirement at age 62 (men) or 57 (women) for a defined-benefit pension; the RAIS has no minimum age or weeks requirement but requires sufficient accumulated capital to fund a pension of at least 110% of the minimum wage.
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In July 2024, President Petro signed Law 2381 of 2024, a sweeping pension reform designed to replace the dual-regime system with a four-pillar structure: (1) Solidarity Pillar for those in extreme poverty; (2) Semi-Contributory Pillar for those who reach retirement age without meeting full contribution requirements; (3) Contributory Pillar combining a public Average Premium Component (Colpensiones, for earnings up to 2.3 SMLMV) and a private Complementary Individual Savings Component (ACCAI/AFPs, for earnings above 2.3 SMLMV); and (4) Voluntary Savings Pillar. However, the Colombian Constitutional Court suspended the law's July 1, 2025 implementation date due to a procedural flaw in the legislative process, returning it to the House of Representatives for a corrective vote. The law's final status remains pending a definitive constitutional ruling or a new congressional enactment date. The current RPM/RAIS dual system therefore remains in force as of April 2026.
RPM: 55%–65% of base settlement income at minimum qualifying weeks, rising to a maximum of 70.5%–80% with additional contributions; RAIS: actuarially determined based on accumulated capital
Current system: Pillar 1 – RPM Colpensiones (DB PAYG, public); Pillar 2 – RAIS AFPs (DC individual accounts, private). Pending reform (Law 2381/2024, suspended): Pillar 1 – Solidarity (non-contributory, poverty relief); Pillar 2 – Semi-Contributory (partial benefit for those who miss full requirements); Pillar 3 – Contributory (Colpensiones up to 2.3 SMLMV + ACCAI/AFP above 2.3 SMLMV); Pillar 4 – Voluntary Savings
Hybrid – Public DB PAYG (RPM/Colpensiones) competing with Private DC individual accounts (RAIS/AFPs); four-pillar reform (Law 2381 of 2024) suspended pending Constitutional Court ruling
Employee
4%
Employer
12%
Self-Employed
16% (on 40% of net income, minimum 1 SMLMV, maximum 25 SMLMV)
Notes
Total mandatory contribution is 16% of the Contribution Base Income (IBC). Employer pays 12%, employee pays 4%. Self-employed contribute 16% on 40% of net income. Additional solidarity fund contributions apply: +1% for incomes between 4–15 SMLMV; +1%–2% for 16–25 SMLMV (under Law 2381 reform, these increase to 1.5%–3% for incomes above 4 SMLMV, if/when reform takes effect). Minimum wage (SMLMV) for 2026: COP 1,750,905. Maximum contribution ceiling: 25 SMLMV (COP 43,772,625 in 2026). Foreign employees already contributing to a pension system in their country of origin are exempt from Colombian mandatory contributions.
Common questions
What is the retirement age in Colombia?
The full state pension age in Colombia is 62.
Can I claim a Colombia pension if I live abroad?
Yes. A pension you've earned in Colombia stays yours wherever you retire, and can usually be paid into an overseas account once you reach pension age. It won't start automatically, though — you need to claim it, typically a few months in advance, through Colombia's pension authority.
Do totalization agreements affect my Colombia pension?
Colombia has bilateral social-security (totalization) agreements. These can let you combine the years you worked in Colombia with years in partner countries to meet a minimum qualifying period, so short stints aren't wasted. Which partners and rules apply depends on your own work history.
How is the pension system structured in Colombia?
Hybrid – Public DB PAYG (RPM/Colpensiones) competing with Private DC individual accounts (RAIS/AFPs); four-pillar reform (Law 2381 of 2024) suspended pending Constitutional Court ruling Current system: Pillar 1 – RPM Colpensiones (DB PAYG, public); Pillar 2 – RAIS AFPs (DC individual accounts, private). Pending reform (Law 2381/2024, suspended): Pillar 1 – Solidarity (non-contributory, poverty relief); Pillar 2 – Semi-Contributory (partial benefit for those who miss full requirements); Pillar 3 – Contributory (Colpensiones up to 2.3 SMLMV + ACCAI/AFP above 2.3 SMLMV); Pillar 4 – Voluntary Savings It includes 3 schemes in our directory.