Services

As a niche office, we advise and assist employers and their advisers on simple to complex issues regarding pensions, employee benefits and insurances. Whether it is, for example, an acquisition, harmonisation, calculation, implementation, managing and administrating pension and income insurances or communication: KWPS combines in-depth and multidisciplinary knowledge with a practical approach. By doing so, risks are minimised and our clients are back 'in control'.

KWPS can give counsel in the following fields of expertise:

Design, consultancy and strategy

Compensation and benefits should be in line with the employer’s financial and HR strategy. Ideally, compensation and benefits will be competitive in the market. Preferably, the compensation and benefits are easy to communicate and execute, comply with current laws and legislation and are minimally sensitive to changes in legislation. An additional important condition is insurability when these benefits are executed externally.

Negotiations, network and market knowledge

For the more complex compensation and benefits, like pension benefits and insurances, it is very important – next to extensive knowledge – to have experience in negotiating with pension providers and employee representatives. We can rely on our knowledge and skills next to a wide network existing but not limited to legal experts, tax specialists, accountants, pension providers and other financial companies including the Dutch tax authorities. We are aware of the latest developments and current practice as well as the pitfalls.

Communication, implementation and support

Appropriate communication is of vital essence once compensation and benefits have been designed in order to create understanding and appreciation of the employees. Communication often starts at the design level. Good communication is designed based on the level and knowledge of the receiver, even when the interest of the sender needs to be served. It is all about the individual employee and communication has to be a proper mix of collectively sharing information and tuning in on the individual and his/her intrinsic needs. This implies reciprocity, understanding and preventing any surprises or claims. Furthermore, we can play a part in the administration of the (implementation of the) compensation and benefits.

Operational support, audits and risk monitoring

Our starting point is that compensation and benefits could be executed by the employer after the implementation. However, there are cases possible where the employer needs support, for example when knowledge is lacking, discontinuity in occupation or if compensation and benefits do not have the desired simplicity due to negotiations with employee representatives. In the event the employer could execute the compensation and benefits on its own, then periodic audits and risk monitoring are recommended. In daily practice, it often happens that there is no connection between administrations which might trigger financial, tax and/or legal liabilities.

KWPS can provide for substantive advice in the following areas:

Tax & Legal

Terms and conditions of employment must be appropriate: affordable, effective, sustainable, and compliant. Our legal experts and tax consultants are capable of providing this combination, in collaboration with our economists and econometrists. Examples of our services:

mergers and acquisitions
research on mandatory participation and consultation industry-wide pension fund
drafting schemes
consultation and disposition Tax Authorities
issues concerning amendments and harmonisation, transitional arrangements
process of approval, information and communication
pension and equal treatment
change of provider
early retirement scheme, tax control framework and other wage tax issues

Actuarial & HR accounting

Our arithmeticians combine knowledge and skills with the specialist knowledge of our legal experts and tax lawyers to achieve recommendations and analyses that add value and insight. Examples of our services:

mergers and acquisitions
calculations of pension loss
calculations of compensation
workforce analyses and comparisons
data analyses and data projections
quantitative test tax penalty early retirement scheme
forecast of pension benefits
balance sheet valuation

Wealth, health, sustainability

Employees are the mainstay of nearly every business. We are nothing without employees. Our consultants put their clients first and put their employees and their motivation and vitality centre stage. Examples of our services:

pension optimisation
analysis of employees’ pension position
pension coaching for employees
early retirement and pre-pension schemes
individual and group severance schemes
generation pact regulations
prevention of early retirement tax penalties
leave regulation and leave savings scheme
sustainable employability budget
vitality savings scheme
self-insurance status under disability state pension

Insurance brokerage & Investments

In the jumble of providers of many different products and even more features, our specialists can define a suitable proposal and improve it even further through negotiations. Examples of our services:

request and assess pension proposals
negotiations with administrators
comparison of Life Cycle investments
Anw shortfall insurance
WIA top-up and WGA shortfall insurance
sick leave insurance
fixed term or term life insurance
annuity and bank savings products
net retirement pension insurance
second opinion
audit of insurance and pension administration

We are able to combine aforementioned roles due to our extensive knowledge and experienced team existing of tax lawyers, legal experts, economists, econometricians and actuarially trained. We are used to closely work together with various law firms in order to be able to combine our specializations and fields of expertise, all in best interest of our clients.

We purely advise on the basis of independency and are a member of the Dutch Association of Tax Advisors. KWPS is in possession of the permits required by the Dutch Financial Markets Authority.

Click here for our brochure "Pensions in The Netherlands"

Questions and information

Please feel free to contact Natasja Winter or Jan-Olivier Kuijkhoven.