It is already clear which people suffering from serious illnesses will be able to stop pension savings and withdraw all the money
In implementing the Law on Pension Accumulation, the Ministers of Social Security and Labour and of Health have approved a list of serious illnesses due to which participation in pension fund savings becomes extremely difficult or pointless for participants. This means that people suffering from the illnesses included in this list will, from the beginning of 2026, acquire the right to withdraw all accumulated funds from the second pension pillar without any taxation.
Minister of Social Security and Labour Jūratė Zailskienė emphasizes that the Government is consistently honoring its commitments regarding the second pension pillar, seeking to make it more flexible and more responsive to people’s difficult life situations.
“From the beginning of next year, all participants will be able to take advantage of more favorable saving and withdrawal conditions. Automatic enrolment will be discontinued, and over a two-year period people will be able to decide for themselves whether they want to remain in the system or withdraw from it. As the Constitutional Court has also emphasized, in important circumstances people must be given the opportunity to exit the system. A serious illness is one such circumstance. Until now, there has been no possibility to withdraw funds from pension savings in the event of illness or the onset of severe disability,” says J. Zailskienė.
The working group of the Ministry of Health, composed of experts from various fields and responsible for preparing the list, continuously consulted with organizations representing healthcare professionals, which helped identify the specific illnesses to be included in the list of serious diseases.
“The list of serious illnesses was compiled by experts based on their professional knowledge, experience, as well as sickness and mortality statistics. Measures were taken to ensure that information about the illnesses and their stages would be available in the e-health system and could be accessed automatically, without issuing paper certificates,” says Minister of Health Marija Jakubauskienė.
You can find the full order, which publishes the list of serious illnesses, here.
It should be noted that, in forming this list, consideration was given to ensuring that the cases allowing the termination of pension accumulation are exceptional, and that the compiled list of illnesses does not undermine the core model of the retirement pension system, while ensuring that the entire pension system functions harmoniously.
The provisions of the Pension Accumulation Law will come into effect on January 1, 2026. Those wishing to take advantage of these provisions and withdraw the funds accumulated in the second pension pillar will need to submit a request to their pension accumulation company. All information about pension accumulation can be found in the resident’s personal Sodra account.
We would like to remind you that the Pension Accumulation Law provides that participants who terminate their pension accumulation due to an illness included in the list of serious diseases, or who have a referral for palliative care, or whose participation has been determined to be up to 30%, will receive all accumulated funds without any deductions. In addition, these funds will not be taken into account when granting financial social support or determining an individual’s (or family’s) payment for social services.
Information from the Ministry of Social Security and Labour (SADM) and the Ministry of Health (SAM).
Last updated: 17-12-2025
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