We analyze how the tax treatment of voluntary retirement insurance has influenced individuals retirement decisions. Before 2005, the after-tax return to voluntary retirement savings was highest for those drawing their voluntary pensions before statutory pen-sions. This may have created an incentive for early retirement. Our survey data suggests, however, that individuals have not drawn voluntary pensions before statutory pensions. Rather, they have supplemented their statutory pensions with voluntary pensions during the first few years of retirement. Individuals with voluntary retirement insurance savings have not retired earlier than others, even when controlling for education, income level and some other economic factors.
