From paying to getting paid

The other day I got a letter urging me to apply for age pension. It sounded strange that I must "apply" for what I paid. My wife said it was not funny at all since it was like I need to do something to withdraw my money from my bank account. Yeah that's true.
Pension system is so complicated in this country, so much so that I was not aware that I could receive some at the age of 60 until a couple of years ago when it was revealed that pension officers had been amazingly negligent about the management of the money we paid. In fact, some of the paid money "evaporated". This made my wife worried and she asked me if I knew anything about my own pension.
".....No, but I hope I can get it when I'm 65."
Though I answered so, I had no idea about how much or when I could begin to receive my pension. I went to a pension office at Nakameguro and asked about it. To my great surprise, an official told me that I would start to receive some of my pension 5 years earlier than I had thought. I had been told 65! but it is actually 60!! Then why this luck?
You don't have to know the detail and.... actually I still am not sure^^; in spite of an enthusiastic explanation from the clerk. Anyway it is good to get my money back earlier.
I filled out the application papers, collected a copy of my family register (戸籍謄本) and certificate of residence (住民票) and my wife's no-income certificate (無所得証明書) and brought them together to the pension office yesterday. By the way, all the three certificates were free at the ward office when they knew that they were for my pension application... out of pity?... that's kind of sad.
At the pension office a clerk, with an unnaturally exuberant wig on his head, took care of me. He checked my papers, and item by item he stamped "confirmed". He said,

"Congratulations, you will start to receive the pension at the end of this year at the latest." Trying hard to make himself look cheerful.
"Thank you." I said trying hard to make myself look cheerful.
I left the office. On my way home I wondered if he congratulated on my birthday or on getting my money back finally.
I could not but realize that I at last had reached the age where my position changed from paying to getting paid. That's kind of sad.