The universal pension funds in Bulgaria stepped into the distribution phase in September 2021. After months of hot discussions between the pension fund industry and the Regulator (Financial Supervisory Commission – FSC), new legislation regarding the pay-out phase appeared on the surface just weeks before the initial disbursement of pension benefits. The first insured individuals entitled to receive supplementary pension benefits were women born in 1960. A few of them applied for the envisaged additional payment in the very first days after acquiring the right. The current research encompasses three basic elements: the initial challenges that arose during the period of elaborating the normative rules concerning the distribution phase, the way these challenges were addressed and the short-term perspectives for the universal pension funds in Bulgaria. The paper is divided into two parts: the first one is dedicated to the analysis of the legislation concerning the pay-out phase; the second one is focused on the initial start of the payment of the benefits and the choices made by the insured individuals. The research is trying to shed some light on the near future of the Bulgarian pension funds, taking into consideration the initial preferences of the new pensioners towards the offered pension products and the arising new challenges for the universal pension funds. The paper concludes with some recommendations concerning additional reforms that could strengthen the second pillar of the pension system in the country.