How long do I have to pay voluntary social insurance to receive pension?

VTV.vn - Ms. Ngo Hong will pay voluntary social insurance from April 2025, need to pay for 15 years and will receive pension at age 60.

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Ms. Ngo Hong was born in March 1979 and voluntarily paid social insurance in April 2025. Ms. Hong asked, how many years must she pay to receive a pension? At what age will she receive a pension?

If Ms. Hong has not paid enough voluntary social insurance contributions by the time she reaches retirement age, can she pay all the remaining years at once to qualify for a pension? How is the pension calculated in her case?

Regarding this issue, Vietnam Social Security responds as follows:

Regarding pension conditions, Article 98 of the 2024 Law on Social Insurance stipulates that voluntary social insurance participants are entitled to pensions when they reach retirement age as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 169 of the Labor Code and have paid social insurance for 15 years or more.

Clause 2, Article 169 of the 2019 Labor Code stipulates that, from January 1, 2021, the retirement age of employees in normal working conditions is 60 years and 3 months for male employees and 55 years and 4 months for female employees. After that, it will increase by 3 months each year for male employees until reaching 62 years old in 2028 and by 4 months each year for female employees until reaching 60 years old in 2035.

Regarding the one-time payment for the remaining social insurance payment period to be eligible for pension, Clause 1, Article 7 of Decree No. 159/2025/ND-CP dated June 25, 2025 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Social Insurance on voluntary social insurance stipulates that voluntary social insurance participants who have reached retirement age as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 169 of the Labor Code but the remaining social insurance payment period is not more than 05 years (60 months) can make a one-time social insurance payment for a full 15 years to receive pension.

Monthly pension

Clause 1, Article 99 of the Law on Social Insurance 2024 stipulates that the monthly pension level of eligible subjects specified in Article 98 of this Law is calculated as follows:

"a) For female employees, it is 45% of the average income used as the basis for social insurance contributions as prescribed in Article 104 of this Law, corresponding to 15 years of social insurance contributions, then for each additional year of contributions, an additional 2% is calculated, with a maximum of 75%;

b) For male workers, it is 45% of the average income used as the basis for social insurance contributions as prescribed in Article 104 of this Law, corresponding to 20 years of social insurance contributions. After that, for each additional year of contributions, an additional 2% is calculated, with a maximum of 75%.

In case male employees have paid social insurance for 15 years but less than 20 years, the monthly pension is equal to 40% of the average income used as the basis for paying social insurance as prescribed in Article 104 of this Law, corresponding to 15 years of paying social insurance, then for each additional year of paying, an additional 1% is calculated.

Comparing the above provisions, in the case of a female employee born in March 1979, by March 2039 she will be 60 years old (enough to meet the pension age requirement), the time of continuous voluntary social insurance participation from April 2025 to March 2039 is 14 years, which is not enough years of social insurance contribution to enjoy the pension regime. Accordingly, in March 2039, the female employee can choose to pay one-time for the remaining social insurance contribution period to meet the pension eligibility requirements as prescribed in Point e, Clause 2, Article 36 of the Social Insurance Law 2024.

In the case of male workers born in March 1979, they will be 62 years old by March 2041 to receive pension benefits. Accordingly, workers who continuously participate in voluntary social insurance from April 2025 to March 2040 will have 15 years and can stop paying social insurance until March 2041 to meet the age requirement to receive pension benefits. However, to receive a higher pension, workers should continue to participate in voluntary social insurance until they are 62 years old to receive pension benefits.

Vietnam Social Security provides information on the legal regulations on the above social insurance policies for employees' reference. In case of needing more detailed advice, employees can contact the nearest social insurance agency for answers.

Source: https://vtv.vn/dong-bhxh-tu-nguyen-bao-lau-thi-duoc-huong-luong-huu-100251029152054624.htm