Workers calculate to avoid losing their pensions when quitting
Many workers are actively looking for ways to maintain their social insurance contribution time when leaving their old jobs to have a pension later.
Ms. Pham Thi Lan (51 years old, Ninh Binh) is currently working and has been participating in social insurance (BHXH) for nearly 10 years. However, due to increasingly declining health and difficulty meeting job requirements, she plans to work until the end of this year and then retire.
Although there are still nearly 9 years until retirement age, Ms. Lan has calculated a plan to continue paying social insurance instead of choosing to withdraw once. The goal of female workers is to maintain their participation time to reach at least 15 years, thereby having the opportunity to receive a pension when they are old.
I plan to do another job that is lighter, low salary is also exempted from social insurance contributions. If it is difficult to find a new job, I will save, deducting 1.2 million VND per month to pay voluntary social insurance contributions" - Ms. Lan said.
Among the options, Ms. Lan still prioritizes finding a new job at the enterprise. The female worker is willing to accept a salary of about 6 million VND/month, only half of her current income, as long as the job is suitable for her health and continues to be paid social insurance.
Compulsory social insurance contribution at the company still has more benefits than voluntary insurance. Especially health insurance benefits, unemployment insurance or sick leave still have salary" - Ms. Lan said.
If she cannot find a suitable job, Ms. Lan plans to switch to the option of voluntary social insurance contribution.
According to her calculations, 5 years of voluntary social insurance contribution will cost about more than 70 million VND. This amount is equivalent to about half a year of working currently and she believes that she can completely take care of it herself, not rely on her children.
Ms. Lan's goal is that when she reaches 60 years old, she can receive a minimum pension of about 2.5 million VND/month.
My husband and I have a savings account, interest is more than 1 million VND per month, plus 2.5 million VND pension is also temporarily enough to live in the countryside. Not only that, pensions are often adjusted upwards, so we don't have to worry much" - Ms. Lan said.
Not only Ms. Lan, Ms. Pham Thi Sen, an individual business owner in Ninh Binh, has also actively participated in social insurance to prepare for her future life.
Previously, Ms. Sen participated in voluntary social insurance with a contribution of about 500,000 VND/month. When her economic conditions improved and she understood more about the meaning of having a pension, she gradually increased her contribution to more than 1 million VND per month.
In 2026, as soon as there was a regulation on compulsory social insurance participation for business households, Ms. Sen did not hesitate to participate. According to her, social insurance contributions are not only aimed at retirement pensions but also help her feel more secure about health insurance benefits, sickness allowances, unemployment benefits...
Currently, the business is quite stable, Ms. Sen sets a goal to continue contributing for 20 years and gradually increase the contribution level to aim for a pension of about 3.5 million VND/month.
“It will be almost 20 years before I reach retirement age, at that time the material price may be much higher than it is now, so the pension level must also be at least 3.5 million VND to be enough to live on. For me, the starting point is quite stable because pensions are often adjusted upwards over time, so I am also more reassured later” - Ms. Sen said.
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