Receive all unemployment benefits before receiving pensions, okay?

Many workers plan to quit their jobs right before the time they are eligible for a pension to receive maximum unemployment benefits before completing retirement procedures. However, according to new regulations effective from 2026, this is no longer feasible.

For example, Ms. A will be eligible to receive a pension from September 2026 and intends to resign from August 2026 to receive 12 months of unemployment benefits before receiving a pension.

According to the explanation of Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance, the 2025 Employment Law (effective from January 1, 2026) stipulates that employees who quit their jobs when they are eligible for pensions will not be entitled to unemployment benefits.

For Ms. A, when she quit her job in August 2026, she was not eligible for a pension, so she could still register to receive unemployment benefits. However, by September 2026, when she meets the age and social insurance contribution period conditions to receive a pension, the enjoyment of unemployment benefits will have to be terminated.

This means that Ms. A cannot receive enough 12 months of unemployment benefits before completing procedures to receive a pension. From the time of eligibility for retirement, she must switch to enjoying the pension regime. If she continues to receive unemployment benefits during the time when she is eligible for a pension, the employee will have to return the received allowance that is duplicated according to regulations.

Retiring one month before retirement age can only help workers receive unemployment benefits during the period when they do not meet the conditions to receive a pension, but cannot extend this regime until the end of the period of enjoyment according to the unemployment insurance contribution level.

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