Expected Pension Calculator
How Your Monthly Pension Is Calculated in Vietnam (Social Insurance Law 41/2024)
One-line answer: Your monthly pension is a replacement rate times your average social-insurance contribution salary. Under Social Insurance Law 41/2024/QH15 (in force from 1 July 2025), you qualify after just 15 years of contributions; the rate starts at 45% and rises 2 percentage points for each extra year, capped at 75% (reached at 30 years for women and 35 years for men).
Built by HAPRI, the Health and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, an independent public-policy research institute in Vietnam. Legal basis: Social Insurance Law 41/2024/QH15 (Article 64 eligibility, Article 66 replacement rate, Article 68 lump-sum top-up, Article 72 salary averaging) and Decree 158/2025/ND-CP, with the statutory retirement age set by Labour Code 45/2019/QH14 and Decree 135/2020/ND-CP. Published: 3 June 2026 · Last updated: 3 June 2026 · Law last verified: 3 June 2026 against the Ministry of Justice National Legal Portal (phapluat.gov.vn).
1. Quick answer
Once you reach the statutory retirement age and have paid social insurance (BHXH) for at least 15 years, you receive a monthly pension for life. The amount is a percentage (the replacement rate) of your average contribution salary, which is capped at 20 times the reference level (50,600,000 VND a month from 1 July 2026 under Decree 161/2026/NĐ-CP; 46,800,000 until 30 June 2026). The rate is 45% at the base year of contributions, plus 2 percentage points for every additional year, up to a ceiling of 75%. Women hit that ceiling at 30 years of contributions; men hit it at 35. A woman who contributed 25 years on an average salary of 12,000,000 VND a month retires on a 65% rate, about 7,800,000 VND a month. The 2024 reform cut the minimum qualifying period from 20 years to 15, opening pensions to millions of shorter-career and informal-sector workers who previously got nothing.
2. How the pension is calculated, step by step
The calculator above runs exactly these steps. Vietnam computes a defined-benefit pension: a rate set by your years of contribution, applied to your average contribution salary.
- Find your average contribution salary. This is the average of the monthly salaries on which you paid BHXH across the look-back period (for workers starting from 1 July 2025, the whole career; for legacy contributors, a trailing window set by Decree 158/2025/ND-CP). This is your pensionable salary.
- Apply the contribution-salary cap. Pensionable salary is capped at 20 times the reference level. From 1 July 2026, under Decree 161/2026/NĐ-CP, the reference level is 2,530,000, so the cap is 20 × 2,530,000 = 50,600,000 VND a month (until 30 June 2026 the cap was 20 × 2,340,000 = 46,800,000 VND a month). Any salary above this does not raise your pension (but see the lump-sum top-up in step 5).
- Check eligibility. You need at least 15 years of contributions under the 2024 law (it was 20 years under the old 2014 law). Below 15 years there is no monthly pension; you would instead take a lump-sum settlement.
- Work out your replacement rate. Start at the 45% base, then add 2 percentage points for each year above the base year, and stop at the 75% ceiling. The base year differs by gender (see Section 3); men with 15 to 19 years use a special transitional schedule introduced by the 2024 reform.
- Compute the monthly pension, plus any lump-sum top-up. Multiply the rate by the (capped) pensionable salary. If you contributed beyond the ceiling year (35 for men, 30 for women), each extra year also earns a one-time lump-sum of half a month's average salary at retirement.
The formula:
The calculator also shows, alongside the pension, the monthly BHXH contribution that funds it: 8% of the contribution salary from the employee and 17.5% from the employer (the employer figure bundles the 14% retirement-and-survivors share with sickness, maternity and occupational-accident funds).
3. Rates, thresholds and parameters (2026)
All values below are the exact constants the calculator uses, drawn from Social Insurance Law 41/2024/QH15 and the 2026 reference level. They link to the authentic government text in Section 8.
Replacement-rate schedule
- Women: 45% · 15 years · +2 points · 75% (at 30 years) · Law 41/2024/QH15, Art. 66
- Men (20 years or more): 45% · 20 years · +2 points · 75% (at 35 years) · Law 41/2024/QH15, Art. 66
- Men (15 to 19 years), transitional: 40% · 15 years · +1 point · (reaches 44% at 19 years) · Law 41/2024/QH15, Art. 66
The men's 15-to-19-year band is new under the 2024 reform: before, a man with fewer than 20 years got no pension at all. At exactly 20 years a man moves onto the standard schedule and is anchored at the 45% base.
Eligibility, caps and contribution rates
- Minimum years to qualify (2024 law): 15 years · Law 41/2024/QH15, Art. 64
- Minimum years to qualify (old 2014 law): 20 years · Law 58/2014/QH13, Art. 54
- Replacement-rate ceiling: 75% · Law 41/2024/QH15, Art. 66
- Years to reach the ceiling: 35 (men) / 30 (women) · Law 41/2024/QH15, Art. 66
- Contribution-salary cap: 20 × reference level = 50,600,000 VND (from 1 Jul 2026) · Law 41/2024/QH15, Art. 31
- Reference level (mức tham chiếu): 2,530,000 VND (from 1 July 2026, Decree 161/2026/ND-CP; 2,340,000 through 30 June 2026) · Decree 73/2024/ND-CP; Decree 161/2026/ND-CP
- Employee BHXH rate: 8% of contribution salary · Law 41/2024/QH15, Art. 33
- Employer BHXH rate: 17.5% of contribution salary · Law 41/2024/QH15 (14% retirement/survivors + 3% sickness/maternity + 0.5% accident)
- Lump-sum top-up per year above the ceiling: 0.5 month of average salary · Law 41/2024/QH15, Art. 68
Statutory retirement age (phasing up)
You can only draw the full pension once you reach the statutory retirement age, which is rising each year under Decree 135/2020/ND-CP until it settles at 62 for men (in 2028) and 60 for women (in 2035). For 2026 the threshold is 61 years 6 months for men and 57 years 0 months for women. The calculator's right-hand panel shows the full year-by-year phase-in.
4. Worked examples
Each example follows a named person through the full calculation. The figures are the exact output of the calculator above.
What “average contribution salary” means: the pension is built on the salary you paid insurance on, not necessarily your headline pay. If your declared contribution salary was lower than your real wage, your pension will be lower too. Each example states the average contribution salary directly.
Example A: a market trader in Can Tho on the voluntary scheme
Hoa sold produce for years before joining voluntary social insurance later in life. By retirement she has 25 years of contributions, on an average contribution salary of 12,000,000 VND a month. She is a woman, so she reaches the 45% base at 15 years.
Inputs: average salary 12,000,000 VND/month · female · 25 years.
Hoa retires on 7,800,000 VND a month, about 93,600,000 VND a year, at a 65% replacement rate. The workers the 2024 reform newly lets qualify are those with 15 to 19 years (see section 6).
Basis: Law 41/2024/QH15 Art. 66 (45% + 2%/year, women anchored at 15 years).
Example B: a factory supervisor in Binh Duong at the standard male anchor
Khanh has worked on the line and then in supervision for 30 years, on an average contribution salary of 20,000,000 VND a month. He is a man, so his base year is 20.
Inputs: average salary 20,000,000 VND/month · male · 30 years.
Khanh retires on 13,000,000 VND a month, about 156,000,000 VND a year, at a 65% replacement rate. The reform changes the eligibility floor, not the rate slope.
Basis: Law 41/2024/QH15 Art. 66 (men anchored at 20 years).
Example C: a senior engineer above the cap, with bonus years
Dung retires after a long career: 38 years of contributions on a high average contribution salary of 60,000,000 VND a month. He is a man. Two things happen at once: his salary is above the contribution cap, and his years run past the 35-year ceiling.
Inputs: average salary 60,000,000 VND/month · male · 38 years.
Dung retires on 37,950,000 VND a month plus a one-time 75,900,000 VND lump-sum. The cap means his salary above 50,600,000 did not raise his monthly pension; only the lump-sum rewards his extra years.
Basis: Law 41/2024/QH15 Art. 66 (75% ceiling), Art. 31 (20 × reference-level cap), Art. 68 (lump-sum top-up).
5. Frequently asked questions
How many years do I need to contribute to get a pension in Vietnam?
Fifteen years. Social Insurance Law 41/2024/QH15 cut the minimum qualifying period from 20 years to 15 years with effect from 1 July 2025. This is the headline reform: a worker with 15 years of contributions who reaches retirement age now receives a monthly pension for life, where under the old 2014 law they would have been turned away and offered only a lump-sum. You still must also reach the statutory retirement age (61 years 6 months for men, 57 years for women in 2026).
How is the pension replacement rate calculated?
The rate starts at a 45% base and rises 2 percentage points for each year of contribution above the base year, capped at 75%. For women the 45% base is anchored at 15 years; for men at 20 years. Men with 15 to 19 years use a transitional schedule of 40% plus 1 point per year (so 44% at 19 years). To reach the 75% ceiling a woman needs 30 years and a man needs 35 years. The rate is then multiplied by your average contribution salary to give the monthly pension.
What is the maximum pension I can receive?
The replacement rate is capped at 75% of your average contribution salary, and the salary itself is capped at 20 times the reference level (50,600,000 VND a month from 1 July 2026, Decree 161/2026/ND-CP). So the highest monthly pension the formula can produce in 2026 is 75% × 50,600,000 = 37,950,000 VND a month. Earning more than 50,600,000 does not raise the monthly pension, although contributing past the ceiling year earns a separate one-time lump-sum top-up of half a month's salary per extra year.
What is the retirement age in Vietnam in 2026?
For 2026 the statutory retirement age is 61 years and 6 months for men and 57 years for women, under the phase-in schedule of Decree 135/2020/ND-CP. The age rises a few months every year until it reaches 62 for men in 2028 and 60 for women in 2035. You must reach this age to draw a full pension; retiring earlier reduces the pension. The calculator's right-hand panel shows the full year-by-year table.
Does the 2024 law change my pension if I already have 20-plus years?
No. If you already clear 20 years, the reform leaves your rate untouched, because the 45%-plus-2%-per-year formula and the 75% ceiling are unchanged from the old law. The reform changes the eligibility floor (20 years down to 15) and adds the men's 15-to-19-year transitional band. So a 30-year contributor sees the same pension under both laws; only those with 15 to 19 years gain. The calculator's "vs 2014 law" toggle shows this directly.
What happens to salary above the contribution cap?
Salary above 20 times the reference level (50,600,000 VND a month from 1 July 2026, Decree 161/2026/ND-CP) is ignored for both contributions and pension. Your BHXH is charged only on the capped base, and your pension is a percentage of the capped average. This is why a very high earner and a cap-level earner can retire on the same monthly pension at the same rate. The cap rose to 50,600,000 on 1 July 2026 as the reference level moved to 2,530,000 (Decree 161/2026/ND-CP).
Is it better to take a lump-sum now or wait for the pension?
For most people, waiting wins over time. A one-time lump-sum withdrawal pays roughly 1.5 to 2 months of average salary per contribution year, but a lifetime pension keeps paying and is uprated periodically. On a pure cash basis the pension typically repays an equivalent lump-sum in about 7 to 8 years of retirement; adjusting for pension uprating and for investing the lump-sum, the pension still pulls ahead around year 9 (see Section 6). The lump-sum mainly makes sense if you are emigrating, are seriously ill, or will never reach 15 years. Use the dedicated Lump-Sum SI calculator to compare your own figures.
How much do my employer and I pay in for the pension?
The employee pays 8% of the contribution salary and the employer pays 17.5%, both on the capped base. The employer's 17.5% is a bundle: 14% goes to the retirement-and-survivors fund that pays pensions, with the remaining 3.5% covering sickness, maternity and occupational-accident insurance. So roughly 22% of your contribution salary (your 8% plus the employer's 14%) is flowing specifically into the pension fund each month.
6. Common scenarios and edge cases
- Fewer than 15 years of contributions. No monthly pension. The calculator shows an ineligibility notice and tells you how many more years you need. Your options are to keep contributing (including voluntarily) to reach 15 years, or to take a one-time lump-sum settlement instead.
- A man with 15 to 19 years. He now qualifies (he did not under the old law) but on the transitional 40%-plus-1%-per-year schedule, reaching only 44% at 19 years. At exactly 20 years he jumps onto the standard schedule and is anchored at 45%. The calculator's replacement-rate curve shows this step.
- Salary above 50,600,000 a month. The pensionable salary freezes at the cap, so extra salary does not raise the monthly pension. On 1 July 2026 the cap rose to 50,600,000 as the reference level changed (Decree 161/2026/ND-CP).
- More than 35 years (men) or 30 years (women). The rate is already at the 75% ceiling, so extra years no longer raise the monthly figure. Instead each extra year earns a one-time lump-sum of half a month's average salary at retirement (Article 68).
- Early retirement. Retiring before the statutory age reduces the pension (the standard reduction is about 2 percentage points per year of early retirement, subject to the law's conditions). The calculator models the full-age case; treat its figure as the un-reduced ceiling for your situation.
- Public-sector enrollees from 2025. For people who start contributing from 1 July 2025, the averaging base is the whole career rather than a trailing final-years window, which can lower the average for those whose pay rose sharply late in their career (Article 72; Decree 158/2025/ND-CP Article 15).
Lump-sum versus pension: a worked break-even
Consider a man retiring with 20 years of contributions on an average salary of 10,000,000 VND a month, all of it post-2014.
- Pension path: rate 45%, so 4,500,000 VND a month (54,000,000 in the first year), rising with periodic uprating.
- Lump-sum path: a withdrawal pays 2 months of average salary per post-2014 year, so 20 × 2 × 10,000,000 = 400,000,000 VND as a single payment.
How long until the pension catches the lump-sum?
- Pure cash (nominal): no uprating, no investment return · about 7 to 8 years (400,000,000 ÷ 54,000,000 ≈ 7.4)
- Time-value adjusted: pension uprated 8%/year, lump-sum reinvested at 5%/year · year 9
So even if the retiree invests the entire lump-sum at a typical term-deposit rate, the cumulative pension passes it within about nine years and keeps growing for the rest of their life. For a worker who expects 15 or more years of retirement, the pension is almost always the larger lifetime sum. The lump-sum is the better choice mainly under the law's hardship and emigration triggers, or when 15 years of contributions will never be reached. The dedicated Lump-Sum SI calculator runs this comparison on your own numbers.
7. Key terms
8. Legal basis and sources
Every figure on this page traces to the primary Vietnamese legal text. Links go primarily to the National Legal Portal (phapluat.gov.vn), the Ministry of Justice portal HAPRI uses as its source of record, with a full-text link to the National Legal Database (vbpl.vn) alongside.
9. Methodology, scope and disclaimer
This page and the calculator above model the monthly retirement pension for the common employee case under Social Insurance Law 41/2024/QH15: a worker who reaches the statutory retirement age with a recorded average contribution salary and a known number of contribution years. The replacement rate, the 15-year eligibility floor, the 75% ceiling, the 20 × reference-level salary cap, and the lump-sum top-up are implemented exactly as described in Sections 2 and 3.
The tool does not model: pension for the armed forces and certain hazardous-occupation categories that carry different age and rate rules; survivor or disability benefits; early-retirement reductions in full detail (it shows the un-reduced full-age pension); the precise legacy salary-averaging window for every start-year cohort (it uses your stated average directly); or any voluntary supplemental pension product. It assumes a single, continuous contribution history.
The calculator is an estimation aid, not professional or actuarial advice. For a binding determination, consult Vietnam Social Security (Bảo hiểm xã hội Việt Nam) or a licensed adviser. HAPRI is an independent research institute with no commercial interest in your result; the tool is free and the full methodology is published so you can audit every number.
10. About this calculator
HAPRI (the Health and Agricultural Policy Research Institute) builds free, openly-documented tools to make Vietnamese public policy legible to the people it affects. This pension calculator is part of a suite of seven covering personal income tax, take-home pay, social insurance and retirement. The math is version-controlled, tested against the primary law, and refreshed from a live constants database, so the figures here stay in step with the statute as it changes. The 2024 social-insurance reform is one of the largest changes to Vietnamese retirement policy in a decade, and the institute maintains this tool to help workers understand what it means for them.
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