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1. What is a one-time Social Insurance benefit?
A one-time Social Insurance (SI) benefit is an amount paid by the social insurance authority to an eligible employee upon request, instead of preserving the entire contribution period for long-term benefits. Once received, the corresponding contribution period is no longer used to calculate a pension and other future SI benefits, so employees should consider the decision carefully.
2. Conditions for receiving a one-time SI benefit
2.1. No further participation for 12 months
For individuals with SI contribution periods before July 1, 2025, after 12 consecutive months without compulsory SI participation and without voluntary SI participation, with a total contribution period of less than 20 years, a one-time benefit may be claimed upon request.
2.2. Moving abroad for permanent settlement
Employees who move abroad for permanent settlement and have the required supporting documents may request the benefit without waiting under the ordinary condition.
2.3. Serious illness, reduced working capacity, or severe disability
The law provides for cases including cancer, paralysis, decompensated cirrhosis, severe tuberculosis, AIDS; a working-capacity reduction of 81% or more; or a person with an especially severe disability.
2.4. Other cases
- Reaching retirement age but having less than 15 years of contributions and not choosing to continue participating.
- Certain members of the armed forces who are discharged, demobilized, or leave employment without qualifying for a pension.
- Foreign employees covered by the specific cases in Clause 2, Article 70.
Source: 2024 Law on Social Insurance, effective July 1, 2025.
3. One-time SI calculation formula
T₁ is the number of contribution years before 2014; T₂ is the number of contribution years from 2014 onward.
Average calculation
For individuals with both compulsory and voluntary SI, the combined average is determined under Article 17 of Decree 158/2025/ND-CP.
Rules for fractional months
- Fractional months before 2014 are transferred to the period from 2014 onward for calculation.
- After aggregation, 1–6 months are counted as half a year; 7–11 months are counted as one year.
- If the total contribution period is less than one year, the benefit equals the amount paid into the retirement and survivorship fund, but not more than two months of the average.
4. 2026 adjustment factors
The factors bring salaries or incomes contributed in different years to the level used for calculating 2026 benefits.
Source: Official Letter 340/BHXH-CSXH dated February 3, 2026 of Vietnam Social Security.
5. Calculation examples
Example 1: 5 years 4 months before 2014 and 10 years 4 months from 2014 onward, with an adjusted average of VND 6 million. The 4 fractional months before 2014 are transferred to the later period; the resulting 8 months are rounded to one year. Benefit = (1.5 × 5 + 2 × 11) × VND 6 million = VND 177 million.
Example 2: 47 months of contributions entirely from 2014 onward means 3 years 11 months are rounded to 4 years. With an adjusted average of VND 8,096,340, the estimated benefit = 2 × 4 × VND 8,096,340 = VND 64,770,720.
6. Required documents
- SI book.
- Application for a one-time SI benefit using the current prescribed form.
- Additional documents proving overseas settlement, illness, reduced working capacity, or a special case where applicable.
- Payment information and identification documents as required by the receiving authority.
7. Procedure and processing time
- Check eligibility and compare the contribution history on VssID or SI records.
- Prepare documents under Article 78 or Article 106 of the 2024 Law on Social Insurance.
- Submit the application directly to the social insurance authority or through available public services.
- The social insurance authority processes the application within 7 working days after receiving a complete application; if it is not processed, a written explanation must be provided.
8. Notes before receiving a one-time benefit
- A contribution period already used for a one-time benefit cannot be counted toward a pension or other long-term benefits.
- The 2024 Law on Social Insurance reduced the minimum contribution period for pension eligibility to 15 years when the age condition is satisfied.
- The contribution period can be preserved and accumulated when returning to work or participating again.
- Be cautious of intermediaries and illegal buying, selling, or pledging of SI books.
