Pension provision

• Question - answer

  Frequently Asked Questions about pension provision

  1Under what conditions is an old-age pension granted on general grounds? What is the procedure for applying for the pension?

  ANSWER:The right to an old-age pension on general grounds is granted to men with a total work experience of at least 25 years, and to women with a total work experience of at least 20 years upon reaching the legally established retirement age: men – 63 years, women – 58 years. According to article 5 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated 17 April 1992 No. 1596-XII “On Pension Provision” (hereinafter – the Law), in 2025 the required insurance period for granting an old-age pension is 20 years. In accordance with legislation, certain categories of citizens are granted a pension with a reduced statutory retirement age, and for granting an old-age pension an insurance period of 5 years is required (parents of children with disabilities (disabilities from childhood); mothers of five or more children; persons with disabilities from childhood, etc.). For persons exercising the right to a pension in 2025, the earnings used to calculate the pension are determined based on the last 30 consecutive years of work experience, but not more than the actually accumulated period. Applying for a pension is carried out by submitting an application for pension assignment to the Department of Labor, Employment and Social Protection at the citizen’s place of residence, confirmed by registration. The application is submitted personally by the citizen or through a representative (employer, organization whose head is legally entrusted with the duties of guardian or custodian, legal representative (parent, adoptive parent, foster parent or guardian, custodian), authorized person). Since 01.01.2025 the deadline for submitting an application for pension assignment has been changed. An application for pension assignment can be submitted either one month before the pension date or within one month after reaching the retirement age. In this case, pensions by age, seniority or social pensions will be granted from the day the right arises, provided the application for this pension was submitted no later than one month after the right arose. Please note that if an application for a pension is submitted later than one month after the retirement age, the pension will be granted from the day of the application, as defined in accordance with part two of article 80 of the Law. Payment of pension for past periods is not provided for by legislation.

  2Which periods are counted towards the insurance tenure for pension assignment?

  Answer:In accordance with Article 51 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Pension Provision", periods of employment, entrepreneurial, creative and other activities are counted towards the insurance period provided that mandatory insurance contributions were paid to the budget of the Social Protection Fund of the Republic of Belarus during those periods in accordance with the legislation on state social insurance. The total work experience also includes other periods stipulated by Article 51 of the Law. These include periods: military service in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus up to 01.01.2020; parental leave for caring for a child and for caring for children until they reach the age of 3 years (no more than 12 years in total); the period of receiving a care allowance by a capable person for a person with a group 1 disability or a person who has reached the age of 80 and requires such care according to the conclusion of the MREC; full-time education; receiving unemployment benefits, but not more than six months in total; alternative service.Since January 1, 2020, servicemen undergoing conscripted military service are subject to compulsory state social insurance and therefore the period of service is counted as insurance seniority).

  3Is work under a contract of work counted towards work experience when calculating a pension?

  ANSWER:In accordance with article 51 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Pension Provision", work (including under a contract) is counted in the labor period during which the employee was subject to state social insurance or paid insurance contributions to the Fund of Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Belarus.

  4What pension can be granted to a citizen who lacks the required insurance period?

  ANSWER:In accordance with the legislation, pension assignment for certain categories of citizens is carried out with a reduction of the generally established retirement age, and for the assignment of an age pension a qualifying insurance period of 5 years is required (parents of children with disabilities (disabilities from childhood); mothers of large families who have given birth to five or more children; persons with disabilities from childhood; etc.). Citizens who do not have the right to an old-age labor pension due to the lack of the required insurance period and who are not part of the “benefit” categories may be granted: a labor pension by age with an incomplete insurance period – if there is an insurance period of at least 10 years but less than the required 20 years, upon reaching the age of 60 for women and 65 for men (the pension amount will depend on the existing insurance period); a social pension – if there is no insurance period or it is less than 10 years, upon reaching the age of 60 for women and 65 for men (the pension amount will be 50% of the subsistence minimum budget).

  5What information can be obtained from the mobile application «FSZN»?

  ANSWER:Since 1 February 2023, the mobile application “FSZN” is operating. This is a new format of informational interaction of the Social Protection Fund of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus with citizens. The mobile application allows you to obtain, in a convenient place for the user and at any time, the following:

  • insurance certificate data (electronic version of the state social insurance certificate);
  • information about periods of employment under a labor contract with a specific employer, including when hired on 01.07.2019 regarding the employee's job title (worker's profession), grounds for dismissal and other data contained in the employment record book;
  • information about the periods and amounts of accrued payments, accrued and paid mandatory insurance contributions for a specific employer starting from 01.01.2003;
  • information on the duration of insurance service from January 1, 2003, etc.

  Detailed information about the mobile application can be obtained on the official website of the Social Protection Fund of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus.

  6Does pension legislation provide for the possibility of increasing a pension due to its non-receipt?

  ANSWER:This possibility is provided for by law (Article 23¹ of the Law of 17 April 1992 No. 1596-XII "On Pension Provision", Presidential Decree of the Republic of Belarus of 18 March 2012 No. 136). In case of a written refusal to receive an already assigned old-age pension after reaching the statutory retirement age, provided that the work experience is at least 20/25 years (for women/men respectively). For the first full year of work without receiving a pension, it will be increased by 6 percent of the earnings used for its calculation; for the second – by 8 percent; for the third – by 10 percent; for the fourth – by 12 percent; for the fifth and each subsequent year – by 14 percent. If the work without receiving a pension is less than a full year, the increase for each full two-month period of such work amounts to 1 percent of earnings. Moreover, the pension is not capped at a maximum size (75 percent of earnings). As a result, over 5 years of work without receiving a pension, its amount will increase by 1.7–2 times. The choice – to receive a pension while working or not receive it in order to increase it – is left to the retiree.

  7Who can be a participant in the voluntary insurance program for an additional funded pension with state financial support, and how can one take part in it?

  ANSWER:From October 1, 2022, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated 27.09.2021 No. 367 “On voluntary insurance of an additional accumulative pension” (hereinafter – the Decree), an additional type of pension insurance has been introduced – voluntary insurance of an additional accumulative pension with state financial support. By the Decree, the implementation of voluntary insurance of an additional accumulative pension is assigned to the republican unitary insurance enterprise “Stravita”. Participants in the voluntary insurance of an additional accumulative pension program may be employed citizens for whom mandatory insurance contributions are paid to the FSZN, provided that their age is for women – under 55 years, for men – 60 years. In order to become a participant in the voluntary insurance of an additional accumulative pension program, it is necessary:

  • submit an application to RUSP “Stravita” (you can do it online on the website)Failed to retrieve page content.) and conclude a contract;
  • choose a tariff – from 1% to 10%
  • determine the period during which payments will be made (5 or 10 years);
  • notify the employer about the conclusion of the contract (provide a copy of the certificate and a statement on the withholding of insurance contributions).

  Additional information on this type of insurance can be obtained on the websites: RUSP «Stravita», the Social Protection Fund of the Population of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus.

  8How is the recalculation of labor and minimum labor pensions carried out?

  ANSWER:Minimum labor and social pensions, as well as other payments linked to the subsistence minimum budget per capita (hereinafter – SMB), are recalculated due to changes in the size of the SMB. The subsistence minimum budget is usually revised quarterly (on 1 February, 1 May, 1 August, 1 November), and accordingly recalculations of pensions paid at minimum amounts, social pensions, as well as allowances, increases and supplements are carried out. The recalculation of labor pensions is performed in connection with the increase of the average wage of workers in the Republic based on the Decrees of the President of the Republic of Belarus no less than once a year within the funds of the state off-budget Social Protection Fund of the Republic of Belarus. It should be noted that the increase in pension size for each pensioner is individual, depending on the length of service and earnings taken into account when calculating his pension.

  9When applying for a pension, how are periods of work on the territory of Ukraine counted towards seniority?

  ANSWER:On August 16, 2025, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated August 14, 2025 No. 307 “On granting pensions to certain categories of citizens for work in Ukraine” came into force. The Decree introduces amendments aimed at regulating pension provision issues for the work experience of citizens in Ukraine. The provisions of the Decree apply to all persons permanently residing in the Republic (regardless of citizenship, time of arrival from Ukraine, length of residence on the territory of Belarus). The main purpose of the Decree is to establish a legal basis for including in the work record the periods of citizens’ employment in Ukraine from 01.01.1992 to 01.07.1998, which were lost due to Ukraine’s denunciation of international agreements in the field of pension provision. In accordance with the Decree’s provisions, periods of work in Ukraine from 01.01.1992 to 30.06.1998 are counted for citizens towards seniority (including insurance seniority) based on entries in the employment record book or other documents confirming the seniority (requesting documents on payment of insurance contributions to the Pension Fund of Ukraine is not required). These periods are taken into account both for determining the right to a pension and for calculating its amount. At the same time, earnings for these periods of work in Ukraine are not taken into account when calculating the individual earnings coefficient (excluding this work period from the period for which earnings are determined). Recalculation of pensions using the Decree’s provisions, appointed before the Decree entered into force, is carried out on an applicant basis, according to the rules of Article 81 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Pension Provision”, from the 1st day of the month following the date of the request.^[1].

  10I am a mother of many children who raised 4 children. I worked only a short time, about 13 years. I do not have any more insurance work experience. Are there any benefits for this category of mothers with many children? Upon reaching retirement age, will I be able to retire on the basis of age under the general rules?

  ANSWER:In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated October 29, 2024 No. 402, women who have given birth to four children and raised them up to the age of 8, the old-age labor pension is granted upon reaching the generally established retirement age – 58 years, provided that the total work experience is at least – 20 years and the insurance period is at least – 5 years.

  11Do citizens who have moved to permanent residence in the Republic of Belarus have the right to a disability pension if the disability group was determined in the territory of the state where the citizen previously resided?

  ANSWER:Citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreign nationals and stateless persons permanently residing in the territory of the Republic of Belarus and being persons with disabilities are granted the benefits and guarantees provided for by the legislation of the Republic of Belarus on social protection of persons with disabilities. According to Article 8 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated November 11, 1991 No. 1224-XII “On Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities in the Republic of Belarus,” the recognition of a person as disabled is carried out by medical‑rehabilitation expert commissions (hereinafter – MREC). In particular, the MREC determines the fact of disability, the group (degree of health loss in children), the cause, the date of onset and the duration of the disability, issuing a conclusion in the form approved by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus. There are no grounds for making the corresponding decisions based on medical certificates (conclusions) about the fact of existence, cause, group, date of onset and duration of disability issued outside the Republic of Belarus. In view of the above, to resolve the issue of pension provision, a conclusion of the MREC issued in the Republic of Belarus in the prescribed manner is required.

  12I am the mother of a disabled person who has been in the 1st group since childhood. I do not have an insurance period, because initially I provided care for a child with a disability under the age of 18 (SIZ – 4). Now he has been assigned a 1st group disability and I am caring for him. What pension can I claim in the future?

  ANSWER:In accordance with Article 73 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated April 17, 1992 No. 1596-XII “On Pension Provision”, parents of children with disabilities with the third and/or fourth degree of health loss, subsequently recognized as childhood I‑group disabled persons, who have provided care for disabled persons for at least 20 years, upon reaching the age: men – 65 years, women – 60 years, may be granted a social pension in the amount of 130 percent of the highest level of the pensioner’s subsistence minimum budget established by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection for the last two quarters.

  13Who is granted a pension for special merits before the Republic of Belarus?

  ANSWER:In accordance with the Regulation on pensions for special merits before the Republic of Belarus, approved by the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated 11.12.2023 No. 865 (hereinafter – the Regulation), pensions for special merits are established:

  • Heroes of Belarus, Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of Socialist Labor;
  • to citizens awarded with the Orders of the Fatherland of three degrees, the Orders "For Service to the Motherland" of three degrees, the Orders of Glory of three degrees, the Orders of Labour Glory of three degrees, the Orders "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" of three degrees;
  • to citizens awarded three or more orders of the Republic of Belarus and (or) the USSR;
  • women who have given birth to and raised nine or more children and have been awarded one of the following state awards of the USSR or the Republic of Belarus: the Order of the Mother, the 'Motherhood Medal', the 'Mother's Glory' Order, the 'Mother-Heroine' Order;
  • to citizens awarded honorary titles of the Republic of Belarus, BSSR or USSR;
  • laureate of the State Prizes of the Republic of Belarus, the BSSR, the Lenin and State Prizes of the USSR;
  • citizens who held senior state positions of the Republic of Belarus, members of the Government of the Republic of Belarus, heads of regional executive committees and the Minsk city executive committee – after they cease working in the position for which they are presented for pension establishment;
  • to the winners and medalists of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, world and European champions.

  14What is the procedure for granting an early retirement pension by age for work under special conditions or a pension for length of service in connection with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated January 17, 2020 No. 15 “On amending the Decrees of the President of the Republic of Belarus”?

  ANSWER:With the adoption of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated January 17, 2020 No. 15, employees with a long service in special working conditions, who by January 1, 2009 (before the introduction of professional pension insurance) have accrued at least half of the required full privileged service, are granted the right to be assigned an early retirement pension by age for work in special conditions or a seniority pension under the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Pension Provision” (under Articles 12, 13, 15 or under Articles 47‑49, 49¹ respectively). At the same time, the fact that such employees have the right to an early professional pension under the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Professional Pension Insurance” and the length of their professional service do not matter. Thus, from January 1, 2020, persons who have worked by January 1, 2009 at least half of the required privileged service will have the right to be assigned an early privileged pension in the general pension system instead of an early professional pension in the professional pension insurance system. Employees engaged in work with special conditions or certain types of professional activity, who by January 1, 2009 have worked less than half of the privileged service or did not have it at all by that date, are granted the right:

  • formation of an early professional pension. In this case, the employer will pay mandatory contributions for this employee for professional pension insurance into the budget of the state off-budget fund for social protection of the population (FSZN);
  • choice instead of an early professional pension for an additional professional pension. The additional professional pension will be granted upon reaching the legally established retirement age (in the amount of BPM) from the accumulated pension savings, in addition to the age pension;
  • the receipt of a monthly supplement to the salary instead of the specified insurance. Its amount is determined by the employer, but it cannot be less than the contribution amount for professional pension insurance for this employee. That is, contributions instead of being paid to the fund's budget for the purposes of professional pension insurance will be paid to the employee together with the salary.

  15Is it necessary to collect any certificates confirming work experience if all the work information is available in the employment record book?

  ANSWER:The primary document confirming work experience is the employment record book. Providing additional certificates regarding periods of work listed in the employment record book is required when the record book contains incorrect or inaccurate information (for example, the year of hiring is wrong; the dismissal entry lacks a reference to the date and order number; the date of hiring (dismissal) has unapproved corrections, etc.) or when entries for certain work periods are completely missing. In such cases, certificates issued on the basis of orders, personal accounts, payroll statements, and other documentary data containing information about work periods are accepted as proof of the periods of work. It should also be noted that work periods: from July 1, 1998 to January 1, 2003 are confirmed by a certificate of the period of payment of mandatory insurance contributions and the amount of wages (income) from which these contributions were paid, issued by the employer. After January 1, 2003, proof of work experience consists of individual (personalized) accounting data issued by the organs of the Social Protection Fund of the Population upon request of labor, employment and social protection authorities.

  16What to do if the organization where the citizen worked is currently liquidated and it is not possible to obtain any documents?

  ANSWER:Certificate of earnings for work periods before January 1, 2003, submitted for pension calculation, is issued by the employer based on personal accounts and other documents on accrued and paid wages, and in case of the employer’s cessation of activity – by its successor, an archive, or the organization where the accounting documents are stored. If citizens are unable to obtain the proper documents confirming the amount of accrued and paid wages (income), establishing the information on the earnings needed for pension entitlement and recalculation may be carried out in court. In this case the court may consider: extracts from the staff schedule on the salary for the relevant position, an insert to the work record book, party members’ accounting cards, trade union members’ cards, party tickets, trade union tickets, payroll books (sheets) and other evidence, including witness testimonies. Based on the totality of the submitted documents courts can establish the fact of receiving earnings for a specific period and in a certain amount. A legally binding court decision establishing the fact that a citizen received earnings in a certain amount for a specific period (a certificate of earnings in the prescribed form issued by the employer on the basis of the court decision) is accepted by labor, employment and social protection authorities as confirmation of earnings for pension calculation. To strengthen social support for citizens, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated October 29, 2024 No. 402 was adopted, which allows calculating the pension without going to court, taking into account periods with no earnings data and, where possible, replacing such periods with certificates of wages preceding the 30‑year work‑seniority period. For this, an application must be written indicating the basis of this calculation, and the relevant certificates confirming the existence of earnings in the preceding periods must be attached.

  17My mother is in the hospital. The pension payment deadline is approaching. Who besides her has the right to receive the pension?

  ANSWER:In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Belarus of December 13, 2023 No. 318-Z “On Amendments to the Laws on Social Services and Social Payments”, the procedure for paying pensions and benefits changed as of July 1, 2024. The right to receive a pension via postal service or an organization that delivers pensions will remain only for persons over 70 years of age and persons with disabilities of groups I and II. The same choice right remains for child benefits for persons with disabilities of groups I and II and for families raising a child with a disability up to 18 years old. The changes do not affect citizens living in rural areas. The innovations will not affect citizens with health issues (persons with limited mobility, disabled persons of group III), as well as those who live with a person with a group I disability. They can still receive a pension or benefit through the mail or a bank – at the recipient’s choice. As before, people without a passport for religious reasons will be able to receive a pension at the post office.

  From July 1, 2024, pensioners under 70 years old living in cities of regional subordination or settlements that are administrative centers of districts must receive pensions only through banks. The choice of the financial institution that will issue the pension remains with the recipients. Pension payments from July 1, 2025 are made only to BASIC accounts. A basic account (“social” account) is a bank account in Belarusian rubles, from which the owner is not charged for operations included in the basic service conditions. These are the most essential operations – crediting and withdrawing funds, paying for goods and services via ERIP.

  The pension payment through postal service organizations can be made on the basis of a notarized power of attorney (or one equivalent to it), but for no more than one year. The procedure for pension payments by power of attorney is defined by Article 87 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Pension Provision” and the Instruction on the procedure for paying pensions, benefits and other social payments through postal service objects. Powers of attorney of citizens who are undergoing treatment in hospitals, clinics, other health care organizations providing inpatient medical care, certified by chief physicians, their medical deputies or on‑call physicians of those hospitals, clinics and other health care organizations, are considered equivalent to a notarized power of attorney. Thus, your mother can issue a power of attorney for receiving the pension at a health care institution, on the basis of which the pension will be paid to the authorized person.

  18I receive an age pension, the individual earnings coefficient is above 1.3. How will my pension be paid if I become an individual entrepreneur?

  ANSWER:According to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated October 29, 2024 No. 402, the removal of the limit on pension amounts for working retirees is provided. This means that labor pensions from 01.01.2025 are paid without applying the restriction on the individual earnings coefficient exceeding 1.3, as stipulated in the first part of article 83 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated April 17, 1992 No. 1596-XII "On Pension Provision" (hereinafter – the Law), which will allow increasing the efficiency of using the labor market by persons of retirement age.

  Paragraph 1 of Article 22 of the Civil Code of the Republic of Belarus provides that the right to engage in entrepreneurial activity for an individual entrepreneur arises from the moment of state registration. In view of this, when deciding on pension payments, the date of the start of entrepreneurial activity is taken as the date of state registration as an individual entrepreneur. The activity of an individual entrepreneur is considered suspended from the date the entry of liquidation (termination of activity) is entered in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs. Please note that, in accordance with Article 93 of the Law, a pensioner is obliged to notify the body providing pension benefits within five days of any circumstances that lead to a change in the pension amount or its termination.

  19Who has the right to retire under List No. 1 and No. 2?

  ANSWER:The right to an old-age pension for work under special conditions, regardless of the place of the last job, is held by:

  a)employees engaged in full-time underground work, in jobs with especially harmful and especially heavy working conditions, – according to List No. 1 of productions, works, professions, positions and indicators and based on the results of workplace certification with a reduction of the statutory retirement age by 10 years:

  • men – with a work experience of at least 25 years, of which at least 10 years (including at least 5 years before 1 January 2009) in the specified jobs;
  • women – with a work experience of at least 20 years, of which at least 7 years 6 months (and at least 3 years 9 months in the period up to January 1, 2009) in the specified jobs.

  Workers who have at least half of their service in particularly harmful and particularly heavy working conditions up to January 1, 2009, and who have a service length of at least 25 years for men and 20 years for women, are granted pensions with a reduction of the statutory retirement age by 1 year – for each full year of such work for men and for each 9 months of such work for women.

  б)employees engaged in a full working day at other jobs with harmful and heavy working conditions, – according to List No. 2 of productions, works, professions, positions and indicators and based on the results of workplace certification with a reduction of the standard retirement age by 5 years:

  • men with work experience of at least 25 years, of which at least 12 years 6 months (and at least 6 years 3 months in the period before January 1, 2009) in the specified jobs;
  • women with a work experience of at least 20 years, of which at least 10 years (and at least 5 years before January 1, 2009) in the specified jobs.

  Workers who have at least half of their seniority in hazardous and heavy working conditions up to January 1, 2009, and who have a work experience of at least 25 years for men and 20 years for women, are granted pensions with a reduction of the statutory retirement age by 1 year – for each 2 years and 6 months of such work for men and for each 2 years of such work for women.

  20I am a recipient of an early professional pension in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Professional Pension Insurance" and continue to work. Upon reaching the statutory retirement age I applied for an age pension on general grounds. Can the period of work during which I received an early professional pension be counted towards the work experience for calculating the amount of the age pension?

  ANSWER:Early professional pensions, assigned in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Professional Pension Insurance”, are paid out before reaching the generally established retirement age. Article 51 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus of 17 April 1992 No. 1596-XII “On Pension Provision” provides that periods of work or other activity that took place after the granting of an age pension or a seniority pension are counted towards work experience, provided the pensioner did not receive a state pension for those periods. Early professional pensions are state early pensions, which differ from early age pensions for work under special working conditions and for seniority in the method of calculation and the principle of their financing. In view of the foregoing, when an age pension is granted on general grounds, periods of work with receipt of an early professional pension are not included in work experience.

  21When preparing the documents it turned out that as a result of the fire the information on wages was not preserved. I request clarification whether this period of work will be included in the calculation of the individual earnings coefficient when the pension is awarded?

  Answer:According to part 6 of article 57 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated April 17, 1992 No. 1596-XII “On Pension Provision”, in cases where as a result of natural disasters, accidents, catastrophes or other emergency situations employers have not retained documents on actual earnings, at the request of the pension applicant the period from which earnings are selected for pension calculation does not include the work time for which earnings documents are missing. Thus, the work period for which salary information is missing due to fire can, at your request, be excluded from the calculation of the individual earnings coefficient. For your information we inform that the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus has adopted a decision to establish earnings for pension provision purposes in court proceedings, in case citizens are unable to obtain proper documents confirming the amount of accrued and paid wages due to the employer’s loss of documents. Based on the above, you may establish the salary in court, provided that the work period is documented in the manner prescribed by law.

  22How are pensions assigned to citizens who served in the military for a long time but did not acquire the right to a pension as military personnel?

  ANSWER:Article 22¹ of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated April 17, 1992 No. 1596-XII “On Pension Provision” provides for the possibility of granting an old‑age labor pension upon reaching the generally established retirement age with an insurance tenure of at least 10 years to citizens who have served in the military (service in militarized organizations) for a long period (at least 10 calendar years), but have not acquired the right to a pension in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Pension Provision for Military Personnel, persons of the commanding and enlisted staff of the internal affairs bodies, the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus, the State Committee of Forensic Expertise of the Republic of Belarus, bodies and units for emergency situations and financial investigation bodies”. Thus, the right to an old‑age labor pension is granted when there is a total work experience of at least 25 years for men and 20 years for women and an insurance tenure of at least 10 years.

  23Under what conditions can a wife (husband) be granted a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner if she (he) is occupied (engaged) in caring for the children of the deceased breadwinner who are under 8 years old?

  ANSWER:According to paragraph "v" of Article 35 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Pension Provision", a spouse (husband/wife) who is engaged in caring for the children of a deceased breadwinner who have not reached the age of 8 is considered an incapacitated family member entitled to a survivor’s pension, provided they are not employed. Upon taking up employment, the right to a survivor’s pension is lost, and the termination of the survivor’s pension payments is effected from the first day of the month following the month in which the circumstances causing the termination occurred.

  24Under what conditions is a pension for loss of a breadwinner paid to persons studying in educational institutions and who have not reached the age of 23?

  ANSWER:In accordance with paragraph “a” of Article 35 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Pension Provision”, the right to a survivor’s pension is granted to persons who have not reached the age of 23 and who are receiving education in the daytime form – general secondary, vocational‑technical, secondary specialized, higher, specialized and additional education – in the Republic of Belarus or outside the Republic of Belarus in accordance with international agreements. It should also be noted that persons receiving a survivor’s pension and studying at educational institutions must, three times a year as of March 1, July 1 and September 1 of each year, submit a certificate of enrollment to the authority providing pension benefits. The certificate of enrollment must include: form of study; year of study; information on the student’s placement in state provision; information on the granting of an academic leave; information on the expected completion date of studies. Citizens who do not submit the certificate of enrollment in time will have their pension payments suspended. In case of termination of studies, transfer to correspondence study, taking an academic leave, placement in state provision, as well as any other circumstances that lead to a change in the pension amount or its termination, the pension authority must be informed within 5 days. If this information is not reported in time, the pension recipient is financially liable (Article 93 of the Law) and any overpaid pension amounts will be recovered by decision of the Pension Appointment Commission or through the courts (Article 94 of the Law).

  25What pension increase is provided for long service?

  ANSWER:According to Article 23 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Pension Provision”, old‑age pensions are assigned at the rate of 55 % of the earnings used to calculate the pension. For each full year of service beyond 20 years for women and 25 years for men, the pension increases by one percent of earnings, but not less than 1 % of the minimum old‑age pension. For persons who have reached the statutory retirement age and have a service length exceeding 30 years for women and 35 years for men, the pension increases for each full year by 0.7 % of the average wage of workers in the Republic, which is used to adjust the retiree’s actual earnings. The indicated minimum service value for persons with more than 30 years of service for women and 35 years for men applies starting from the 31st and 36th year of service, respectively. For persons who have reached the statutory retirement age and have a service length of 40 years or more for women and 45 years or more for men, the pension increase of 0.7 % of the average wage of workers in the Republic is set starting from the 21st and 26th year of service, respectively. The same article also provides for an additional increase of pensions for persons who have reached the statutory retirement age and have a long service. This occurs due to a higher value of each full year of service beyond 40 years for men and 35 years for women.

  26Where should one apply for pension allocation, and what documents need to be collected?

  ANSWER:Employed citizens and members of their families (in case of loss of the breadwinner) submit an application for pension appointment through the employer at the place of last employment. The employer prepares the documents required for the pension appointment and, together with the submitted application and his representation, forwards them to the authority that provides pension benefits (the Department of Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the district executive committee (hereinafter – the department)) at the applicant’s place of residence, confirmed by registration at the place of residence. If the citizen is not employed, the collection of documents and their submission must be carried out by the applicant himself. More detailed information about which documents must be submitted for pension appointment can be obtained from the Department of Labor, Employment and Social Protection at the place of residence.

  27My husband died. He was receiving a decent pension. Can I receive his pension instead of my own?

  ANSWER:The legislation does not provide for the possibility of paying a pension to a wife that would be due to her husband. Under certain conditions (incapacity, being a dependent, etc.) she may be granted only a survivor’s pension. At the same time, according to Article 6 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Pension Provision”, persons who simultaneously have the right to various state pensions are assigned a single pension of their choice. According to Article 38 of the Law, a survivor’s pension is granted to each incapacitated family member in the amount of 40 percent of the earner’s income used for pension calculation (Article 56 of the Law), but not less than 100 percent of the minimum old‑age pension (Article 23 of the Law). In cases provided for by law, allowances and increases are added to the pension. For more detailed consultation specific to your situation based on pension case documents, we recommend contacting the Department of Labor, Employment and Social Protection at the place where the pension is received.

  28What pension supplements are provided to retirees who have reached the age of 75-80?

  ANSWER:In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated 16.01.2012 No. 35, effective from 01.01.2012, the following supplements are established for non-working (including those not registered as individual entrepreneurs) recipients of all types of pensions who have reached the age of 75–80: 75 years – 75 % of the minimum pension amount for age; 80 years – 100 % of the minimum pension amount for age. The supplement is applied from the 1st day of the month following the month in which the specified age is reached. In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Pension Provision”, an additional care allowance is granted to the pension: to disabled persons of the 1st group – 100 percent of the minimum pension amount for age; to pensioners who have reached the age of 80, as well as to single pensioners who, according to a conclusion of the MREC or VCC, require permanent external assistance – 50 percent of the minimum pension amount for age. If the right to a care allowance exists on various grounds provided for in this article, the allowance is calculated on one of the specified grounds.

  29I have been granted an early retirement pension based on age as a mother of many children. Will the time worked after the pension is granted be taken into account for its calculation?

  ANSWER:According to Article 51 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Pension Provision”, work after the granting of an old‑age pension is not counted towards service length. Work after the granting of a pension may be counted towards service if the pensioner did not receive a state pension for that period.

  30If a pensioner gets a job or is dismissed, must he inform the labor, employment and social protection authority at the place where he receives his pension?

  ANSWER:Yes, he must. The mentioned circumstances – employment and dismissal – in some cases affect the amount of pension to be paid. Upon reaching the age of 75, he will not be granted an age allowance. The unpaid portion of the pension will be paid to the pensioner, but not for more than 3 years prior to the application. Regarding the obligation to inform the pension‑paying authority about circumstances that change the pension amount or terminate its payment, the pensioner is notified (under his personal signature) when applying for pension assignment or its recalculation. Also, information about the need to report such circumstances is contained in the pension certificate.