Losing Social Insurance Benefits If You Ignore These Common Mistakes

Are you participating in Social Insurance and hoping to fully enjoy the benefits in your old age or in case of risks. Losing social insurance benefits can be a serious concern if you’re not careful. Be careful, just a few small mistakes can cause you to completely lose the benefits that should rightfully be yours. Below are the 6 most common cases leading to the loss of social insurance benefits and useful advice to help you avoid these risks.

Not Meeting Pension Eligibility

According to the amended Social Insurance Law of 2025, good news for workers is that the minimum social insurance contribution period to receive a pension has been reduced from 20 years to 15 years. However, if you do not meet this number of years of social insurance contribution, you will not be eligible for a pension and will also lose other important related benefits such as free health insurance in old age.

Solution:

If you do not have enough years of social insurance contribution, consider participating in voluntary social insurance to continue accumulating contribution time and ensure your retirement benefits in the future.

Withdrawing Social Insurance Benefits In A Lump Sum

Withdrawing social insurance in a lump sum may seem like an immediate financial solution, but did you know that this action means you are giving up your right to receive a pension in the future? According to new regulations from 2025, those who start participating in social insurance after this time will no longer be able to withdraw the entire social insurance amount in a lump sum easily. This benefit will only be applied in special cases such as participants settling abroad, suffering from critical illnesses, or losing their ability to work.

Solution:

Consider carefully before deciding to withdraw social insurance in a lump sum. Do not lose a stable income source and long-term social security benefits in old age for short-term benefits.

Quitting Your Job But Not Continuing To Contribute To Social Insurance

According to Article 60 of the 2014 Social Insurance Law, after quitting your job, if you do not continue to participate in voluntary BHXH, your social insurance contribution process will be interrupted. This may prevent you from accumulating enough contribution time to enjoy important social insurance benefits such as a pension or unemployment benefits when needed.

Solution:

In case you have not found a new job immediately, consider contributing to voluntary social insurance to preserve the contribution time and maintain the opportunity to enjoy social insurance benefits in the future.

Violating The Law Or Social Insurance Fraud

Any act of insurance fraud, such as declaring dishonest information or using forged documents to enjoy social insurance benefits, can be detected and strictly handled according to the law. The consequences may include the revocation of enjoyed benefits or even criminal prosecution (Source: Article 214 of the 2015 Penal Code). In addition, individuals who have their citizenship revoked due to particularly serious crimes may also lose their social insurance benefits.

Solution:

Always comply with the law when participating in social insurance. Honesty and compliance are the best ways to protect your own benefits.

Not Completing Benefit Claim Procedures In Time

Some social insurance benefits, such as unemployment benefits, maternity benefits, or funeral benefits, have specific deadlines for workers to submit their applications. If you do not proactively find out and submit your application within the prescribed time, you may lose your right to receive these benefits (Source: Article 115 of the 2014 Social Insurance Law).

Solution:

Proactively learn about the social insurance benefits you may be entitled to and submit your application on time to ensure you do not miss out on any benefits.

Not Contributing To Social Insurance According To Regulations

It is concerning that some businesses still intentionally evade or do not contribute to social insurance at the correct salary level for their employees. When authorities conduct inspections and discover these violations, your social insurance contribution period may not be counted towards your eligibility for benefits

Solution:

You should regularly check your social insurance contribution process through the VssID application or contact the Social Insurance agency directly to promptly detect and take action if there are any errors.

How To Best Protect Your Social Insurance Benefits?

To ensure you do not lose your legitimate benefits from Social Insurance, remember and follow these tips:

• Do not withdraw social insurance in a lump sum unless absolutely necessary. Think about your future and long-term retirement benefits.
• Regularly check your social insurance contribution process to detect errors early and take timely corrective actions.
• If you do not yet meet the pension eligibility requirements, consider participating in voluntary social insurance to continue accumulating contribution time.
• Thoroughly research and complete the procedures to receive the social insurance benefits you are entitled to within the prescribed time.
• Always comply with the laws regarding social insurance to avoid penalties or loss of benefits.
• Understanding the regulations and fulfilling your responsibilities when participating in social insurance will help you best protect your rights within the social security system.