When you change cities for work, transfer pension and medical insurance to the new place of enrollment so contribution years keep adding up; do not withdraw from the scheme

When you change cities, both pension and medical insurance records can follow you, and years you already paid keep counting. Before pension-claiming age you cannot cancel enrollment (退保) and take the money out. If medical contributions lapse more than 3 months, you may wait up to 6 months before reimbursement at the new place—so do not leave a long gap.

Cost

No cost. Once you are enrolled and paying in at the new place, your new employer or you file a transfer application, in person at a counter or online. Pension transfers take several dozen working days end to end; medical insurance takes about 15 working days.

Benefit

The Social Insurance Law states that when you take a job in another place (formally, across pooling areas), your pension record moves with you and contribution years accumulate. Employee medical insurance works the same: the record follows the person and years accumulate. At retirement the pension is calculated in segments and paid by one place. Cross-province pension transfer follows the transfer-and-continuation measures issued by the General Office of the State Council. Before benefit-claiming age, the pension relationship may not be terminated and you may not withdraw from the scheme (退保). The Social Insurance Law also states that the individual account may not be withdrawn early. Money in the individual account transfers in full with interest. The employer-paid portion is the pooled fund; it transfers at 12% of your actual contribution wage for each year from 1998 onward. When you claim the pension, calculation uses your contribution wage each year, contribution years, and average wages where you claim. Procedure: once enrolled and paying at the new place, the employer or you apply in writing to the new place of enrollment. The new place reviews within 15 working days; the old place completes transfer out within 15 working days after receiving the letter agreeing to accept. After the new place receives the record and funds, it completes the process within a further 15 working days. Under the 2020 nationwide-handling list, this was to be available for nationwide handling by year-end. You only apply to the place you are moving to; no need to return to the place you left. For employee medical insurance, the old place must first suspend coverage and you must already be enrolled at the new place before you apply. You can apply online on the National Healthcare Security service platform or at a counter. The old place transfers out within 10 working days; the new place takes in within 5 working days, with individual account balance moved along. If the gap before transfer is 3 months or less, after back contributions under the new place's rules there is no waiting period: reimbursement from the contribution month, and the gap period can be reimbursed retroactively. If the gap exceeds 3 months, the waiting period follows local rules and in principle does not exceed 6 months (nationwide)

Notes

If you move across provinces to a province that is not your hukou (户口) province, and you are a man aged 50 or older or a woman aged 40 or older, your pension record stays with the old place of enrollment. The new place only opens a temporary account recording all employer and individual contributions. Where you collect the pension at retirement works like this. If the record is in your hukou province, you collect there. If not in your hukou province but you have 10 years of contributions where the record sits, you collect there. If under 10 years everywhere, the record goes to the last place where you reached 10 years and you collect there. If under 10 years in every place, records are gathered at your hukou place and you collect there. Collection place changes which average wage enters the formula. Within-province city-to-city transfer is set by each province; ask the local social insurance office. People already drawing a pension no longer transfer records. How years count after a lapse and which entitlements need continuous contributions: Section 7, Item 18 (lapsed social insurance). If you do not join an employer and pay social insurance yourself: Section 31, Item 11 (flexible employment).

Sources · 5

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