When moving cities for work, transfer pension and medical-insurance relations rather than withdrawing

Cost: No monetary cost for this step. After enrolling and contributing in the new location, apply through the new employer or yourself, online or at a service counter. The source describes several tens of working days for pension processing and around 15 working days for medical-insurance transfer.

In plain language: Pension and employee medical-insurance contribution years can accumulate across locations. Before pension eligibility age, pension relations cannot simply be terminated to withdraw the balance. A medical-insurance contribution gap longer than three months may trigger a waiting period in the new location, described by the source as generally no more than six months.

Rules reported by the source: China's Social Insurance Law provides for transfer of pension and employee medical-insurance relations when employment moves between pooling regions, with accumulated contribution years. Pensions are calculated in segments and paid together. Interprovincial pension transfers follow the cited interim rules. Pension relations cannot be terminated for withdrawal before benefit eligibility, and personal accounts cannot be withdrawn early. Personal-account principal and interest transfer in full; pooled employer funds transfer at 12% of actual annual contribution wages from 1998 onward. Pension calculations use annual contribution wages, years and the destination's average wages.

Pension process described by the source: After new-location participation begins, the employer or individual applies in writing to the receiving location. It has 15 working days to review; the previous location has 15 working days after receiving agreement to transfer; and the receiving location has a further 15 working days after receipt of relations and funds to complete processing. The source cites the 2020 interprovincial-service list requiring this service by year-end and describes applying at the destination without returning to the origin.

Medical-insurance process described by the source: End participation in the previous location and enroll in the new one before applying, through the national medical-insurance service platform or a counter. The previous location transfers within ten working days and the new location completes receipt within five; the personal-account balance transfers too. For gaps of three months or less, making the locally required catch-up payments avoids a waiting period, permits reimbursement in the payment month and retrospective coverage for the gap. For longer gaps, local waiting-period rules apply, generally no more than six months. Scope: China.

Source author's evidence grade: A; not site verification or professional approval.

Notes: When moving outside the province of household registration, men aged 50 or older and women aged 40 or older may retain pension relations in the original location while a temporary account records new employer and personal contributions. The source describes pension payment location rules: use the household-registration province if relations are there; otherwise a relations location with ten accumulated years; failing that, the previous location with ten years; or consolidate to the household-registration location if no location has ten years. Payment location affects the average wages used in calculation. Intraprovincial transfers follow provincial rules; ask the local authority. People already receiving pensions do not transfer relations. See chapter 7, entry 18 for contribution gaps and continuous-contribution qualifications, and chapter 31, entry 11 for flexible workers paying contributions themselves.

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