Not only years of work are counted toward pensionable service: even unpaid weeks can count toward your pension.

      otvprim.tv

      Many citizens perceive length of service solely as the duration of employment under an official contract. However, in practice the concept of pensionable service includes not only paid work. This was reminded by State Duma deputy Alexey Govyrin, a member of the Committee on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. According to him, current legislation provides for the inclusion in pensionable service of other life situations not directly related to employment.

      What counts as service besides official work

      Govyrin explained that when calculating pensionable service, not only months with insurance contributions are taken into account but also special periods from the list approved by law. The main condition is at least one day of employment before or immediately after the relevant interval. Only if this rule is met can a non-contributory period be counted toward the service. Such time intervals include:

      – conscripted military service or equivalent military service;

      – being on sick leave and receiving temporary disability benefits;

      – caring for a child up to 1.5 years old (maximum — six years in total for all children);

      – caring for a Group I disabled person, a child with a disability, or a citizen over 80 years old.

      The following situations may also be considered: receiving unemployment benefits, participation in socially useful work, relocation to another locality on referral from an employment center. In addition, living with a spouse who is a servicemember in settlements where there is no possibility for employment may be counted. This period can be up to five years.

      Pension points for non-contributory periods

      All the listed life situations are equated with work for the purposes of calculating pensionable service. Pension points are also awarded for them, which affects the amount of a future pension. For one full year of caring for a disabled person, an elderly person, or a child with a disability, the state awards 1.8 pension points.

      If it concerns caring for small children, separate coefficients apply:

      – for the first child — 1.8 points per year,

      – for the second — 3.6 points,

      – for the third and fourth — 5.4 points annually.

      If the care lasted less than a year, the number of points is calculated proportionally to the duration of the period.

      Calculation nuances and limits

      It should be borne in mind that these points are added to those accrued for employment, not a replacement for them. There is also a limit: periods of childcare cannot exceed six years in total. It is also important to remember that non-contributory periods are counted only when assigning an ordinary age-based insurance pension. They do not matter for early retirement based on long service (42 years for men, 37 years for women).

      This means that even with equal age and identical pensionable service, two parents may find themselves in different situations: one may be able to retire early, while the other will have to wait until the statutory retirement age.

      Confirming periods — what you need to know

      In order for non-contributory periods to be credited, they must be documented. In most modern cases, information is automatically received by the system from registry offices (ZAGS), social expert services, military commissariats and employment service databases. However, when applying for a pension for old, disputed or archival episodes, additional documents may be required. These include: children’s birth certificates, certificates of cohabitation with a servicemember spouse, extracts from medical and social expert examinations, service certificates, documents on relocation by referral, and others.

      An application can be submitted through client services of the Social Fund of Russia, at a multifunctional center (MFC) or using electronic services. Govyrin’s main conclusion: even those periods when a person did not receive a salary can be taken into account when assigning a pension if they fall under the list provided by law and are connected to official employment before or after them.

      Azaliya Urazbaeva

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