Each person, retiring to a well-deserved pension, hopes to receive a decent financial support in old age, which will be enough to maintain a good standard of living. But as we can see in real life, our plans are one thing, but the plans and financial capabilities of the state are quite another.
Pensions in Belarus are received by all the same categories of citizens as in other countries. The amount of payments depends on both the length of service and the position held. But on the whole, the average pension in the country is about the same, and there are rarely pensioners who receive significantly more than others.
At what age do people retire in Belarus?
A pensioner is a person who has reached the retirement age established by law and who is entitled to pension payments.
Until recently, it was 60 years for men and 55 years for women. But a couple of years ago, the law was amended, and now men go on a well-deserved rest at 63 years old, and women at 58 years old. That is, the retirement age was raised by three years.
It should be noted that the transition was made smoothly, and people of pre-retirement age were able to retire not upon reaching this age, but earlier.
Average pension in the country
At the end of 2017, the size of the pension in Belarus averaged 314 rubles, and pension payments vary somewhat depending on the region. The largest pensions are received in the capital - 316 Belarusian rubles, and the lowest in the Brest region - 299 rubles. In other regions, the average pension fluctuates around these amounts.
Note that the average pension in the country is about 2.1 times higher than the subsistence minimum, which is established by law for pensioners. But in practice, it often turns out differently, when the real pension is enough only for the most necessary things. However, this problem is typical for many CIS countries!
As for social pensions, they, again, are the highest in Minsk and amount to an average of 217 rubles, and the lowest social pensions are received in the Gomel region - 174 rubles.
Indexation of pensions
As in any other country, pension payments are regularly recalculated for inflation. In Belarus, pensions are recalculated at least once a year, and often more often. The last recalculation was carried out on February 1, 2018. Both labor and social benefits were increased.
All calculations are carried out taking into account the established subsistence minimum, which makes it possible to take into account the real need of people to increase their income. So, for pensioners over 80 years old, in the last recalculation, allowances were made in the amount of 45 rubles, which is almost 25% of the average pension.
How much is it in dollar terms?
For those who are not familiar with the current exchange rate of the Belarusian ruble against the dollar, it can be difficult to figure out what is the minimum pension in Belarus in dollars. But it's easy to do - divide any of the above amount by two, and you will get an approximate figure in dollars. The average exchange rate of the Belarusian ruble is 1.96 - 2 rubles to 1 dollar, and has not greatly increased since the money was canceled.
We see that labor pensions in Belarus are on average $ 155, and social pensions are $ 100. The minimum pension is 182 rubles or $ 90.
Seniority allowances
Those who are just going to join the ranks of pensioners are often interested in the question of what will be the size of the pension in Belarus with an experience of 30 years or more. And this point is noted in the legislation - if the length of service is 35 years (for men) and 30 years (for women), for each full year of work there will be an increase of 1% of the average pay, but not lower than the minimum threshold prescribed in the law.
Number of pensioners in the country
We all know that retirement benefits are taken from the tax established for workers and paid to the pension fund. But here, too, there are nuances that can directly affect the size of the pension in Belarus.
Ideally, it is generally accepted that there should be at least 4 workers for one pensioner. But due to the decrease in the population both in Russia and in Belarus, this simple rule has long been violated. And if in Russia additional funds for pension payments can be taken from the income from the sale of natural resources, then in Belarus it is more and more difficult - it does not have these resources.
Now in Belarus there are 2 million 593.7 thousand pensioners, and this despite the fact that the total number of the country's inhabitants does not exceed 10 million people. And from this number it is also necessary to take away children, students and workers in the public sector, then we will get a tangible financial burden on every able-bodied citizen of the country.
And the saddest thing is that the number of people retiring will grow steadily, while the number of the able-bodied population will decline. The reason for this imbalance rests on demography, and until the problem of declining birth rates is resolved, there is no need to talk about a change in the situation in pension payments.
Pension size compared to neighbors
If we carry out a comparative analysis of the level of income and Belarus, then the latter noticeably lose in this. Thus, the average pension in the Russian Federation in terms of Belarusian rubles is 430 rubles, and this is much higher than what Belarusians receive. While regional differences should also be taken into account, in many parts of Russia, pension payments are comparable to pensions in Belarus.
But in comparison with Ukraine, the incomes of Belarusian pensioners look positive - there the average pension in terms of Belarusian currency is 140 rubles. Well, in comparison with Russia, the incomes of Ukrainian pensioners look very scanty.
If we compare pensions with pensions in Western Europe or the United States, then all three countries are losing out.
After the launch of the pension reform in Ukraine, neighboring countries began to think about the need to learn from the experience. The Russian government also announced an increase in the retirement age and the size of pensions. Each country carries out reforms in its own way, and the pensioners are left to consider who will receive more payments.
Ukraine - European pensions
The slogan is good, but in reality the picture with the payments to the old people is not rosy. Ukrainians can apply for a pension based on age, in connection with disability or loss of a breadwinner; there is an additional category of pensions related to the peculiarities of work or profession.
Since January of this year, Ukraine has launched new rules for issuing benefits to citizens who are on a well-deserved rest or continue to work. Recall that for Ukrainians, not only the age threshold is increasing, but also the number of work experience.
In the Pension Fund of Ukraine there are tariff scales with age restrictions, features of calculating the length of service, terrifying formulas that are not so easy for a common working person to understand. Everything for the people.
The average pension of a citizen of Ukraine in 2018 is 2,480 hryvnias, which corresponds to $ 94.3 (at the official exchange rate on the day the article was written). This does not mean that all pensioners receive such an amount, since the minimum pension at the beginning of the year was 1,452 hryvnia or $ 55.21. So it turns out that someone's pension cannot be called a social benefit, but deputies and judges receive a pension in the amount of 16,000 hryvnia ($ 600, this is where Europe is felt in the wallet).
Pension payments are heterogeneous by region, in the Kiev region the average pension varies around $ 100, and in Rivne or Ternopil it barely exceeds $ 56.
And what about the neighbor?
Russia itself is not happy with the pension reform: strikes, consideration of bills, criticism of trade unions, but where to get to when money is sorely lacking.
Starting from 2019, the retirement age is planned to be increased, and it is not far from the revision of the length of service. Gradually, Russia will also reach the age of 65 for men and 63 for women, but so far the same parameters remain: 60 and 55.
In the Russian Federation there is an old-age pension (insurance), a social pension (for people without seniority), a disability pension, a military pension, and by profession. In addition, due to the large territory in Russia, there is also a guide for the regions.
According to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, in 2018, the average pension across the country increased to 14,100 rubles ($ 222.85), and the minimum, that is, social benefits, does not exceed $ 140.
Moscow pensioners live the richest, on 17,500 rubles ($ 276.59), the old people of Ryazan, Saratov, and Bryansk regions modestly "survive" on an allowance of 8,000 rubles ($ 126).
What's the little brother?
In Belarus, since 2017, the government was forced to start a pension reform, the age at which citizens can go on a well-deserved rest is gradually increasing, so men must work up to 63 years, and women up to 58 years.
Pensions in Belarus are different: assigned (according to the profession, early), by age, social, by disability, in case of loss of a breadwinner. Official statistics say that the average pension for citizens of all categories is 340 Belarusian rubles, or $ 171. Dry numbers are far from reality, as the situation with pensions in Ukraine and Russia shows.
Belarusian old people receive old age pensions differently, the "richest" can be called Minsk dwellers, whose pension is 338 Belarusian rubles or 169.87 dollars, residents of other regions receive a little less: from 310 Belarusian rubles (160 dollars). Social payments in the country are also not homogeneous: from $ 87.75 to $ 109.26. As you can see, the picture of territorial differentiation of pensions in Belarus is not very different.
All three East Slavic countries are far from European tariffs, where the average pension reaches $ 2800 (Denmark). But do not lose hope, perhaps in the near future we will get out of crises, disputes, squabbles and live in retirement, traveling, but for now, our pensioners should hope for the July increase in pension payments.
The minimum pension is a payment guaranteed by the state to all citizens of the country under certain conditions. It is important to understand that this is not a separate type of benefit, but a lower limit for the amount of benefit in each category. All in all, there are two main categories of pension payments in the republic: labor and social.
The first are appointed:
- Upon reaching the specified legislation.
- Disability. Those who have received a disability due to an occupational injury or occupational disease have the right to them. Also, this type of payment is made if the disability occurred as a result of a general serious illness that is not related to work. It does not matter if the disability occurred before, during, or after the termination of work.
- With the loss of a breadwinner. Paid to disabled family members of the deceased.
- For the length of service. They are received by citizens who work in conditions leading to premature loss of professional ability to work.
The state pays social benefits to those who do not receive any of the listed labor pensions. Social pensioners include persons with varying degrees of disability, women who have reached the age of 60 and men over 65 with no minimum social experience.
Who gets
According to the legislation of the Republic of Belarus, citizens with a work experience of 15 years (in some cases, 5 and 10 years) have the right to receive the minimum retirement pension. It is important that during the entire working period they consistently and in full make the required insurance premiums.
Citizens who have worked less than they should, in turn, have the right to a social pension. Here, all those who are not included in any of the categories of persons receiving labor pensions can count on the minimum amount of payment.
As for the minimum pension for disability, loss of a breadwinner, etc., all citizens who fall under these categories according to the list approved by the legislation of the Republic of Belarus have the right to them.
When is charged and how
The minimum pension is assigned when the settlement procedure approved at the legislative level does not allow the calculation of amounts in excess of the established minimum. For labor benefits for age, disability and loss of the breadwinner, such a case is the insufficient volume of insurance payments made at one time.
The calculation is based on the size of the subsistence minimum budget (BMB) and the lower limit of the old-age pension. The latter also directly depends on the BPM.
Calculation mechanisms and size
To understand the mechanism for calculating the minimum pension in Belarus, it is necessary to first define the concept of BPM. Is a variable that is calculated taking into account prices, inflation and other economic indicators of the country at the end of the quarter.
The BPM is approved at the state level on a quarterly basis. When calculating the minimum size of pension payments, the maximum BPM value for the two quarters preceding the accrual is taken as a starting point.
An important aspect in the calculation is the fact that citizens who receive any minimum labor pension are entitled to a monthly supplement, the amount of which is 20% of the average salary in the country.
| Labor pension | 25% of BPM | with a surcharge of 20% |
|---|---|---|
| from November 1, 2019 | RUB 57.96 | 2nd ~ RUB 221.7 |
| August 2019 - October | RUB 57.72 | 2nd ~ RUB 214.32 |
| May 2019 - July 2019 | RUB 56.00 | 2nd ~ RUB 195.40 |
| November 2018 - April 2019 | RUB 53.55 | RUB 216.03 |
| August - October 2018 | RUB 53.42 | RUB 207.43 |
| May - July 2018 | RUB 51.65 | RUB 191.03 |
| February - April 2018 | RUB 49.83 | RUB 181.94 |
| November 2017-January 2018 | RUB 49.45 | RUB 181.56 |
| August - October 2017 | RUB 49.39 | RUB 174.61 |
| May - July 2017 | RUB 45.96 | RUB 171.18 |
| February - April 2017 | RUB 45.03 | RUB 170.25 |
| December 2016 - January 2017 | RUB 43.88 | RUB 169.10 |
According to the legislative and regulatory acts of the Republic of Belarus, today the minimum size of labor pensions is:
- for the loss of a breadwinner - 100% m / r old-age pension;
- for the length of service - 100% m / r old-age pension;
- payments to orphans - 200% of the m / r old-age pension.
The minimum social pension for persons who have reached retirement age is 50% of the BSP.
Minimum disability pension
When calculating the minimum payments for disability in the Republic of Belarus, a different calculation algorithm is used:
- 100% BPM - for disabled people of I and II groups;
- 50% - for disabled people with group III;
- 100% - for mothers-heroines (regardless of the group).
At the same time, the minimum social pension benefits have the following sizes from the BPM:
- For citizens with disabilities of group I (including those who are disabled since childhood) - 110%
- For persons with disabilities from childhood of the II group - 95%, for other persons with the same disability group - 85%.
- For all categories of disabled persons of the III group - 75%.
Pension - cash security paid to a person upon reaching a certain (retirement) age, as well as for length of service, in the event of disability, disability, loss of a breadwinner (for disabled citizens) and on other grounds. Pension payments can be made from state funds, funds of organizations, and in certain cases, at the expense of individuals.
The system of individual accounts, using which a working person finances his future pension from his own contributions, is not widespread in Belarus. In fact, the funds for the payment of pensions are taken from the contributions of workers at the moment.
In the Republic of Belarus, the rights to state pension provision in cases specified by legislation are:
- citizens of the Republic of Belarus and other persons living on its territory;
- citizens of Belarus living outside its borders, in accordance with international treaties between the Republic of Belarus and the country of residence of the pensioner.
Pension provision in Belarus
The law establishes the conditions for the provision of labor pensions for old age, for disability, for the loss of a breadwinner, for length of service, for special services to the republic.
The right to an old-age labor pension on a general basis is granted to men upon reaching 60 years of age with a work experience of at least 25 years, to women - upon reaching 55 years of age with a work experience of at least 20 years. A prerequisite for exercising the right to a pension is the presence of at least 5 years of work with the payment of mandatory insurance contributions.
When calculating the amount of the pension, the length of service before the appointment of the pension and the earnings from which the mandatory insurance contributions were paid are taken into account. Until 2000, the pension was calculated from earnings for any 5 consecutive years of the last 15 years of work. Since 2000, these periods have increased by 1 year (in 2000, the pension was calculated from earnings for any 6 consecutive years of the last 16 years of work, in 2001 - for 7 years of the last 17 years, etc.).
Conditions for granting a pension
The right of citizens to pension provision, including old age, is guaranteed by Article 1 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Pension Provision". At the same time, Article 5 of this Law specifies that the right to a labor pension is granted to citizens, from whose income during the period of labor activity deductions for state social insurance were made for at least 5 years.
Persons of retirement age who do not have the right to a labor pension are assigned a social pension on conditions determined by law. Such a norm is contained in Articles 5 and 72 of the Law "On Pension Provision".
The source of payment of retirement pensions is the Social Security Fund. Social pensions are paid directly from the republican budget.
Retirement age in Belarus
According to the Law, from January 1, 2017, the generally established retirement age will be increased annually by 6 months until the age of men reaches 63 years old, and women reach 58 years old (in 2017, it is 60 years 6 months for men, and 55 years 6 months for women). The age for the appointment of early retirement pensions will rise at the same rate.
A prerequisite for the realization of the right to an old-age labor pension and a long-service labor pension (Articles 11-13,15,24,47-49-2 of the Law) is the presence of work experience (other activity) with the payment of mandatory insurance contributions to the budget of the state extra-budgetary fund for social protection of the population of the Republic of Belarus (hereinafter - insurance experience). The insurance period annually from January 1 increases by 6 months until reaching 20 years. To assign a pension in 2017, it must be at least 16 years old, in 2018 - 16 years 6 months, in 2019 - 17 years, etc.
Living wage
From November 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017, the BPM on average per capita decreased and amounted to 174.52 rubles. However, a decrease in the BPM will not lead to a decrease in the size of pensions, benefits and other payments calculated from its size. According to the decree No. 726 of December 18, 2006 "On the calculation of social benefits", when assigning and recalculating them, the highest BPM value for the last two quarters is used.
In this regard, when recalculating from November 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017, various social benefits calculated from the size of the BPM, the highest BPM value for the last two quarters will be applied. In this case: in prices of June 2016 (175 Belarusian rubles 50 kopecks).
Pension size in Belarus
The minimum old-age pension is 45.96 rubles. (25 percent of the budget of the subsistence minimum per capita on average (Article 23 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Pension Provision")).
NPF in Belarus
In addition to the state, there are non-state pension funds in the Republic of Belarus. Their essence is that a working citizen pays certain funds to the fund, which later become the basis for its additional to the state pension provision for a long time period.
The fund's activity is to accumulate payments and investments of the funds received in the stock market. The income that the investments bring under the contract is distributed among the participants of the fund according to their contributions.
Pension reform in Belarus and the latest news
In Belarus, from August 1, the minimum labor and social pensions will increase, which are tied to the size of the BPM. Let us recall that from next month this figure will rise to 197.57 rubles.
In addition, from August 1, allowances, increases to pensions and additional payments to Belarusians 75 years of age and older, who receive pensions in labor, employment and social protection agencies, as well as benefits for caring for a disabled person of group I or for a person who have reached the age of 80, will increase.
The minimum labor and social pensions are revised once a quarter; they change along with the subsistence level budget.
Minimum pension- the state-guaranteed pension payment is determined by law and differs depending on the category of recipients.
The state pension system existing in the Republic of Belarus is clearly structured by law. All pension payments differ by category of recipients, depend on their seniority and other merits, as well as the degree of disability, the availability of other sources of income. The determination of the amount of pensions is carried out in accordance with the standards enshrined, in particular, in the Law "On Pension Provision". For each type of pension, a minimum amount is established, as a rule, representing a certain percentage of the subsistence minimum.
It should be understood that the minimum pension is not a fundamentally new benefit, but the lower limit of the pension benefit in a particular category.
Thus, the minimum labor pension is assigned in cases where the volume of insurance payments during the period of employment does not allow the pension to be charged above the minimum specified by law. The same applies to the accrual of labor or loss of the breadwinner.
The starting point for calculating pension minimums is the size and the minimum, which, in turn, is also calculated from the value of the subsistence minimum.
For labor pensions, the minimum value is 25% of the maximum per capita budget of the subsistence minimum for the two past quarters (Article 23 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Pension Provision").
The amount of the minimum disability pension is determined depending on the group:
- For the first and second groups 100%, for the third - 50% of the minimum old-age pension. (for mothers of heroines - 100% for any group of disabilities)
- The minimum amount of labor is 100% of the minimum old-age pension. The same pensions for orphans are doubled (in the absence of a monthly insurance payment due to the death of a parent).
- The minimum seniority pension is equal to the minimum old-age pension.
The minimum retirement pensions assigned to the minimum amount are subject to an additional payment of 20% of.
The minimum pensions are supplemented by allowances for caring for disabled people on a general basis.
The increase in the size of the minimum pensions is regulated by the state in connection with the increase in the subsistence minimum budget. To illustrate the dynamics of the growth of minimum pensions in 2014-2019, you can consider the relevant statistics for the city of Minsk.
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