Vietnam Social Security said that the salary used as a basis for social insurance contributions is not only the basis for determining the monthly contribution level but also directly affects all social security rights of workers, from sickness, maternity to retirement and death.
According to the 2024 Law on Social Insurance and Decree 158/2025/ND-CP, for people receiving salaries decided by enterprises, the monthly salary for compulsory social insurance contributions includes the salary level according to the job or title, salary allowances and other supplementary amounts paid regularly and stably in each salary period. This salary level is built according to the salary scale and table of the enterprise and clearly stated in the labor contract.
Salary allowances are intended to compensate for working conditions, complexity or labor attraction, but do not include changes in productivity and work quality. Other additional amounts must also determine a specific amount of money, be paid stably and not depend on work results.
The Social Insurance Agency recommends that employees carefully monitor the salary recorded in the contract and the correct and sufficient social insurance contributions as prescribed to ensure long-term benefits. This is also a mandatory legal responsibility of employers.
According to Article 72 of the 2024 Law on Social Insurance and Article 15 of Decree 158/2025/ND-CP, the average salary level used as the basis for social insurance contributions is a factor directly determining the pension level and severance allowances. For salary recipients decided by enterprises, the average level is calculated based on the entire period of social insurance contribution.
The law also stipulates that salaries that have been paid social insurance must be adjusted before calculating the average to ensure real value. For the non-state sector, the adjustment level is based on the consumer price index of each period; the adjustment coefficient is announced annually by Vietnam Social Security.
Currently, the whole country has more than 3.5 million people receiving monthly pensions and social insurance allowances. In 2024, the average pension from the Social Insurance Fund reached about 7 million VND/month (including the armed forces).
Data shows that the average monthly salary for social insurance contributions in 2024 of the administrative and non-business sector reached 6.936 million VND; the enterprise and cooperative sector reached 6.382 million VND, a difference of about 9%.
According to regulations, the maximum pension benefit rate is 75% when male workers contribute for 35 years and female workers for 30 years. However, the specific benefit level, whether high or low, depends directly on the salary used as a basis for social insurance contributions throughout the working process.
