Many of us are used to thinking of work experience as "years spent in the employment record book." But when it comes to applying for a pension, it turns out that experience can be different: general and insurance. Let's break down exactly how your university years and first job affect future payouts.

If you studied full-time, these years are, by law, included in your general work experience. This is important for calculating the pension amount, but there is a nuance: this period does not count toward insurance experience. Why is this important? Because insurance experience is the foundation that gives you the right to receive an old-age pension. These are the periods when contributions were made to the FSZN on your behalf (or by you).

Quite another matter is work by assignment. This is full‑time employment with a contract. Since during this period the employer officially pays contributions to the FSZN for you, the time worked is fully counted toward insurance experience. To retire on an old-age pension under the standard conditions, you must meet two criteria:

• General experience: at least 25 years for men and 20 years for women.
• Insurance experience: at least 20 years (periods of actual contributions to the FSZN).

Reminder: the retirement age in Belarus is 63 years for men and 58 years for women.

Life varies, and it’s not always possible to accumulate the required 20 years