Clarification of some statements about the U.S. pension system. When the NetEase Education Forum recently talked about hot issues such as delayed retirement and the integration of pension systems, the relevant U.S. systems were often cited as evidence of international integration. However, I found that many of the references were just selective.

There are some things that are beneficial to me, some are just superficial, and the deeper protection factors are not mentioned, and some are even misinformation. I specially selected some to clarify in this article. At the end of the article, I also posted that I had been in Singapore.

A comprehensive introduction to the US pension system published by a publication for the reference of interested netizens.

First of all, when talking about the recent trends in pension system reform in developed countries in Europe and the United States, it is often mentioned that "extending the retirement age" is a consistent trend, especially the United States "preparing to extend the retirement age from 65 to 67 by 2027."

"wait.

The actual situation is that the United States has no hard and fast regulations on retirement age. The "65 years old" or "67 years old" mentioned above are actually only the ages stipulated for receiving the "full federal social security pension".

"Social Security Pension" does not have to be received at the age of 67, but can be received at the age of 62 five years in advance, but the amount received will be slightly discounted.

In order to encourage people to delay retirement, the U.S. government will increase the amount of Social Security pension you can receive every month for every year you delay retirement after the age of 67, but it cannot exceed the age of 72 at the latest.

If you are unable to work before the age of 62 due to health conditions, you can receive Social Security disability benefits; if your income is too low before the retirement age, you can also receive Social Security benefits. These important safeguards allow Americans to receive social security benefits.

The increase in the safe pension insurance age is not as "sensitive" as in China.

What's more, the Social Security Pension is only a portion of Americans' retirement income, and for many it's only a fraction of it.

Pension income in the United States mainly comes from three sources. In addition to the federal social security pension mentioned above, there are also employer pension plans and personal savings pension plans. The regulations of the latter two are different from those of social security pensions. First,

The money in the account belongs to you from the beginning. Secondly, you can withdraw it without penalty starting from the age of 59 and a half. You can withdraw it before that, but you have to pay taxes and penalties; you can withdraw it after that or not. If you withdraw it,

You only pay taxes, but you must withdraw it after the age of 70 and a half. For details, please refer to the following article titled "Detailed Explanation of the American Pension System."

The increase in the age for receiving full U.S. social security pensions is also related to the low ratio of U.S. pension insurance contributions to income.

In China, the per capita contribution to pension funds accounts for 28% of the monthly salary, while in the United States the figure was 6.2% in 2014. Employers must pay the same amount, and Americans only need to pay the security pension tax on the first 117,000 of their annual income.

The excess income will not be paid.

The lack of controversy over changes in the U.S. Social Security pension tax rate and pension age also stems from the fairness and transparency of the system.

First of all, social security taxes are levied equally. Ordinary people, civil servants, and even the President of the United States all have to pay the same rate. As long as they have income, they must pay in proportion. No one is exception.

Secondly, the number of social security pension benefits received is only linked to tax points, and it has nothing to do with whether you are a civil servant, official, president, or an ordinary citizen. The more tax points you pay, the higher the security benefits you will receive in retirement, but there is a maximum upper limit.

People with low points will receive less, and those without tax points will not receive social pensions.

In addition, the social security taxes paid by Americans are earmarked and used transparently. Taxpayers have the right to supervise where they come from and where they go. Therefore, everyone knows the operation of this part of the money, and it is easy for taxpayers to understand if adjustments need to be made.

and acceptance.

Finally and most importantly, whether it is the adjustment of the Social Security pension tax rate or the increase in the pension age, neither the government can have the final say in the United States. It requires citizens to vote for the final legislation to be passed by Congress. Not only taxpayers have a say, but also the U.S. Congress.

Councilors are also elected, so no matter what the outcome is in the end, it will be relatively easy for taxpayers to accept it.

As mentioned before, social security pensions are only a part of the pension income in the United States. For many people, it is even a small part of it. However, since this part is for the whole society, it must be paid attention to in terms of collection and benefits.

Treating everyone equally, the focus of many domestic disputes is that civil servants are included in the social security system without paying pension insurance. This is actually a kind of system injustice. Obviously, pension payments and benefits are not aligned, and delaying retirement is "raising the rich from the poor."

In the United States, the income of civil servants is relatively low, but the social security retirement pension contributions and benefits are the same as those of other Americans. Therefore, employers often launch some relatively good employer retirement plans to make up for it, so as to make the position of civil servants more attractive.

Attractiveness, otherwise no one would apply.

But as shown below, the employer plan does not give you money, but usually you deposit it yourself and the employer follows up. Coupled with government tax incentives, the entire operation is a complete and complex system, but the basic points are fair and transparent. Details

Please refer to the following for the situation.