According to paragraph 1 of Article 207 of the Social Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, men retire at the age of 63 and women at 61. Many retirees do not continue working: they are entitled to pension payments. Previously, these payments could only be received once the retirement age was reached. However, in 2023, a law was adopted allowing for early withdrawal of pension savings from the UAPF — the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund. However, there are nuances. First, only the funds received from mandatory pension contributions (MPC) can be withdrawn. Second, the withdrawal is allowed only if the funds are planned to be spent for specific purposes.
How can you withdraw pension savings in Kazakhstan? How much money can be withdrawn from the UAPF (Unified Accumulative Pension Fund) and for what purposes?
What are pension contributions in Kazakhstan made up of?
Pension savings of Kazakhstani citizens who are officially employed according to the law consist of two parts:
State Pension
It includes two types of payments: the basic pension and the age pension:
Basic pension: Linked to the minimum subsistence level (46,228 KZT); in 2025, this ranges from 65% to 105% of the minimum.
Age pension: Equal to 60% of the average monthly salary over any three years of employment. However, there’s a limit: only income not exceeding 55 MCI (216,260 KZT) is considered.
Contributions to the UAPF (Unified Accumulative Pension Fund)
These are represented by three types of contributions: OPV, OPVR, and OPPV.
OPV (Mandatory Pension Contributions): Paid monthly. These contributions are made by the employer on behalf of each employee. OPV amounts to 10% and is deducted from the employee’s salary.
OPVR (Mandatory Employer Pension Contributions): These are relatively new, introduced on January 1, 2024. OPVR is paid from the employer’s income, not the employee’s salary. In 2025, the rate is 2.5%, with plans to increase gradually, reaching 5% by 2028.
OPPV (Professional Pension Contributions): Paid by the employer from their income for employees working in hazardous conditions. The rate is 5%.
These contributions are transferred to the pension fund monthly. When an employee reaches retirement age, a certain amount of pension savings becomes available. These savings are not paid out all at once but are distributed as monthly payments throughout the retiree’s lifetime.
How can you find out the amount of pension savings available for withdrawal in Kazakhstan?
Pension savings can be withdrawn either fully or partially.
Not all citizens are eligible for a full withdrawal. This privilege is available to:
Citizens entitled to a service pension, such as law enforcement officers or military personnel.
Citizens who have signed a pension annuity contract with an insurance company.
This contract allows for early withdrawal of pension savings. When can the money be withdrawn?
Men are eligible at age 55, women at age 52. To sign an annuity contract, a citizen must have a specific amount saved in their pension fund: 8.5 million KZT for 55-year-old men and 11 million KZT for 52-year-old women.
The contract can be signed starting at age 45, but payments will only begin from the age specified in the agreement.
Citizens who do not fall into the two categories above can only withdraw part of their savings. The amount depends on the minimum sufficiency threshold, which is determined based on the worker’s age according to a methodology approved by the Government. This threshold can be checked on the official website of the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (UAPF).
You can withdraw funds even if you haven’t reached retirement age — as long as the amount in your individual account exceeds the threshold.
For example, if a 45-year-old man has 8,000,000 KZT in his account and the sufficiency threshold for his age is 6,950,000 KZT, he can withdraw the difference — 1,050,000 KZT.
These funds can be used for the approved purposes — medical treatment or improving housing conditions.
If a person has already reached retirement age, the replacement rate is also taken into account. It is calculated as the total amount of pension payments divided by the average salary earned before retirement. If the result is 40% or more, the individual may withdraw the portion of their pension savings accumulated from mandatory pension contributions (MPC).
Keep in mind that you must upload documents to the platform that confirm the intended use of the funds. If you fail to meet the specified deadlines, the payment will be returned to the UAPF. To receive it again, you will have to go through the entire process from the beginning.
Today, Kazakhstan citizens have the option of full or partial early withdrawal of pension savings. However, there are limitations: the funds can only be used for medical treatment or purchasing real estate.
