Reclaiming Your Chinese Pension Contributions?

[IAMBOG]

Has anybody ever done this or heard of someone who has?
http://www.beijingrelocation.com/blog/b ... sion-back/

[PsyGuy]

No one who ever had it work. The paperwork always takes longer than the departure time frame. You cant apply until you have actually ended employment which is the last day of your contract or when your IS will release you. You have three cycles of paperwork you have to wait to be processed, and much of it depends on how fast the IS is in processing the paperwork. Then you have the inevitable 'lost paperwork', most ITs would depart before they got paid, though you could exit and reenter on a tourist visa. I dont know an IS in China that would make the departing faculty pension contributions its top priority. In the meantime your IS is probably going to want you to vacate the housing, etc.

[wrldtrvlr123]

IAMBOG wrote:
> Has anybody ever done this or heard of someone who has?
>
> http://www.beijingrelocation.com/blog/b ... sion-back/
-----------------------------
Yes, we got money back when we left. I forget the exact details but our schools helped us fill out the paperwork before we left and then collected the money and deposited the funds directly into our bank account after we had already left China.

[PsyGuy]

@WT123

So would you say you really needed your ISs assistance in making it happen, beyond just getting the forms completed?

[wrldtrvlr123]

Well, since we didn't really have to do much I can't really say how difficult it would have been on our own. But, as you say, the timing could be difficult if papers need to be filled/filed after most teachers will have left the country.

I do know when we left Japan the first time and filed for a tax refund it took literally years (well around 2), many emails and forms filed and refiled and finally the friend of a friend that still lived in Japan (and spoke Japanese) to get our money. And that was in a country that is generally efficient and ethical (basically the opposite of China).

So, yeah, I would imagine it can be difficult. But probably worth a try if you can do it without throwing good money after bad.

[PsyGuy]

@WT123

A major factor would have to do with the situation you were leaving and the relationship with your prior IS.

How long did your return in China take and was it a significant amount (no need for identifying details)?

[wrldtrvlr123]

I honestly don't recall exactly. I want to say it came to us before the October after leaving and was somewhere between $500 and $1000 each (and we were there for two years). Something like that.

[IAMBOG]

Hey wrldtrvlr123, I have sent you a 'conversation.'

[wrldtrvlr123]

IAMBOG wrote:
> Hey wrldtrvlr123, I have sent you a 'conversation.'
---------------------------
I have re-conversated you.

For anyone else following this, to correct/clarify my earlier post on the subject, my wife actually corrected my memory on the issue today. We filled out some forms twice at school and then had to go to pick up the funds from a certain bank (not the usual bank the school used for payroll). It was a bit of a pain but it was all wrapped up before we left the country (although we did stay for 2+ weeks after school ended). The amount for one person was around 5000 rmb (give or take).

Another caveat was that this was in 2012 so they had just started requiring expats to pay into the system (and some schools were still holding out in hopes that they weren't going to be required to do this).