Work in China
Social insurance for foreigners working in China
Social-insurance explainer
Start with the employing entity, city, work-authorisation status and any social-security agreement that may apply to your nationality and assignment.
China's social-insurance system is different from private medical insurance. Current official guidance states that foreign nationals who are lawfully employed in China under the covered employment arrangements participate in the public social-insurance framework, while local administration and bilateral agreements can affect the practical result.
Do not use a generic contribution percentage from another city or year.
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2. Identify the employment facts that determine the route
The useful questions are:
- Which entity employs me?
- Where is that entity registered?
- Where do I work?
- Do I hold the work authorisation required for the employment?
- Am I directly employed by a China entity or assigned from an overseas employer to a China branch/representative office?
- Does a bilateral social-security agreement apply to my nationality and assignment?
- Which period is being discussed?
National and Shanghai official guidance covers foreign employees and certain assigned employees working in China.
Do not infer that every foreign national physically present in China is enrolled in the same way. The employment relationship matters.
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3. Map employer and employee responsibilities
For a covered employment relationship, the employer usually owns the registration and payroll process.
Current State Council/Shanghai guidance states that employers or relevant China-based entities handle social-insurance registration for covered foreign employees and pay contributions with the employee according to the applicable rules.
As an employee, keep evidence:
- enrolment status;
- payslips;
- contribution deductions;
- social-insurance account or record information where available;
- employer contact responsible for corrections.
If the deduction shown on payroll does not match what HR has explained, ask for the local basis and contribution record.
Do not rely on HR alone where the question is whether an exemption or special agreement applies. Use the responsible social-insurance authority or the official agreement route.
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4. Check local implementation and bilateral agreements separately
Contribution bases, local rates and administrative channels can change by city and year.
That is why this page does not publish a universal percentage table.
For Shanghai, current official pages confirm participation for covered foreign employees and provide local orientation. Use the live Shanghai social-insurance route for current contribution handling.
A bilateral or multilateral social-security agreement can affect certain insurance obligations for eligible people. The State Council's current working-and-living guide lists several countries with agreements and notes that the exemption applies according to the relevant agreement and conditions.
Do not stop at “my country has an agreement.”
Check:
- whether the agreement is in force;
- which insurance categories it covers;
- whether your assignment/employment qualifies;
- certificate or evidence requirements;
- effective period;
- which authority accepts the exemption.
An agreement can exempt one category while leaving another unaffected.
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5. Keep records for job changes and departure
Your social-insurance history may matter after the job ends.
Keep:
- contribution history;
- employer records;
- account identifiers;
- any agreement/exemption certificate;
- benefit-related records;
- employment end date.
Shanghai's current 2026 pension guidance states that if a foreign participant leaves China before reaching the applicable pension age, the individual account can be retained so contribution years can accumulate if the person later returns to employment in China. It also describes an option, on written application and subject to the rules, to terminate the basic old-age insurance relationship and receive the individual-account balance.
Do not generalise that into “foreigners can withdraw all social insurance when leaving.” Different insurance categories and procedures need separate confirmation.
If changing employer, ask how the new employer will continue or update the record. If leaving China, coordinate the social-insurance question with tax, immigration and final payroll rather than treating it as an isolated refund task.