Romania Pension 2026: What 15 or 25 Years of Work Gets You

Romanian pensions in 2026 continue to be calculated using a points system, with the value of the reference point kept at 81 lei, according to a Digi24 report. The final amount depends on the total points accumulated over a person's working life, not simply on the number of years worked.

To qualify for a state old-age pension, you must have contributed for at least 15 years and reached the legal retirement age. The full contribution period is 35 years, but many people stop earlier or work part-time, affecting their points.

Each month, your gross income is divided by the national average gross salary used for the pension budget, giving a monthly point score. These are added up for the year and divided by 12 to get an annual score. For example, if someone earns exactly the average salary every month, their annual score would be 1 point.

In a simple scenario where a person has an average of 1 point per year, 15 years of contributions give 15 points. With no stability points at this stage, the pension is 15 × 81 lei = 1,215 lei per month. That is below the social pension minimum of 1,281 lei, so the person would be entitled to a top-up to reach that level.

For exactly 25 years of contributions, no stability points are added. The pension would then be 25 × 81 lei = 2,025 lei per month under the same average salary assumption. Stability points are only granted for contribution periods that exceed 25 years, meaning people who work longer can boost their pension significantly.

The 25-year threshold is important because it marks the start of potential additional points. For every year beyond 25, extra fractional points are awarded according to the law, which encourages longer careers. However, actual pension amounts vary widely because not everyone has a 1-point average.

To estimate your own pension, you need to know your monthly point scores over your whole career, which are available from the national pension house.