On a sunny afternoon, three old friends, Uncle Wang, ** and Xiao Zhang, met in the small garden of the community. 
They sat on benches, chatting over tea. This year, 2024, is an extraordinary year for them, because there will be a major change in pensions. "Uncle Wang, have you heard? In October this year, pensions will be merged. * spoke, the first to break the silence. "Pension merger? What does it mean? Uncle Wang looked confused. Xiao Zhang explained with a smile: "The merger is to unify the pension system of enterprises and institutions, and simply put, the pension system within the system and outside the system should be merged into one. "Oh, that's a shame! Uncle Wang exclaimed, "Isn't that our pension going to be reduced?" * shook his head: "Not necessarily, although it is merged, the specific pension amount still depends on the individual's payment period, payment base and other factors." "What will happen to our pensions after the merger?" Xiao Zhang asked curiously. **After thinking for a while, he said: "After the merger, the formula for calculating the pension will change, and it is no longer simply determined according to the number of years of service. Instead, it will refer to the individual's payment period, payment base, payment ratio and other factors for comprehensive calculation. "Does this mean that the pension gap between the system and the outside system will be narrowed? Uncle Wang asked. 
Xiao Zhang nodded: "Yes, theoretically speaking, the pension gap between the system and outside the system will be narrowed after the merger, but how much it will be narrowed depends on the specific policy implementation." They continued to discuss in depth to understand the differences before and after the merger. ** checked the information and said: "Before the merger, the pension of employees in the system was determined according to the number of years of service, and the longer the working years, the higher the pension. Moreover, people in the system also have various subsidies and benefits after retirement, which is relatively generous. And people outside the system, especially our corporate retirees, tend to have lower pensions and larger gaps. After the merger, the calculation formula of the pension has become a basic pension + personal account pension, which will be more complicated. The basic pension part can be enjoyed by everyone, while the personal account pension depends on the individual's contributions. In this way, it is possible to narrow the pension gap between those within and outside the system. ”
However, after the merger, what factors will affect our pension level? Uncle Wang continued to ask. ** explained: "After the merger, there are two main factors affecting the level of pensions: one is the individual's contribution period and payment base, and the other is the average social wage level. The longer the payment period and the higher the payment base, the more personal account pensions will be; The higher the average social wage level, the higher the basic pension will be correspondingly higher. "Who will be affected the most after the merger? Xiao Zhang asked curiously. ** After pondering for a moment, he said: "After the merger, the people who will be most affected may be those who work in the system but have a shorter contribution period and a lower contribution base. Because after the merger, the calculation of the pension is no longer simply determined according to the number of years of service, but will refer to the individual's contributions. Therefore, if the individual's contribution period and contribution base are low, then their pension level may decline after the merger. "However, although the pension gap between the system and outside the system will be narrowed after the merger, in general, people in the system still get more than people outside our system." Xiao Zhang sighed. Uncle Wang also said with deep feelings: "Yes, although the pension system is merged, people in the system have other benefits, such as civil servants and occupational annuities as supplements, which people outside our system can't envy." ”
They continued to chat, hoping that the reform would go smoothly and that everyone would be treated fairly. At the same time, they also look forward to more policies in the future to further narrow the gap between the system and the outside system, so that everyone can live in a fairer and more harmonious society.