Confirming employment history: what to do if a period of work was not counted

People most often come with a question about confirming employment history after the authorised body has awarded a payment but excluded one or more periods of work from the calculation. The reasons vary: an entry in the employment record is incomplete, the employer has been liquidated, the archive has not been preserved, or an entrepreneur has no records of transferring mandatory payments. The person is facing the procedure for the first time and does not understand where to start or which papers are accepted at all.

The article examines when official confirmation of employment history is mandatory, how documents from before and after the introduction of personalised records differ, what to prepare in advance, and how to act when archives are lost. It separately considers the situations of individual entrepreneurs and those who worked under contract agreements, the procedure for applying to the authorised body, the timeframes, and the ways to challenge a refusal. At the end, it lists typical mistakes that lead to an application being returned or left unsatisfied.

Why employment history was not counted and when official confirmation of employment history is needed

A refusal to count employment history is linked to defects in primary documents or gaps in record data. A period will not be accepted if the employment record book does not refer to an order, the organisation or position is stated incorrectly, or there are uncertified corrections. Another reason is that the employer did not submit information to the mandatory social insurance system or ceased operations without transferring documents to an archive.

Official confirmation is not always required, but only at the request of the authorised body if an entry raises doubt or the period is not reflected in electronic databases. If there are no issues, employment history is counted on the basis of the available information. The matter is decided individually after documents are checked and data is compared.

• a discrepancy between the entry in the employment record book and the employer's orders;
• the absence of information on contributions in the social insurance system;
• liquidation of the employer without transferring documents for storage;
• loss of archival documents as a result of emergencies;
• incorrect statement of the period or position in primary documents;
• a discrepancy between the data in the paper employment record book and electronic databases.

Which documents confirm employment history before and after the introduction of personalised records

Before personalised records, employment history is confirmed by entries in employment documents: employment contracts, hiring and dismissal orders, personal accounts, and payroll statements. The main document is an employment record book of the established form or a certified extract from it. Entries are made in chronological order, without corrections or erasures, with the full name of the organisation, the position, and the dates. If the employer is renamed or liquidated, certificates from the successor or an archival institution are additionally required.

After the introduction of records, employment history is confirmed by information from the accumulative pension system. The main document is a statement from the individual pension account: periods of work, amounts of mandatory pension contributions, and other information submitted by the employer. The statement is generated from data of the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund and the authorised body. Employment history in this period is confirmed primarily by individual record data, not by the paper book.

The list of documents for confirming employment history: what to prepare in advance

The source of information about employment determines where to send the request and which documents to attach to the application. It is convenient to build the list by origin of the source so as not to duplicate requests.

From the employer: employment contract, orders on hiring, transfer and dismissal, and a certificate of service confirming the periods and grounds. If the organisation has been liquidated, the information is requested from the archive or confirmed by other admissible evidence.

The information systems of the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund and the State Social Insurance Fund confirm the periods of payment of mandatory pension contributions and social contributions. The statements are compared with the employer's documents, and discrepancies are resolved through additional requests.

Below is an indicative list by source. It also serves as a basis for a request to the archive: the template is not universal, but the list of fields and details is repeated.

• Employment contract with all supplementary agreements.
• Orders on hiring, transfers and dismissal.
• Certificate confirming service from the employer or its legal successor.
• Statement of mandatory pension contributions and social contributions paid.
• Archival certificate or archival extract from the documents of a liquidated organisation.
• Other documents containing the dates and grounds of periods of employment.

The set of documents depends on the specific period and organisation; where discrepancies arise, the information is clarified through additional requests.

Confirmation of service where the entry in the employment record is incomplete or inaccurate

If the entry in the employment record is incomplete or inaccurate, service is confirmed by additional documents from the employer. The basis is primary accounting records: they are used to establish the periods of work and the position. An inaccurate entry does not rule out confirmation of service: it is resolved by documents containing the correct data.

A clarifying certificate of service is the main document. It states the periods of work, the position, the number and date of the hiring and dismissal orders, and the reason for the discrepancy with the entry. In addition, extracts from orders, personal accounts, payroll sheets and written explanations from the employer are submitted.

• Surname, name, patronymic of the employee, including former ones if they changed
• Period of work with exact dates of hiring and dismissal
• Name of the position and structural unit
• Numbers and dates of orders on hiring, transfer and dismissal
• Ground for dismissal with reference to a legal provision
• Information on the renaming or reorganisation of the employer

Confirmation of service upon liquidation of the employer: where to go in Almaty

Upon liquidation of the employer, service is confirmed by archival documents. First, the legal successor is identified: on reorganisation, the personnel records pass to it, and it issues the certificate. If there is no legal successor, the request is sent to the archive to which the documents of the liquidated organisation were transferred.

The archival certificate contains the periods of work, positions, hiring and dismissal orders, and grounds for dismissal. It is issued on the archive's letterhead indicating the fund, inventory, file and page numbers, and certified by signature and seal. Incomplete or contradictory data are confirmed by the archive in a separate certificate or clarified from the surviving documents.

The fate of an application is often decided not in the office but at the stage of collecting documents: one clarifying certificate from the archive carries more weight than a detailed explanation without it.

Confirmation of service where archival documents are lost: by witness testimony

If the primary documents are lost, length of service is confirmed by witnesses. Their testimony is used where the organisation's archive has not survived, the organisation has been liquidated, and there are no entries in the employment record book or they were made with irregularities. This method works if the loss was not the employee's fault and is confirmed by an archive certificate or by the liquidation of the employer.

Testimony is given by former colleagues who worked together with the applicant in the same organisation and during the same period. It is recorded in writing or taken during an interview by the authorised body. Witnesses state their details, the period and nature of the work performed together, the applicant's position, and attach their identity document and information about their own length of service.

• an archive certificate confirming the absence of documents, or confirmation of the employer's liquidation
• the applicant's employment record book and the insert to it
• written statements from two or more witnesses who worked together
• documents confirming the identity and length of service of the witnesses
• pay slips, orders, contracts and earnings statements for the disputed period
• other written evidence: trade union card, awards, records documents

How to confirm length of service for sole traders and persons who worked under work contracts

A sole trader does not conclude an employment contract, so confirmation of a sole trader's length of service is based on documents on the activity and payment of mandatory contributions to the budget. Periods of registration and actual conduct of activity are taken into account, as are periods of payment of social contributions. If no activity was conducted and no contributions were paid, the period will not count towards length of service.

For persons who worked under civil-law contracts, confirmation of length of service under a work contract relies on the contract itself, acts of completed work and proof of payment. Information on the transfer of mandatory payments is of key importance: if the customer withheld and transferred them on behalf of the contractor, the period is reflected in the individual pension account of the contributor. If there were no such transfers, length of service can be confirmed through court.

• civil-law contracts with acts of completed work
• a statement from the individual pension account with the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund
• information from the state revenue bodies on the payment of mandatory contributions
• receipts and payment documents on the transfer of social contributions
• tax reporting of the sole trader for the disputed periods
• the receipt for filing the notification of commencement of activity or a certificate of registration as a sole trader

Table: method of confirming length of service and the situation it suits

Where there is no entry in the employment record book or it was made with an irregularity, length of service is confirmed by other means. The legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan allows several methods, and the choice depends on whether the documents have survived and whether the organisation is still operating. The main options are set out below: the table shows which source of information suits a particular situation.

Employer's documents are the primary source: the employment contract, hiring and dismissal orders, personal accounts, extracts from the staffing schedule. If the organisation is still operating, it issues certified copies at the employee's request. If the employer has been liquidated, the documents are transferred to an archive, and an archive certificate is then required.

• Employment contract, orders, personal accounts — if the employer is still operating and has kept the documents.
• Archive certificate — if the organisation has been liquidated but the documents were deposited with an archive.
• Statement from the accumulative pension system — for periods of payment of mandatory pension contributions.
• Witness testimony — where documents are lost and cannot be restored.
• A request to the archive or to the legal successor — where the exact place where the documents are kept is unknown.

The methods can be combined: for example, an archival certificate and records from the accumulative system together cover different periods.

Applying to the authorised body to confirm employment history: procedure and timeframes

An application to confirm employment history is submitted to the authorised body for employment and social programmes, or through a branch of the State Corporation "Government for Citizens" at the place of residence. The grounds are entries in employment records that raise doubts with the body awarding the payment, or the loss of such documents. Applications may be made in person, by post, or through the e-government portal.

Documents on periods of work are attached: an employment contract, extracts from orders, personal accounts, payroll records, certificates from archival institutions, and records of social contributions from the State Social Insurance Fund. If the organisation has been liquidated, the request is sent to the archive at its location. The list depends on the situation and the period.

• An application stating the periods to be confirmed
• An identity document and IIN
• An employment record book or a written employment contract
• Certificates from archival institutions and extracts from orders
• Records of wages: personal accounts, payroll records
• Documents confirming a change of surname, first name or patronymic where they do not match

Refusal to confirm employment record: how to challenge it and what to attach to the complaint

If confirmation of your employment record is refused, the first step is to obtain a written reasoned decision stating the legal provision and the missing documents. Oral explanations have no legal effect: in a complaint and in court only what is recorded on paper can be relied on. Request the decision by letter, or review it in person and take a copy.

The complaint is filed through the body that took the decision: that body forwards it together with the case file to the superior body. Under the Administrative Procedural Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, pre-trial appeal is mandatory — you may apply to court only after the superior body has considered the complaint. Attach a copy of the refusal and the documents that contradict its conclusions. Do not miss the deadline for applying, and if it has expired for a valid reason, attach supporting documents. The superior body reviews both the decision and the procedure by which it was taken.

• the employment contract and written orders on hiring, transfer and dismissal;
• certificates of earnings and other payments for the disputed periods;
• statements of transfers of mandatory pension contributions;
• entries in documents confirming the nature and period of work;
• written explanations from former managers and colleagues;
• archival certificates and replies to requests about the organisation's activities.

Typical mistakes when confirming an employment record and how to avoid them

The most common mistakes when confirming an employment record relate to documents. A certificate of employment must state the basis on which it was issued (orders on hiring and dismissal), the organisation's details, the signature of an authorised person and the seal. A certificate without reference to the primary documents, or with corrections, raises questions with the body awarding the payment.

An incomplete set of documents is the second most frequent ground for refusal. An archival certificate does not replace the employment contract if it does not show the periods and positions, and where the employer's name has changed, a certificate on legal succession is required. Discrepancies in the spelling of full names, the dates of orders and the periods between documents are resolved through clarifying certificates from the archive or the employer.

• Check the full name, date of birth and periods of work in all documents.
• Check that the basis for issue is present: orders, personal accounts, archival extracts.
• Make sure the copies are certified and bear a seal and signature.
• If there are discrepancies, attach a clarifying certificate from the employer or archive.
• Record the date you received the refusal decision and the deadline for appealing.
• Keep the inventory of the documents submitted and the notification of registration of your application.