[1] He graduated from Chelyabinsk Lenin Komsomol Memorial Polytechnic Institute with a degree in engineering and economics in 1980.

[1] He received a PhD in economics from the Institute of Economy [ru] of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union in 1986.

[1] Pochinok was the head of the state tax service from 1998 to 1999,[1] and Boris Fyodorov replaced him in the post.

[8][9] Pochinok's term lasted until 2004[7] and Mikhail Zurabov succeeded him as minister of social development in March 2004.

His second spouse, Natalia Gribkova, was his student and Russia’s light athletics champion, who was 20 years younger than him.