The role of the State Social Insurance Fund in the social support of families with children

A close-knit and close-knit family is an indispensable support and backbone for any person. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, the number of births increases every year. In 2021, 446 thousand children were born, which is 4.6% more than in 2020. Was the statistics related to the provision of social support by the State? 

In Kazakhstan, social support for families with children is provided comprehensively from the state budget and the State Social Insurance Fund (SSIF), depending on the parents' employment. 

Today, at the birth of a child, one of the parents, regardless of employment, receives a state childbirth allowance from the budget, the amount of which is 38 MCIs for the first, second and third child, and 63 MCIs for the fourth or more children. 

At the same time, non-working mothers receive monthly state benefits for the care of a child up to one year from the budget, the amount of which depends on the order of birth of the child.

 As for working women, in order to protect their interests, social insurance for maternity and childhood has been introduced in Kazakhstan since 2008.

In accordance with the Labor Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, women are entitled to maternity leave at their place of work. After registration of such leave, the future mother applies for social benefit for loss of income due to pregnancy and childbirth from SSIF. 

The size of this payment depends on the average monthly income of a woman, from which social contributions were received for the last year. In the current year, about 168 thousand women received this payment in the amount of 115 billion tenge. 

After the birth of a child, one of the parents can apply for a social benefit for loss of income due to care for a child under one year of age from the SSIF. The amount of the payment is 40% of the average monthly income for the last 2 years before the date of birth.

In the current year, about 200 thousand people received such benefit in the amount of 114 billion tenge. 

Thus, working parents receive higher social payments than non-working parents.

As part of the Head of State’s Address of 1 September 2022, it is planned to increase the period of child care benefits from one year to one and a half years. Please explain in more detail what changes are expected from this benefit.

In order to increase the level of social support for motherhood, the period of social benefit for childcare will be extended from one year to one and a half years from 1 January 2023.

At the same time, the benefit from the SSIF will be assigned to persons for whom social contributions were received for at least 6 months in the last 24 months before the birth of the child. Participants who do not have the minimum required length of service - 6 months - will be assigned a state child care allowance until the child is one and a half years old from the budget.  

It is also provided that when resuming employment, the social payment will not cease, but will continue at the level of similar state benefits.

Young mothers usually try to go to fewer public places. What are the options for applying for benefits from the SSIF? 

For a family with a new baby, of course, there are a lot of worries. The development of digital technologies in government agencies and the successful automation of the processes of assignment of social benefits allowed to optimize the processes of public services in order to improve their quality and accessibility to the population. 

Thus, electronic services are actively developing. For example, you can apply for a maternity benefit through the portal egov.kz, and for a child care payment up to 1 year through the portal egov.kz or mobile applications of second-tier banks.

The services provided in a proactive format, which provide for a citizen's request without requesting anything, are becoming particularly popular; it is sufficient to give your reply-agreement to the received SMS message to exercise the right to receive a service.

As of today, social benefits for all types of social risks are available to citizens in a proactive format.    

On the instructions of the head of state, the introduction of the Digital Family Card (DFC) began in pilot mode on September 1, 2022.

In essence DFC: 

- is a daily "electronic notifier" of citizens' rights to receive one or another type of guaranteed state support, depending on their social status; 

- and another new tool for the proactive format of state services. That is, the state, through the information system, will itself offer a citizen to receive this or that type of state support, without the need to go to the appropriate authorities. 

This not only allows today to form a social portrait of the region and the country as a whole, but also to increase the efficiency of the use of the state budget and SFCS funds allocated for the implementation of social protection measures. 

At the same time, the population can apply for payments by the traditional method through the CSC.

In general, in Kazakhstan, state support for families, mothers, and children is one of the main priorities of social security. 

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone on Family Day and wish everyone good health, peaceful skies, and prosperity.