1. When, for whom and for what purpose were special social benefits introduced?
From January 1 of this year, in Kazakhstan, on behalf of the Head of State, in order to increase the social security of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan, foreigners and stateless persons permanently residing in the country, employed in hazardous working conditions, a special social benefit has been introduced, which will be carried out through the State Corporation “Government for citizens."
Employers transfer compulsory occupational pension contributions for workers whose professions and activities are included in the List of industries, works, professions of workers engaged in work with hazardous working conditions and number more than 2 thousand items. Thus, special social benefits are available to workers employed in various sectors of the economy, including the mining and manufacturing industries and others. The condition for receiving special social benefits is that the employee reaches 55 years of age and has paid compulsory occupational pension contributions (hereinafter referred to as COPC) for a total of at least 84 months.
2. What are the requirements for assigning a special social benefit to those working in hazardous conditions?
Citizens of Kazakhstan, foreigners and stateless persons permanently residing in the country, employed in production with hazardous working conditions and wishing to receive a special social benefit will be assigned when:
- reaching 55 years of age;
- confirmation of payment of compulsory occupational pension contributions for the employee for 84 months (7 years);
- termination of work in jobs with hazardous working conditions or transfer to another job that excludes exposure to harmful production factors.
To receive a special social benefit, an employee must choose one of the following activity options:
- in agreement with the employer, arrange a transfer to another job in the same enterprise, unrelated to harmful working conditions;
- independently get another job outside the enterprise, unrelated to harmful working conditions;
- do not continue working.
3. What does the special social benefit consist of for persons employed in jobs with hazardous working conditions? How is it calculated?
1) A special social benefit for persons employed (working) in jobs with hazardous working conditions consists of:
- special occupational state allowance (appointed from the republican budget in the amount of two subsistence minimums (SM) and in 2024 amounts to 86,814 tenge (2 * 43,407));
- insurance benefit under a pre-retirement annuity insurance contract (assigned by the insurance organization in the amount of 1 PM, in 2024 - 43,407 tenge at the expense of insurance premiums for compulsory insurance of employees against accidents);
- occupational benefits at the expense of the employer (assigned in the amount of 1 SM, in 2024 - 43,407 tenge by the employer with whom the employee terminated the employment contract or entered into an additional agreement to the employment contract on changing working conditions);
- pension benefits generated at the expense of COPC and (or) CPC from the UAPF, subject to the consent of the above persons to receive them (the amount of pension benefits depends on the size of pension savings in the UAPF).
The right to a special social benefit arises if the employee stops working in jobs with hazardous working conditions or is transferred to another job that excludes exposure to hazardous production factors.
2) For persons not engaged (not working) in jobs with hazardous working conditions:
- special occupational state allowance;
- pension benefit generated at the expense of COPC and (or) CPC from the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund, subject to the consent of the above persons to receive them.
At the same time, persons who are no longer employed (not working) in jobs with hazardous working conditions as of the current year 2024, who have reached the age of 55, in whose favor the COPC of a total of at least 84 months have been paid, to receive a special occupational state benefit at the expense of the republican budget and pension benefits from the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund, you must submit a corresponding application to the Public Service Center at your place of residence. In the application for receiving benefits you will need to indicate your consent to receive benefits from the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund.
4. What needs to be done to receive special social benefits for persons employed in work with hazardous working conditions?
To receive a special social benefit for persons employed (working) in jobs with hazardous working conditions, it is necessary to submit an application to the employer for transfer to another job that excludes exposure to harmful production factors, or for termination of the employment contract. Information about the transfer of an employee to another job that excludes exposure to harmful production factors, or about the termination of an employment contract from the employer is received in the information system of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Based on this data, a proactive service will be provided to assign all types of the above payments included in the special social benefit. In this case, consent to receive pension benefits from the UAPF at the expense of COPC and CPC or only at the expense of COPC will need to be confirmed by replying to the corresponding SMS message sent from number 1414.
Thus, the recipient of a special pension benefit, after submitting an application to the employer, does not need to contact the Public Service Center and UAPF to receive a special pension payment; it is enough to respond to an SMS message.
At the same time, persons who are no longer employed (not working) in jobs with hazardous working conditions as of the current year 2024, who have reached the age of 55, in whose favor the COPC of a total of at least 84 months have been paid, to receive a special occupational state benefit at the expense of the republican budget and pension benefits from the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund, you must submit a corresponding application to the Public Service Center at your place of residence. In the application for receiving benefits you will need to indicate your consent to receive benefits from the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund.
5. Up to what age can you receive special social benefits intended for persons working in hazardous working conditions? Will the amount of benefits change?
According to the Social Code, special social benefits for workers engaged in hazardous working conditions will be provided until retirement age and will cease after the pension is assigned.
The amounts of designated special social benefits for persons employed in production with hazardous working conditions, consisting of three sources (from budgetary funds in the form of a special occupational state allowance, insurance benefit and occupational benefit at the expense of the employer), will increase annually in proportion to the increase in the amount of subsistence minimum, and will be carried out until the generally established retirement age is reached.
The amount of monthly pension benefits from the UAPF will be calculated based on the amount of pension savings generated both from the COPC and from the CPC.
In this case, the size of the monthly pension benefit from the UAPF is determined by multiplying the amount of pension savings at the expense of COPC, CPC (if there is consent to receive them) by 6.5% and dividing by 12. Annually, pension benefits from the UAPF will be indexed by 5% and made until exhaustion of pension savings.
