The contributions and benefits of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) are an important part of the welfare of the people of Guyana. The NIS program serves as social protection because payment of NIS contributions provides statutory entitlement to certain benefits for a worker and his or her family.
Guyana’s National Insurance Scheme (NIS) provides mandatory Social Insurance Coverage. Individuals between the ages of sixteen and sixty are eligible for coverage. These individuals must be employed in insurable work.
Insurance coverage is also available on a voluntary basis in Guyana to people who leave their jobs before reaching the age of sixty, until they reach that age.
Employed people outside of this age range who are insurable are also covered, but only for industrial benefits.
Self-employed contributors, on the other hand, are not eligible for industrial benefits.
The main NIS contact is the NIS Guyana Brickdam number: 225-2793–5. This is the contact number for NIS Guyana’s head office at Brickdam address at Brickdam and Winter Place, Stabroek, Georgetown. You can also contact NIS Guyana via email or any of the branches across the region. You can also follow them on the NIS Guyana Facebook page.
The employer and employee both contribute to the scheme through a “Payroll System.” The total contribution for employed contributors is 14% of the employee’s actual salary. This is calculated by deducting 5.6% of the employee’s pay and paying the remaining 8.4% on the employee’s behalf. For national insurance purposes, the actual wage is $280,000.00 per month, or $64,615.00 per week.
The contribution for self-employed individuals is 12.5% of their declared income. Voluntary contributors pay 9.3% of their insurable earnings over the previous two years of employment.
The Scheme currently provides for the payment of the following benefits in Guyana NIS, in three categories:
Here are the long-term benefits of Guyana NIS
Here are some Short term benefits of NIS Guyana
Let us take a look at some of these NIS benefits.
In Guyana, old age benefits are payable to insured persons over the age of sixty.
The weekly rate of the Old Age Pension is 40% of the relevant wage, plus an extra 1% for each group of fifty contributions in excess of seven hundred and fifty (750) contributions. However, the pension rate cannot be less than 50% of the current public service minimum wage or more than 60% of the average weekly insurable earnings.
The Old Age Grant is a lump-sum payment equal to one-twelfth (1/12) of the average annual insurable earnings for each group of fifty (50) contributions, whether paid or credited.
A payment of sickness benefit is to an insured person who is temporarily unable to work for reasons other than an employment injury.
Following the completion of the Medical Certificate by the Doctor, the Insured Person submits a claim for Sickness Benefit by completing Form B700F6 SB R0 (Form SB6).
Insured employees complete Form B700F1 SB R0 and submit it to National Insurance along with Form SB6. Self-employed people, on the other hand, must fill out Form B700F1 MC R0.
To receive medical care under the Sickness Benefit, the insured person must complete Form SB6A and have his employer complete Form SB1. Take these, along with all receipts and a medical certificate, to the nearest National Insurance Office.
Use Form OAB1 to file an Old Age Benefit Claim. Submit this form, as well as the insured person’s birth certificate, social security card, and national identification card, to the nearest National Insurance Office.
Here is a list of forms that you can download for free to make you NIS claims:
Click the links to download:
The qualification criteria for the various NIS benefits are as follows:
To be eligible for an old age pension in Guyana, the insured person must have:
• Paid with at least seven hundred fifty contributions.
To be eligible for an Old Age Grant in Guyana, the insured must have:
» The Fast and Easy Way to Open a US bank account in Guyana
In order to be eligible for the sick benefit in Guyana, the insured person must have: been embroiled in insurable employment prior to the day on which incapacity began.
Paid at least fifty (50) contributions since enrolling in insurance.
Been employed and paid Contributions for at least eight (8) Contribution Weeks in the thirteen (13) Contribution Weeks preceding the week in which incapacity began.
To qualify for Receiving Sickness Benefit Medical Care, it is the same as the Qualifying Conditions for Receiving Sickness Benefit.
However, if the Claim is for reimbursement of the cost of providing Orthopedic or Prosthetic Appliances, the Insured Person is not required to demonstrate that he was unable to work.
Insured People aged sixteen to sixty years old are eligible for the benefit. There is an exception, however, for people receiving Invalidity and Old Age Benefit. That person must demonstrate a history of the particular medical condition prior to receiving Old Age Benefit or Invalidity.
Women are the recipients of maternity allowance in Guyana. The qualifying conditions include:
• Payments of not less than fifteen (15) contributions since her entry into insurance
• Has been engaged in and paid contributions for insurable employment for at least seven (7) contribution weeks in the twenty-six (26) contribution weeks preceding the week in which benefit is claimed.
The Maternity Grant in Guyana is payable to:
• Any insured woman who meets the above conditions is eligible for a Maternity Grant in Guyana.
•A woman whose spouse is an insured person and has met the contribution requirement.
To check the status of your NIS Guyana contributions online, you must create a user account. You can also view all the previous schedules you submitted online, as well as view the schedules in an easy-to-read format. To set up the NIS account, you enter a username, a valid email address, and a unique password. All emails from the NIS Guyana system will go to this email address. There are some additional fields that you must fill out, including your full name, date of birth, NIS number, and so on. Submit the form to create the account. When NIS finishes processing the account data, you can check your NIS contribution online using that account.
Answer these Questions in the Comment section
2. How to calculate NIS in Guyana?
3. How do I get a NIS number in Guyana?
