A Summary of the new 3-tier pension regime
Tier 1
Basic national social
security scheme
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Tier 2
Occupational or
work-based scheme
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Tier 3
Provident fund and
personal pension schemes supported by tax benefit incentives
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Legal Status
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Mandatory for formal sector
workers;
Optional
for self-employed workers
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Voluntary
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Governance
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National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) –the national
pensions regulator that oversees both the public (SSNIT) and other privately
managed schemes
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Social Security and National
Insurance Trust (SSNIT)
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Privately Managed by:
*Trustees
*Custodians
*Fund Managers
(licensed by the
Securities and Exchange Commission)
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Main Beneficiary
Targets
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Public and private
sector workers
in formal employment
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Informal sector
workers in particular and formal sector workers
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Pension Benefits
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*Full or Reduced Monthly
pension till age 75
*Invalidity Pension
*Survivors’ lump sum calculated
on 15 years contribution instead of 12years before
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Lump sum pay outs based
on accrued contributions
and returns on investment
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Qualifying Period
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15 years instead of
20years before
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Period of Contribution
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Eligibility
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*Retirement
*Voluntary Retirement
*Incapacitation
* Death
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*Retirement
*Termination of
service
* Death
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Contributions
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Employer – 13%, Worker – 5.5%
Total contribution to
1 & 2 tiers = 18.5%
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Voluntary
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13.5%
(2.5% levied to health insurance)
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5%
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Tax Exemption
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Total tax exemption on
contributions up to 35%
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Contributions up to
18.5%
(i.e. full exemption)
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Contributions up to
16.5%
(contributors to the 3rd
tier who do not contribute to the mandatory schemes will get full 35% tax exemption)
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General Comments:
o
The pension
law assures that future pension benefits under the 2nd and 3rd
tier schemes can be used as collateral for mortgage loans. In other words
workers can acquire their homes before retirement. However, it is not yet clear,
how this will be facilitated by the state and how it will be operationalized
between contributors and the various private pensions managers.
o
The new
law also claims enhanced benefits under the schemes than was possible under the
earlier pension schemes. This is true with respect to reduced qualifying period
and increased period used to calculate survivors’ benefit under the basic
pension scheme. With the second and third tier schemes, quality of fund management,
investment choices and market forces determine to a great extent what
pension is possible.
o
The new
law states that credits accrued in respect of contributions for past service
towards the 25% lump sum payment under the SSNIT scheme would be determined and
paid in an equitable manner. It is not yet clear how this is to be done.
In the pension
scheme that existed before the new law came into force, workers eligible for
pension received a onetime lump sum in addition to monthly pay outs from SSNIT till
age 75. Under the new law, workers will only receive monthly pay outs from
SSNIT. The law seems to be talking about the past contributions already made by
workers who were on the old SSNIT scheme towards the lump sum component of
their pension.
As the law takes root, these issues are bound to be
raised and cleared. I hope to update this summary as the coast gets clearer. At
present employers are feverishly doing their best to streamline existing
schemes with the new law and sort out the systems that need to be put in place
for the smooth management of the schemes.
Further information can be found on the NPRA website.
Further information can be found on the NPRA website.