Uzbekistan to launch new state social insurance system from January

According to the Ministry of Justice, the reform is set out in the presidential decree “On measures to improve the system of assigning and paying state social insurance benefits”, signed on November 3.

Under the new system, citizens will be covered by state social insurance under the following conditions:

• Mandatory coverage – financed through a portion of personal income tax revenues as determined by the annual Law on the State Budget of Uzbekistan.
• Voluntary coverage – by paying a monthly insurance contribution of at least 5 percent of the minimum wage.

Payments under state social insurance will be made through the State Social Insurance Fund under the National Agency for Social Protection, in proportion to each citizen’s minimum insurance record and paid contributions.

The following benefits will be assigned and paid proactively through the Fund:

• From January 1, 2026 – maternity and childbirth benefits;
• From July 1, 2026 – temporary disability benefits.

In addition, starting January 1, 2030, severance benefits will also be assigned and paid through the Fund based on citizens’ applications.

It should be recalled that on October 29, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed proposals on improving the social insurance system.

According to these proposals, benefit amounts will depend on the employee’s work experience. Under both the current and the new systems, employees with up to eight years of service will receive benefits equal to 60 percent of their salary, while those with more than eight years will receive 80 percent.

The proposed rules also stipulate that the minimum insurance record required to qualify for benefits will be six months. If the period of illness exceeds 11 weeks, the benefit amount will be reduced by 10 percentage points. Meanwhile, preferential categories – such as employees with four or more children under the age of 18 or with a child with a disability – will receive a 20 percentage point increase.

In addition, it was proposed to set the maximum income considered for benefit calculations at UZS 12,710,000 (equivalent to 10 times the minimum monthly wage).