NSSF Midterm Payments to Start this Month

The National Social Security Fund will start paying eligible members for the Mid-term access on March 17, the Fund said in a statement, citing Section 20A (1), (2) of the National Social Security Act (2022).

Shs1 trillion has been earmarked for this exercise in 2022, with weekly payments of about Shs50 billion over the next five months to eligible members who have applied for the benefit.

Speaking at a media dialogue at the Kampala Serena Hotel, the NSSF Managing Director Richard Byarugaba noted that payment systems have been put in place.

“Today we have started receiving applications for qualifying members of the mid-term Benefit and I want to assure all NSSF members and Ugandans that we are more than ready to start paying out money to eligible members. As of March 1, 2022, we had 41,174 members eligible for these payments and in accordance with the regulations stipulated by the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development last week, a National ID, verifiable mobile phone number, verifiable bank account, NSSF Number, 1 e-photo is all that is required to finalize the verification and application process,” he said.

To streamline the process, the Fund has announced that applications can be made through mobile phone (on MTN and Airtel networks), online web platform and at different physical locations that include NSSF branches, selected employer premises and at Kololo Airstrip.

Payments will then be made either through a member’s bank account or mobile money channels.

Withdrawals of less than Shs3 million will be by mobile money as per the National Payments Systems Act 2020 and the National Payments Systems Regulations 2021, and a verifiable bank account for those with payments above Shs3m.

NSSF the payments will be made basing on the following guidelines:

• A member who is 45 years of age and above and has made contributions to the Fund for at least 10 years will be eligible to midterm access to his or her benefits of a sum not exceeding 20% of his or her accrued benefits.

• A member who is a person with disability, aged 45 and above, and has made contributions to the Fund for at least 10 years will be eligible to midterm access of a sum of 50% of his or her accrued benefits.

Furthermore, in line with the regulations for the NSSF (Midterm Access to Benefits) Regulations 2022, gazetted last week, eligible members for the benefit must have at least 120 monthly contributions with the Fund and may opt to apply for his benefits in installments agreed upon with the Fund.

“Beyond the support to ensure that members successfully withdraw their savings, we have also boosted our financial wellness program to enable our members to continue making the best decisions regarding investment of their hard-earned money. This is advised by our research that shows that only 2% of savers who withdraw their money go on to invest it in long-term projects while others fall back on hard times. We aim to ensure that we remain relevant to our savers at any stage of their journey with us,” said Byarugaba.

The NSSF Act 2022 was first presented to parliament in May 2018 and after various revisions was passed by parliament in November 2021, assented to by the President in January 2022 and gazetted as law in January 2022.

Other key provisions of the NSSF Amendment Act 2022 include:

• Expansion of social security coverage in Section 7(2) that states that every employer, irrespective of number employees contributes to the Fund

• Provision for introduction of new benefits in Section 8(1a) that states that the NSSF Board, in consultation with the Minister, by statutory instrument, prescribe additional benefits

• Contributions top-ups under Section 13 A (1) that states that a member can make voluntary contributions to the Fund over and above his standard contributions.