"Pensions": Registration and payment of contributions are the responsibilities of employers

The General Pension and Social Security Authority said that registration and contribution on behalf of the insured are the responsibilities of the employer, and that fines arising from violating any of the rules of these operations will entail the responsibility of the employer, although this does not exempt the insured from the importance of ensuring that he is registered and contributed for.

The IA explained that it is always keen to raise awareness of all practices that harm the interests of the insured and their families, as well as to clarify the violations resulting from these practices, in order to avoid employers from bearing more additional obligations that can be avoided with more awareness and knowledge of the law, stressing that employers are partners in the success of the insurance work system in the country.

She pointed out that during 2022, the Authority's Inspection Department carried out about (135) visits to employers, including periodically planned and surprise visits, with the aim of verifying that employers apply the provisions of the law regarding registration and payment of contributions for the insured, as well as raising awareness among employers about the rules related to the registration process, payment of contributions for the insured and other insurance affairs.

The Authority said that the results of these visits revealed some violations, the most important of which are the failure of employers to register for some of the insured, failure to participate for others, charging some of them more than the percentages due to them according to the law, paying contributions on inaccurate wages, and not codifying the employment relationship and its clarity appropriately.

It indicated that the delay in the payment of contributions on time, which are considered payable from the beginning of the month following the month for which they are due until the fifteenth day of this month, entails the payment of an additional amount of (0.1%) of the contributions due for each day of delay.

Failure to contribute on behalf of the insured shall result in the employer being fined five thousand dirhams for each employee, and the same fine if he deducts contribution rates from the employee higher than the percentages due from him in accordance with the provisions of the law.

The Authority pointed out that the payment of the insured's contributions on unreal wages or non-payment of them for some employees costs the employer to pay an additional amount of (10%) of the value of the contributions due from them.

She stressed that deliberately refraining from giving the data stipulated in the Pensions Law with the intention of obtaining funds from the Authority without right, or giving incorrect data to the Authority or its inspectors with the aim of not paying dues to the Authority, exposes the employer to a penalty that may reach imprisonment and a fine not exceeding five thousand dirhams, or one of these two penalties.