The Ministry of Labor proposed introducing social contributions for the self-employed in 2026

As the newspaper notes, self-employed workers will be able to insure themselves against temporary disability by choosing an insurance amount of 35 thousand or 50 thousand rubles. Insurance premiums will amount to 3.84% of the amount, which is equivalent to 1,344 or 1,920 rubles per month.

Conditions of participation and termination of the agreement.

To participate in the program, you must submit an application to the insurer. If a payment is not made, the contract is terminated. A self-employed worker will be able to receive payments after six months of paying contributions. To do this, it is necessary to submit a notification through the “My Tax” mobile application, the bill says.

The amount of payment is established in accordance with the law on compulsory social insurance: 100% of average earnings for more than eight years of experience, 80% for five to eight years of experience and 60% for up to five years of experience. The maximum amount of the benefit will be 50 thousand rubles. per month (or 1,643.83 rubles per day), the minimum is 14.7 thousand rubles (483.28 rubles per day), it follows from the materials of the Ministry of Labor.

The Ministry of Labor also plans to introduce increasing and decreasing coefficients for insurance premiums. If no insured loss occurs within two years, premiums will be reduced by 30%. With significant sick pay, contributions can increase by 10%.

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Proportion of self-employed workers and interest in insurance

The proportion of self-employed workers is growing, but only 11% of them are willing to insure their temporary disability. The Ministry of Labor hopes that the new bill will increase interest in voluntary social insurance.

Associate Professor of the Financial University Alexander Safonov points out that in labor relations it is employers who are responsible for paying social contributions, since employees often cannot foresee the risks associated with the sudden loss of the ability to work. Employees are more focused on immediate increases in income than saving for unexpected situations, he said. He considers that the proposed measure is the correct alternative, but massive interest should not be expected.

Alexander Millerman, head of the Finance and Insurance Department of RANEPA, stressed that it will only be possible to evaluate the success of the program over time, comparing the situation with the introduction of compulsory automobile third-party liability insurance. In his opinion, the system can be adjusted over time, including the size of contributions and coefficients.

Marina Moskvina, director of the Department of Labor Market and Social Partnership of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, added that the Ministry of Labor’s proposals will help ensure access to social insurance for all workers, regardless of their employment status.