Social Insurance and General Healthcare System (ΓεΣΥ)

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Our blogs are regularly updated to ensure information is current and accurate.

author's portraitAndreas Nicolaou
7/27/2024

Every person working in Cyprus is required to pay contributions towards Social Insurance and the General Healthcare System (GHS or ΓεΣΥ). Social Insurance is where you get benefits from when you can't work in case of illness, disability, old age, etc. GHS gives you access to medical services, and every permanent resident of Cyprus can use it.

As an Employer

As an employer in Cyprus, you have several obligations regarding social insurance, GHS contributions, and other mandatory contributions for your employees which are calculated based on their salary. As of the 1st January 2024, the minimum monthly wage is €1,000 gross for full-time employees.


ContributionsPer Employee %
Social Insurance8.8%
General Healthcare System (GHS) 2.90%
Redundancy Fund1.2%
Human Resources Development Fund0.5%
Social Cohesion Fund2%

Registration

First, you need to register with the Employers' Register of the Social Insurance Services:


Steps
1Fill out the relevant application form (YKA 1-001).
2Submit it to any Social Insurance District Office or Citizen Service Centre to obtain your Employer Registration Number.
3Create an account on the SISnet platform to pay the contributions for your employees online.

Payment

These payments must be made by the end of the following month for which they are due.

For Example

Contributions for July 2024 must be paid by the end of August 2024.

Tip

Remember that as an employer, you are also required to create an account in the ERGANI platform, using your Employer Registration Number. Through the platform, you must inform the Social Insurance Services of any new hires, employee termination, and other relevant information.


Particularly, as an employer you should maintain a recruitment register, which includes personal information for each employee (serial number, name, ID card number, social insurance number, date of recruitment and date of commencement of employment).


As an Employee

As an employee in Cyprus, where the majority of the workforce is employed by others, it's important to understand how social insurance and GHS contributions work.

Social Insurance

The overall contribution to social insurance is 22.8% of your earnings. However, you don't cover the entire amount yourself. Contributions are divided as follows:

Social InsuranceSalary
Employer8.8%
Employee8.8%
State5.2%

General Healthcare System

Similarly, GHS contributions are divided between yourself, your employer and the state.

General Healthcare SystemSalary
Employer2.90%
Employee2.65%
State4.70%

Understanding Your Gross and Net Salary

Remember, employee contributions are deducted from your gross salary, not paid out of pocket. This means that, for example, when someone says they will pay you a gross salary of €1500 per month, 8.8% of that amount will be deducted for social insurance and 2.65% for GHS.

So on this example:

  • Gross Salary: €1500

  • Social Insurance (8.8%): €132

  • GHS (2.65%): €39.75

  • Net Salary: €1500 - €132 - €39.75 = €1328.25


If you have two jobs, you will be paying these contributions for both.You don't need to worry about making these payments yourself since your employer will take care of them for you.


As a Self-Employed

If you're self-employed in Cyprus, you are responsible for registering and paying your Social Insurance and GHS contributions yourself.

Social Insurance

The overall contribution to social insurance is 21.8% of your earnings, and it is divided between yourself and the state as follows:

Social InsuranceSalary
Self-Employed16.6%
State5.2%

General Healthcare System

Similarly, GHS contributions are divided between yourself and the state.

General Healthcare SystemSalary
Self-Employed4%
State4.70%

Registration

First, you need to register as self-employed with the Social Insurance Services:


Steps
1Fill out the relevant application form (YKA 1-008).
2Submit it to any Social Insurance District Office or Citizen Service Centre to obtain your Social Insurance Number.
3Create an account on the SISnet platform to pay your contributions online.

Earnings Calculation

For purposes of calculating the amount of your contributions, the state bases the calculation on your occupation.

For example:

If you're a shop owner, your estimated minimum weekly earnings are set at €413.22, which amounts to €1652.88 per month.


You can find a list of self-employment categories and their minimum weekly earnings below.


Occupational CategoriesMinimum Weekly Insurable Earnings
Medical Doctors, Pharmacists, Health Professional
- For a time period that does not exceed ten (10) years €443.45
- For a time period that exceeds ten (10) years€896.99
Accountants, Economists, Lawyers and other Professionals -
- For a time period that does not exceed ten (10) years €443.45
- For a time period that exceeds ten (10) years€896.99
Directors (Entrepreneurs), Estate Agents, Wholesalers€896.99
Teaching Professionals (University and Higher, Secondary, primary and Pre-primary, Special Education, Teaching Assistants) -
- For a time period that does not exceed ten (10) years €433.38
- For a time period that exceeds ten (10) years€866.75
Builders and other professions related to construction industry€544.24
Farmers, Dairy and Livestock Producers, Poultry Producers, Fishermen and related workers€302.36
Drivers, Excavator Operators and related workers €433.38
Technicians, Telecommunication Cooperators, Machine Operators€433.38
Clerks, Typists, Cashiers, Secretaries and other workers€433.38
Shop owners/supervisors (Including kiosks, hairdressers, barbers, beauticians)€413.22
Butchers, Bakers, Pastry-cooks, Meat, Dairy-, Fruit and tobacco products makers/preservers and related professionals€332.59
Street Vendors, Mail Carriers, Garbage Collectors, Mining / Stone labourers, Ships' Crews, Underwater Construction Specialists, Riggers and Cable Splicers and Sweepers, Services' Supervisors and Salespersons€302.36
Cleaners, Messengers, Porters, Cleaning Shop Owners€413.22
Draughtspersons, Computer Equipment Operators, Ships' Engineers, Agents and related professionals, Musicians, Magicians€443.45
Persons not classified in any other occupational category€443.45


If you earn less than the minimum amount set by the state, you can apply to have your contributions be based on your actual earnings instead. To do that, fill out and submit form YKA 1-017

to your local Social Insurance District Office.

Payment

Remember that you'll have to make these payments yourself every three months.

Dual Employment

If you are both an employee and self-employed at the same time, such as having a 9-5 job and a side hustle, you need to pay social insurance for both. Many people mistakenly think they don't have to pay for their side hustle if they already pay social insurance through their main employment, but this is incorrect.

Tip

Before starting a side hustle or any new venture, it's best to check with Social Insurance Services about your specific circumstances. Asking ahead of time can help you avoid legal issues in the future. While you can call them or even go there in person, it's better to send your questions via email. Having their written response can be helpful if any misunderstandings arise later on.

Rental Income

Rental income is not subject to Social Insurance contributions. It is however subject to GHS contributions. Regardless of the amount, rental income is subject to GHS at the rate of 2.65% of the gross rental income, and the payment method depends on whether the tenant is an individual or a company. GHS contribution on rental income only applies when the landlord is an individual, if the landlord is a company, they are exempt from paying GHS on rental income.

For Individual Tenants

Where the tenant of a property is an individual, the landlord must file a self-assessment and pay the GHS on the 30th of June for the first half of the year, and 31st of December for the second half of the year. Payments are made through the Tax Portal.

For Company Tenants

Where the tenant is a company or a partnership, GHS on rental income is withheld at the source at a rate of 2.65% of the gross rental amount. This means that the tenant is responsible for deducting this amount from the gross amount of rent and pay the GHS contribution to the Tax Authorities with Form IR614A on the 30th of June for the first half of the year, and 31st of December for the second half of the year. Once again, payments are made through the Tax Portal.

Dividend Income

Dividend income is also subject to GHS at the rate of 2.65%. Companies that pay dividends to their individual shareholders are required to withhold the GHS contribution from the dividends of their shareholders and pay it to the Tax Authorities. Companies must declare these using form TD603 and pay the GHS through the Tax Portal by the end of the month following the month in which the dividends were paid.

For example:

If the company paid dividends to its shareholders in July, they must make the relevant GHS payment by the end of August.

Miscellaneous

Social Insurance contributions are only calculated on an annual income up to €62,868. Any amount you earn over €62,868 will not be considered in these calculations.

For example:

If your annual income is €85,000, your Social Insurance contributions will be based only on €62,868 of your income.


Similarly, GHS contributions are capped at an annual income of €180,000 meaning that any amount you earn over €180,000 will not be considered in these calculations. Officers and Pensioners are also subject to a 2.65% contribution rate for the GHS. You can find more information on the GHS here.





Our blogs are regularly updated to ensure information is current and accurate.