Ministry of Justice holds workshop on social insurance law and executive regulations

The Ministry of Justice in cooperation with the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority and Qatar Foundation recently hosted an introductory workshop on new social insurance laws and regulations. Nouf Ali Al Mazrouei, a legal specialist from the Ministry, explained that the new legislation offers a balanced approach, safeguarding rights and obligations while ensuring financial stability for retirees and their families in cases of disability, old age, or illness.

The workshop covered mandatory participation in the system, which applies to all Qatari workers in the government, private, or self-employed sectors, as well as those in sectors exempt from labor law. Family members in private companies are exempt from participation. The law introduced an income bracket system for self-employed workers, allowing individuals to choose a contribution rate based on their estimated income, ranging from 21 percent.

Participants learned about the differences between actual and credited service periods, rules for calculating leave, secondments, scholarships, and training courses, and the bonus for service exceeding 30 years. This bonus, applicable up to a maximum of 10 additional years, is calculated based on the pension amount, with a maximum pension-calculation salary of QR 100,000 and a total bonus not exceeding 50 percent of contributions paid into the fund.

Dr. Mohammed Essam from the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority addressed attendees' questions, emphasizing the importance of raising legal awareness and continuous data updates through the authority's electronic application and digital portals before undertaking retirement procedures.