Can owners of sole proprietorships pay compulsory social insurance in Vietnam?

Can owners of sole proprietorships pay compulsory social insurance in Vietnam?

In Article 2 of the Law on Social Insurance 2014, there are regulations on subjects of application, including:

1. Employees being Vietnamese citizens shall be covered by compulsory social insurance, including:

a/ Persons working under indefinite-term labor contracts, definite-term labor contracts, seasonal labor contracts or contracts for given jobs with a term of between full 3 months and under 12 months, including also labor contracts signed between employers and at-law representatives of persons aged under 15 years in accordance with the labor law;

b/ Persons working under labor contracts with a term of between full 1 month and under 3 months;

c/ Cadres, civil servants and public employees;

d/ Defense workers, public security workers and persons doing other jobs in cipher organizations;

dd/ Officers and professional army men of the people's army; officers and professional non-commissioned officers and officers and technical non- commissioned officers of the people's public security; and persons engaged in cipher work and enjoying salaries like army men;

e/ Non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the people’s army; non- commissioned officers and soldiers on definite-term service in the people’s public security; army, public security and cipher cadets who are entitled to cost- of-living allowance;

g/ Vietnamese guest workers defined in the Law on Vietnamese Guest Workers;

h/ Salaried managers of enterprises and cooperatives;

i/ Part-time staffs in communes, wards and townships.

2. Employees who are foreign citizens working in Vietnam with work permits or practice certificates or practice licences granted by competent Vietnamese agencies shall be covered by compulsory social insurance under the Government’s regulations.

3. Employers covered by compulsory social insurance include state agencies, non-business units and people's armed forces units; political organizations, socio-political organizations, socio-politico-professional organizations, socio-professional organizations and other social organizations; foreign agencies and organizations, and international organizations operating in the Vietnamese territory; enterprises, cooperatives, individual business households, cooperative groups, and other organizations and individuals that hire or employ employees under labor contracts.

4. Persons covered by voluntary social insurance are Vietnamese citizens aged full 15 years or older and not defined in Clause 1 of this Article.

5. Agencies, organizations and individuals involved in social insurance.

The subjects defined in Clauses 1, 2 and 4 of this Article are below collectively referred to as employees.

And according to the provisions of Clause 24, Article 4 of the Enterprise Law 2020. There are provisions:

24. “executive of an enterprise means the owner of a sole proprietorship, a general partner of a partnership, chairperson or member of the Member/Partner Assembly, President of a company, President or member of the Board of Directors, Director/General Director, or holder of another managerial position prescribed in the company’s charter.

Thus, according to the above regulations in Vietnam, the owner of a sole proprietorship who receives a salary from the salary fund of the enterprise is still eligible to participate in compulsory social insurance. The social insurance contribution rate of this subject is also based on the monthly salary + allowance subject to social insurance payment.

Best Regards!