Instructions for calculating social insurance benefits when taking maternity leave in Vietnam

Instructions for calculating social insurance benefits when taking maternity leave in Vietnam

Pursuant to Article 39 of the Law on Social Insurance in 2014 stipulating allowance levels of the maternity benefits as follows:

Allowance levels of the maternity benefits

1. For employees entitled to the maternity benefits as prescribed in Articles 32 thru 37 of this Law, the allowance levels shall be calculated as follows:

a/ A monthly allowance must equal 100% of the average of salaries of 6 months preceding the leave on which social insurance premiums are based. For employees who have paid social insurance premiums for only under 6 months, the allowance level under the maternity benefits specified in Article 32 or 33, Clause 2, 4, 5 or 6, Article 34, or Article 37, of this Law, is the average of salaries of the months for which social insurance premiums have been paid;

b/ The per-diem allowance for the case specified in Article 32, or Clause 2, Article 34, of this Law must equal the monthly maternity allowance divided by 24 days;

c/ The allowance level after childbirth or child adoption shall be calculated based on the monthly allowance specified at Point a, Clause 1 of this Article; in case of odd days or the case specified in Article 33 or 37 of this Law, the per- diem allowance must equal the monthly allowance divided by 30 days.

2. The maternity leave period of 14 working days or more in a month shall be regarded as a period of social insurance premium payment. During this period, employees and employers are not required to pay social insurance premiums.

Thus, the level of social insurance benefits when taking maternity leave is determined according to the following formula:

In case, the employee has not fully paid 06 months of social insurance, the maternity examination fee is determined as follows:

Who shall be subject to maternity benefits in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 30 of the Law on Social Insurance in 2014 stipulating coverage of the maternity benefits as follows:

Coverage of the maternity benefits

The maternity benefits covers employees defined at Point a, b, c, d, dd and h, Clause 1, Article 2 of this Law.

As regulations above, employees subject to maternity benefits in Vietnam are:

- 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;

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

- Cadres, civil servants and public employees;

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

- 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;

- Salaried managers of enterprises and cooperatives;

Is it permissible to take disciplinary measures at work upon female employees who are taking maternity leave in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 122 of the Labor Code in 2019 stipulating principles and procedures for taking disciplinary measures at work as follows;

Principles and procedures for taking disciplinary measures at work

1. Disciplinary measures against an employee shall be taken in accordance with the following regulations:

a) The employer is able to prove the employee’s fault;

b) The process is participated in by the representative organization of employees to which the employee is a member;

c) The employee is physically present and has the right to defend him/herself, request a lawyer or the representative organization of employees to defend him/her; if the employee is under 15 years of age, his/her parent or a legal representative must be present;

d) The disciplinary process is recorded in writing.

2. It is prohibited to impose more than one disciplinary measure for one violation of internal labor regulations.

3. Where an employee commits multiple violations of internal labor regulations, he/she shall be subjected to the heaviest disciplinary measure for the most serious violation.

4. No disciplinary measure shall be taken against an employee during the period when:

a) The employee is taking leave on account of illness or convalescence; or on other types of leave with the employer’s consent;

b) The employee is being held under temporary custody or detention;

c) The employee is waiting for verification and conclusion of the competent agency for acts of violations, stipulated in Clause 1 and Clause 2 Article 125 of this Labor Code;

d) The employee is pregnant, on maternal leave or raising a child under 12 months of age.

5. No disciplinary measure shall be taken against an employee who commits a violation of internal labor regulations while suffering from the mental illness or another disease which causes the loss of consciousness ability or the loss of his/her behavior control.

As regulations above, it is not permissible to take disciplinary measures at work upon female employees who are taking maternity leave in Vietnam.

Best regards!