Self-Employed Persons

A Self-Employed Person is a person gainfully occupied in self-employment in Belize who is not an employed person.  The categories of persons may include but are not limited to:

• Professionals, Proprietors,
• Farmers, Fishermen,
• Taxi Drivers, Street Vendors & Traders,
• Technicians, Tour Operator,
• Housewives/House Husbands, or
• Other persons who offer their skills and service for pay and are not subject to the general direction and control of the recipient of the service.

To Register:

Registration is completed in person at the any SSB Branch Office.

Required: 

• Must provide a valid Social Security Number.
• Must be in possession of a valid social security card indicating that such card is “Valid for Employment”.
• Provide evidence of proof of address in Belize.

To be eligible, you must be:

• Between the ages of eighteen and sixty years;
• Ordinarily resident in Belize;
• Gainfully occupied in self-employment in Belize and not as an employed person, and has opted to join the Social Security program.

Upon registration, you are provided with a unique registration number separate to be used for all future transactions and correspondence with the Social Security Board. Persons will be informed by email whether their application has been accepted along with the contribution amount that is to be paid.

Contributions

Selecting a Weekly Income:

Self-employed persons will be asked to select and declare a weekly income on which contributions will be paid.

• The weekly declared income cannot be a fraction of a dollar.
• The weekly contribution amount to be paid is seven percent (7%) of the declared weekly income.

At the time of registration, self-employed persons:

• Between ages eighteen (18) and fifty (50) years may select between the range of $55.00 and $320.00 weekly;
• Between ages fifty-one (51) and sixty (60) years may select between the range of $55.00 and $200.00 weekly.

The table below is a summary of the Contribution and Benefits Schedule for Self-Employed Persons.

Updating the Weekly Income

• Self-employed persons will not be able to change their last declared insurable income after age 54.
• Self-employed persons may elect a new weekly insurable income for each year but only as an increase or decrease of $50.00 for the subsequent year. This change is only allowed during the month of January of each year and shall be valid for the whole contribution year.

Failure to Select a Weekly Income:

A self-employed person who fails to select a weekly income within the deadline for any contribution year, and where they had previously elected a weekly income in the contribution year immediately before the year in which the failure occurred, then the weekly income they had selected prior will continue to be used.

Self-Employed Payments 

Contributions payable for the month must be paid within 14 days after the end of each month.  of the month for the number of weeks in the previous month. Every self-employed person shall, must ensure that their contributions are not paid more than 14 days after the end of each calendar month.

Start Date:

• Contributions payments commences on the first Monday following your date of registration to join the self-employed program.
• Retroactive payments prior to your start date or any advance contribution payments are not allowed.

Exceptions:

• No self-employed payments should be made after the age of 60.
• Contribution payments should not be made during any period in which the self-employed person is either (a) receiving any SSB benefit (with the exception of survivors’ benefits) or (b) the person is liable to pay contribution as an employed person.

Note: Failure to make contribution payments within the deadline may result in loss of short term benefits and/or injury benefit.

Benefits

A self-employed person must pay 26 contributions under the Self-Employed Program  immediately before in order to qualify for short and long term SSB benefits providing the qualifying conditions for the benefit type is met.

• Coverage for employment injury benefit is restricted to the declared trade, business, or profession.
• Contributions under the self-employed program also helps to prevent any breaks in your contribution history.
• If contribution payments are interrupted, the self-employed person will be required to re-qualify for benefits.

Note: Failure to make contribution payments within the deadline may result in loss of short term benefits and/or injury benefit.

Termination of Self-Employment

What Happens if You Return to Work:

• If you should return to work as an employed person, you must inform the Social Security Board within twenty-four (24) hours of being an employed person.
• A temporary closure update of your registration record as a self-employed person is required.
• The Social Security Board will advise you to cease self-employed payments, as your new Employer will then be responsible for payment of contributions on your behalf as an employee.
• Informing SSB helps to avoid paying for periods that you are not earning an income or during which you are working as an employee.

If you decide permanently terminate your self-employment, you must inform the Social Security Board within twenty-four (24) hours of termination.  A permanent closure update of your registration record is required as a self-employed person

Other Obligations

• Check your contributions history yearly.
• Update your personal registration information whenever there is a change.
• Report and present legal, original, and valid documents relating to any change.
• Keep an Accident Book to record details of injuries suffered as a result of and arising from the performance of your declared trade, business or profession.
• Report accidents at work to any Social Security office within twenty-four (24) hours after the accident has occurred.
• Claim a refund of overpaid contributions, when necessary.
• Claim for your benefits within the prescribed deadlines.
• Present all required documents for your claim; this speeds up the process.
• Appeal if you are not satisfied with the decision made regarding the outcome of your benefit claim.