SOCIAL SECURITY AND NATIONAL INSURANCE TRUST
Membership

Membership of the SSNIT Pension Scheme is open to workers in both private and public sectors. Only Officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces and Categories of persons explicitly stated by the 1992 Constitution of Ghana are expressly exempted. The scheme is also optional for the self-employed.

Employer’s Obligation

The employer who has taken on employees to work is under strict obligation to register all workers and deduct and pay contributions on their behalf. Contribution payments should be accompanied with contribution reports at the end of every month. Contribution reports indicating which member is being credited with what contribution must be submitted whether contributions are paid to the Trust or not.

Payment of contributions to SSNIT should be done not later than the 14th day of the ensuing month as late payment will attract penalty.

The employer should keep proper records of all Social Security numbers and personal records of workers and notify SSNIT of change of labour force, location, status or cessation of operation. The employer should further, keep accurate records with regard to workers and their remunerations. The employer should release all such information and documents for inspection when required to do so by an accredited officer of the Trust.

Employee’s Obligation

Workers in Ghana are obliged to contribute to the SSNIT Scheme during their working life in order to receive monthly pension during retirement or when incapacitated. Upon the demise of the contributor, his/her nominated persons will receive the survivor’s benefit in cash.

Every worker is to ensure that he/she is registered under the scheme and issued with a membership number (Social Security number). Contributions paid further by employers are credited to that the unique Social Security number.

The Social Security number is not transferable and shall be used by the worker throughout the working life for the purpose of this act.

The worker is to monitor and ensure that the employer pays right contributions on his/her behalf. There is the need to check contribution statements regularly to quickly ensure that discrepancies in payments are corrected.

It is also the workers’ obligation to notify SSNIT if employers default in contribution payments.