For working mothers, paid maternity leave after giving birth is a very important guarantee. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly called for the establishment of a childbirth support policy system to reduce the cost of childbirth, parenting and education. Insured female workers can enjoy maternity leave after giving birth, but who will pay the wages during this period? Where does it come from? Recently, the National Health Insurance Bureau answered relevant questions.
Q
Who pays on maternity leave?
A
The maternity allowance of maternity insurance is maternity leave pay, which is a substitute for the living expenses given to working women during the period when they leave work during maternity leave due to childbirth. Therefore, the state has established a maternity insurance system to issue maternity allowances to insured female employees who give birth, to ensure their basic economic income when they temporarily lose their ability to work due to childbirth, to help them return to work, and to enable their babies to receive the necessary care and nursing. The current maternity insurance system in mainland China was established in 1994, and before that, the cost of maternity leave wages was borne by the employer. In 1988, the State Council formulated the Provisions on the Labor Protection of Female Employees, which stated that "the basic salary of a female employee shall not be reduced or the labor contract shall be terminated during the period of pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding". However, with the continuous deepening of the reform of the economic system and the reform of the labor and employment system, some problems have also become prominent: first, enterprises have become the main body of production and operation that are responsible for their own profits and losses, and they are reluctant to recruit women in order to control labor costs, resulting in difficulties in women's employment; second, due to the different division of labor in industries, female employees account for 60 to 70 percent of the total number of employees in some industries Third, some units with poor operating conditions are unable to guarantee the wages and benefits of female employees during childbirth, and the legitimate rights and interests of female employees cannot be guaranteed. In order to adapt to economic and social development, better protect women's equal employment rights, balance the cost of childbirth between units, and ensure the reproductive rights and interests of female employees, the State has established a maternity insurance system, in which the medical (maternity) insurance fund pays the maternity allowance for insured female employees during maternity leave, and reimburses maternity medical expenses such as hospital delivery and prenatal examination. Since 2019, the combined implementation of maternity insurance and basic medical insurance for employees has been fully realized in all localities, and the insured persons participating in employee medical insurance have simultaneously participated in maternity insurance, and the participation rate of maternity insurance has continued to increase, and the number of people insured by maternity insurance will reach 249 million in 2023.
Q
How is the maternity allowance calculated?
A
The Social Insurance Law clearly stipulates that the employee shall be paid according to the average monthly salary of the employee in the previous year of the employer. For example, if Xiao Wang, an insured female employee, earns 3,500 yuan per month, but the average monthly salary of employees in the previous year (in practice, the level of contribution wages for participating in social insurance) is 5,000 yuan, then Xiao Wang's maternity allowance will be paid according to the average monthly salary of 5,000 yuan.
Generally speaking, female employees who give birth are younger than the overall employment group of the unit, and the average salary of their employer is generally higher than their own salary, and the maternity allowance received by female employees is often higher than their own salary. The higher the average wage of the unit, the higher the maternity allowance received by the insured female employees who gave birth. In 2023, a total of 106.9 billion yuan will be spent on the maternity insurance fund, and the per capita maternity allowance for insured female employees will reach 24,000 yuan. Female employees who give birth also get a "big red envelope", and in accordance with the relevant national tax policies, the maternity allowance is exempt from individual income tax.
Q
Why is it that many maternity leave pay is paid by the employer instead of receiving it from medical insurance?
A
According to the regulations, the maternity allowance during the maternity leave of female employees shall be paid directly by the maternity insurance fund if they have participated in the maternity insurance. In practice, maternity allowance is generally paid to the employer by the medical insurance agency, and then paid by the employer to the individual, and in some areas, it is directly paid to the individual. Therefore, until now, the vast majority of people do not know that the maternity leave salary is paid by the medical (maternity) insurance fund, and they think that it is all given by the company.
In recent years, the state has clearly required all localities to fully implement the "four most" requirements of "the least number of application materials, the simplest handling process, the shortest processing time limit, and the best service quality". The Zhejiang Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau promotes the integrated online application mode of maternity insurance benefits, and implements 24-hour application without closing. Through process reengineering and compression, the Guangxi Medical Insurance Bureau has realized that it can be done without waiting, and it only takes 6 days for female employees to pay the maternity allowance after giving birth. Relying on the national medical insurance information platform, the Xinjiang Medical Insurance Bureau has realized the "full online office" and "cross-provincial general office" of the maternity insurance business by adding interfaces such as the query of the progress and status of the declaration of maternity allowance, so that the insured people can achieve "zero running" in the process of seeking medical treatment and giving birth in other places, and greatly improve the service experience and satisfaction of the masses. If you still have questions, please leave your questions, and we will continue to answer them↓
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Source: Financial Times client
Reporter: Wang Xiao
Editor: Yunyang
Email: [email protected]