Social Insurance Overview in Cameroon

The social insurance programs in Cameroon provide benefits to individuals who have contributed into the program or those whose employers have paid into the program on their behalf.

Many rules have been put in place that employees and employers must follow in Cameroon. The legislation and collective agreements are used to determine the minimum wage, working hours, terms of dismissal, etc.

Social protection situation in Cameroon

The labor market in Cameroon is largely informal, with an 88.6% high in 2014. The social protection system has two schemes: one for civil servants and the National Social Insurance Fund, NSIF, for workers governed by the Labor Code.

In 2020, the NSIF about 34,575 active employers, 462,409 active insured employees and 153,506 voluntary insured persons.

Employers do have rights as well as obligations towards their employees. One of such obligation is the payment of social insurance contributions.

In Cameroon, the National Social Insurance Fund, NSIF, is in charge of collecting the social insurance contributions for workers under the Labor Code.

Payment of social insurance

The payment of the social insurance contributions in Cameroon is declarative. The employer is responsible for the calculation, declaration and payment.

The employer has its share to pay for the employee. They also deduct the employee’s share at the time of each pay on salary / wage paid or due.

Companies are obliged to register with the NSIF after incorporation. This is done at the nearest office of the NSIF where a registration number will be issued.

A company can also choose to pre-register online. However, this should be confirmed at the nearest social welfare center within 30 days.

The employer can declare its staff and pay the social insurance contribution online. They can also pay to banks and approved financial institutions.

Once payment is done, the receipt issued and the copy of the online declaration is taken to the relevant tax center in order to obtain a receipt for payment.

Obligations of the employer

• Declare or register all employed staff – full-time or part-time.

• Calculate, deduct the employee’s share of their social insurance contributions and pay.

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