Relevant for the self-employed: all about social guarantees during quarantine

Flat rate benefit

Freelancers will continue to receive a benefit of € 260 during the emergency and quarantine period if they meet the following conditions:

• Self-employment was registered for at least 3 months in a 12-month period and was not canceled until the date of the declaration of quarantine and emergency.
• Due to restrictions on economic activities, the person is included in the list of freelancers affected by COVID-19 restrictions published by the State Tax Inspection.
• The salary received by virtue of an employment contract or equivalent legal relationship does not exceed 642 euros on paper.
• If you are a legal entity, you cannot be in bankruptcy or liquidation.

Once the quarantine is finished, the benefit for self-employed workers will be paid for one more month, after which it will be terminated.

Deferral of Sodra contributions

The self-employed who have been negatively affected by COVID-19, whose activities are restricted by quarantine and who are included in the STI lists will also be able to defer the payment of contributions in a simplified way. The self-employed who have been deprived of COVID-19 will be able to avoid paying contributions for the quarantine period, and it will be possible to cover the resulting debt without interest within a period of 5 years.

Postponement of contributions to compulsory health insurance

During the quarantine, the self-employed are temporarily exempt from PSD payment. This is to reduce your costs and ease the tax burden. Even without paying PSD, these residents can receive medical care. Self-employed residents will be able to pay PSD contributions during the quarantine period within two years. At the end of the quarantine, contributions to the PSD will be paid as usual.

Other social guarantees

The self-employed are not covered by all types of social security. Some self-employed are covered by pensions and social insurance for sickness and maternity, some by pensions, social insurance for unemployment, sickness and maternity, and people with commercial certificates, only by social insurance for pensions.

Sodra benefits

Authors, athletes, and performers who receive income outside the employer are covered by pension, sickness, maternity and health insurance and are entitled to pension, sickness, maternity, paternity, child care and professional rehabilitation benefits.

Individuals and farmers are also entitled to pension, sickness, maternity, paternity, childcare and vocational rehabilitation benefits.

Those who work with commercial certificates pay only the pension contributions and health insurance of the monthly minimum wage and are only entitled to pensions.

Sole proprietorship owners, members of small partnerships and full members of partnerships are covered by pension, sickness, maternity, unemployment and health insurance and are entitled to pensions, sickness, maternity, paternity, childcare , vocational rehabilitation and unemployment benefits.

Social security benefit for unemployment

Sole proprietorships, members of small partnerships and full members of unemployed companies who have accumulated at least 12 months of service in the two and a half years prior to enrollment in the Employment Service can receive Social security unemployment benefit for 9 months.

Sickness benefits for the care of a sick child

In the event of a government-announced emergency and quarantine, it is necessary to pay sickness benefits to self-employed parents, guardians, and grandparents of a kindergarten, preschool, elementary school, or child with a general or special education program. Those who work on business leave are not entitled to sickness benefits.

The same procedure applies if the certificate of incapacity for work is required due to compulsory isolation of the child or the published regime that restricts the spread of infections.

The sickness benefit is paid if the self-employed person has at least 3 months of experience in the last 12 months or at least 6 months in the last two years before the issuance of the certificate of incapacity for work. From 2021 February 1, a self-employed worker will be entitled to sickness benefit if they have contributed during the last month before the start of the incapacity for work.

As of January, the minimum monthly sickness benefit is € 168.06. Residents receive the minimum benefits if the benefit amount calculated based on their insured income is less than the minimum threshold.