The Social Security Fund (FSS) advises the beneficiaries of the Social Security System, especially the employees of the obligatory system, to regularly check their FSS contribution records in order to confirm that their employers have paid the contributions for them on time, thus protecting their personal rights and interests.  In addition, after ceasing employment, employees should also check if their former employers have stopped paying contributions for them, otherwise, such inappropriate contributions can also infringe the interests of the employees.

The benefits of the Social Security System include old-age pension, disability pension, birth allowance, marriage allowance, sickness allowance, unemployment allowance and funeral allowance, and also the compensation for respiratory occupational disease and advance payment for claims arising from labour relations.  The beneficiaries of the Social Security System are entitled to the above rights and protection, provided that they meet the statutory requirements.  However, if the employers do not fulfil their obligation to pay contribution for their employees, this may affect the employees’ application of subsequent social security benefits.  For example, for general non-old-age pension or disability pension recipients who wish to apply for marriage allowance, they need to have made contributions to the Social Security System for at least nine of the 12 months preceding the quarter in which the marriage date falls.  However, if the employers failed to pay the contributions for their employees on time, this may result in the processing of the application being delayed because the employees do not comply with the statutory contribution requirement.

On the other hand, if the former employers continue to make contributions for their employees after they cease employment, the rights and interests of the employees may also be infringed, for instance, the beneficiaries can apply for unemployment allowance or disability pension from the FSS if they are involuntarily unemployed or disabled; however, in the above case, the employees concerned may then be considered as still working and possess the capacity to work or earn, thus contradicting to the application requirements of the relevant allowances.  Similar cases will increase the complexity of the approval work, which in turn may delay the time for the beneficiary to receive the relevant benefit.

To ensure the social security rights and interests of the general employees being protected, the FSS encourages members of the public to regularly check their personal contribution records.  Members of the public can make enquiries through the FSS website at www.fss.gov.mo, call the 24-hour interactive voice response hotline 28238238, come in person to the FSS Head Office, FSS China Civil Plaza Office in NAPE and Areia Preta Service Centre of Macao SAR (Area of Social Security and Employment).  In case unusual contribution records are found, beneficiaries must report this to the FSS immediately.

The FSS also implemented a mechanism to spot check if employers have fulfilled their obligation to pay FSS contributions on time and in accordance with law.  For overdue payment of contributions, employers are required to pay late payment interest, or they may even be liable to a financial penalty.  If employers are involved in suspected false labour relations, the case will be brought to the competent authority for verification, and the offenders will be even sent to the judiciary department for investigation.