8.8% social insurance and 2.65% GESY are withheld from your salary — 11.45% in total. The employer pays a further 15.4% or so on top. The self-employed pay 16.6% social insurance and 4% GESY themselves.
2026 rates
| Fund | Employer | Employee |
|---|---|---|
| Social Insurance Fund | 8,8% | 8,8% |
| Redundancy Fund | 1,2% | — |
| HRDA (human resource development) | 0,5% | — |
| Social Cohesion Fund | 2,0% | — |
| GESY | 2,9% | 2,65% |
| Total | 15,4% | 11,45% |
- The maximum insurable earnings for 2026 are €68,904 a year (€5,742 a month). Anything above that is not subject to social insurance.
- The Social Cohesion Fund is the only one with no cap.
- The GESY income cap is €180,000 a year across all sources combined.
- The rates are fixed for 2024–2028, with the next increase due in 2029.
The self-employed
The social insurance rate for sole traders is 16.6% and GESY 4%. An important nuance: the contribution is calculated on the higher of your actual income or the notional minimum income for your occupational category. The Social Insurance Services publish the table of roughly 60 categories every year, split into "under 10 years in the profession" and "more than 10 years".
Payment deadlines
- Employers: contributions and PAYE by the end of the month following the month of payment. Notification of a new hire through ERGANI no later than the day before the employee starts.
- The self-employed: quarterly, within a month and 10 days of the quarter end — 10 May, 10 August, 10 November and 10 February.
- The late payment penalty is 3% for the first month and a further 3% for each subsequent month, up to 27%.