Benefit for parents of young children planned to be increased
Azerbaijan plans to increase the childcare benefit for children under the age of three from 28–44 to 100 manats.
As 1news.az reports, citing APA, this was stated by the chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee on Labor and Social Policy, Musa Guliyev, at today's committee meeting.
According to him, the monthly benefit currently amounts to 44 manats for children under the age of one and a half years and 28 manats for children from one and a half to three years. Under the proposed changes, the payment for both age categories will be set at 100 manats.
Guliyev explained that the amendments provide for bringing a number of legislative acts into line with the law "On Social Insurance." In particular, this concerns the requirement of having at least six months of insurance record to receive the benefit for the care of a child under three years of age.
In addition, the bill provides for a change in terminology: instead of the concept of "partially paid social leave," the wording "social leave for childcare" will be used. According to the committee chairman, this change reflects the main purpose of the leave, ensuring the opportunity to care for a child, rather than the amount of the payment provided.
Another important innovation will be a change in the procedure for assigning benefits. As Guliyev noted, payments for pregnancy and childbirth, as well as for the care of a child under three years of age, will be processed within the framework of the mandatory social insurance system in accordance with the law "On Social Insurance."
Thus, their provision will be directly linked to the insurance contributions of insured persons.
The committee chairman also emphasized that similar norms will be applied in the legislation regulating the activities of military personnel, employees of internal affairs bodies, diplomatic service employees, as well as the spheres of education and health care. This will make it possible to ensure a unified approach to providing social guarantees to parents regardless of their place of work.
