Do social security members really understand their rights, benefits?

DAR ES SALAAM: SOCIAL security funds play a critical role in protecting workers and their families against financial hardship arising from retirement, sickness, unemployment, maternity, disability and loss of income. Yet, while workers may regularly contribute to these schemes, questions remain about how well they understand the rights and benefits attached to their contributions, particularly when they need to access them.

In Tanzania, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), through its 2025 Integrated Labour Force Survey, collected information on employment and social protection, including social security contributions and pension receipt. The survey, conducted from January to December 2025, was designed to provide nationally comparable information on the country’s labour market.

NBS survey instruments also include questions that allow workers to indicate whether they contribute to social security, including a “Don’t know” response.

However, the available published data do not provide a specific percentage showing how many members understand their social security benefits, eligibility conditions or procedures for making claims. This highlights an important distinction between being covered by a social security scheme and understanding how to exercise the rights provided by that scheme.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) similarly distinguishes between legal and effective social protection coverage. Legal coverage refers to protection provided for under legislation, while effective coverage considers whether people can actually access protection when they face a social risk.

The ILO’s World Social Protection Report 2024-26 estimates that only 33.8 per cent of the world’s workingage population is legally covered by comprehensive social security systems. Comprehensive legal coverage is also lower among women, at 28.2 per cent, compared with 39.3 per cent among men.

The organisation has also emphasised the importance of information and awareness, noting that workers and employers need to understand available social protection schemes, their rights and responsibilities and how to access benefits. It is within this wider social security context that the experience of members of Tanzania’s Public Service Social Security Fund (PSSSF) becomes important.

For many public servants, the monthly deduction appearing on their payslips is a routine part of employment. Contributions are made to PSSSF, but for some workers, understanding of what those contributions mean appears to stop at retirement. For Ms Dina Ngungi, a public servant from Sumbawanga, knowing that a benefit exists does not necessarily mean a member knows how to access it.

“Sometimes you may know that you have a benefit, but you may not know the procedure for getting it or the documents that are required. That is why continuous education is important,” she said.

PSSSF officially provides several benefits, including retirement, unemployment, maternity, sickness, invalidity and survivor benefits. Its current information provides for normal retirement at 60, while voluntary retirement may begin at 55, subject to applicable provisions.

Some of these benefits have specific qualifying conditions. For example, PSSSF’s unemployment benefit requires at least 18 months of contributions and applies under specified employment circumstances. A qualifying member may receive 33 per cent of salary for a maximum of six months, subject to the Fund’s requirements. Maternity, sickness and invalidity benefits also have separate contribution and eligibility requirements.

Maternity benefits, for example, require an eligible female member to have contributed for at least 36 months, while sickness and invalidity benefits have their own conditions. For teacher Ms Vicky Wille of Iringa, understanding has come through experience. She has received PSSSF maternity benefits twice, giving her a practical understanding that social security is not only about retirement.

“I have personally benefited from PSSSF maternity benefits twice. This has helped me understand that the contributions we make are not only for retirement, but can also provide support when you need it during your working life,” she said.

Her experience demonstrates how receiving a benefit can transform a routine salary deduction into a clearer understanding of social protection. For Mr Mohamed Nyallo, a PSSSF Benefits Officer, members need to understand the full range of protection available to them.

“Members need to understand that PSSSF is not only about retirement. There are different benefits designed to protect members and their dependants depending on their circumstances,” he said.

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The scale of the Fund further underlines the importance of such knowledge. PSSSF’s audited financial statements for 2022/23 recorded about 1.68tri/- in contributions and approximately 1.56tri/- in benefits, while total assets stood at about 8.55tri/-.

The figures demonstrate that social security represents a substantial financial system supporting workers and their dependants. But financial participation does not automatically mean that members understand their entitlements. PSSSF has a dedicated Public Relations and Member Education Manager, while its services and information are also available through its digital member platform.

For newly employed public servants, however, awareness may depend on whether they receive adequate orientation about the Fund and its benefits. Mr Boniventure Kibasa, a public servant from Tanga, said he has not yet received sufficient education about PSSSF.

“I am a new employee who has not yet had the opportunity to receive proper education about PSSSF, how it works and the benefits available. What I know is that deductions are made from my salary to support my life after retirement,” he said.

His experience raises questions about whether member education reaches workers early enough in their careers, rather than only when they approach retirement or face circumstances requiring them to make a claim. The issue, therefore, is not simply whether public servants contribute to PSSSF, but whether they understand what their contributions entitle them to receive, when they can claim benefits and what procedures they must follow.

The experiences of Dina, Vicky and Boniventure illustrate different levels of awareness: one knows that benefits exist but stresses the difficulty of understanding procedures, another gained knowledge through receiving a benefit; while a newly employed worker remains largely focused on retirement.

For members, three basic questions should have clear answers: What benefits am I entitled to? When can I claim them? And what must I do to receive them? For social security to provide meaningful protection, membership must go beyond a monthly deduction on a payslip.

Workers need practical knowledge that enables them to exercise their rights when the need arises. Social security, ultimately, is not simply about preparing for retirement. It is about protecting workers and their families throughout their working lives when sickness, maternity, unemployment, invalidity or loss of income creates financial vulnerability.