Latvia lets eligible people add missing insurance years

Eligible residents will be able to add to their social insurance record for periods between 1991 and 1995 by making voluntary contributions, LSM reported. The Saeima, Latvia’s parliament, approved the urgent amendments to the Law on State Social Insurance in a final reading on Thursday.

The unrecorded insurance periods can affect eligibility for a pension and its amount, the index used to adjust pensions, and the amount of unemployment benefit. The changes cover periods up to December 31, 1995, before Latvia introduced a system based on individually recorded social insurance contributions on January 1, 1996.

Voluntary contributions will be allowed for time spent studying after completing secondary education, pursuing postgraduate education or upgrading qualifications. They will also cover periods when a person cared for someone with a Group I disability, a child with a disability who was under 16, or someone aged 80 or older, as well as time a mother spent raising a child until the age of eight.

To have a period counted, a person must pay a voluntary contribution for each month equal to 1% of the minimum monthly wage set for the relevant year. Contributions can be made from October 1, 2027. The amendments are due to take effect in April 2027.