Pension Contributions for Mothers on Maternity Leave to Drop by 60%

Starting January 1, 2027, Kazakhstan will revise the rules governing pension accruals for women on childcare leave. Under the new regulations, the government will discontinue additional state-subsidized pension contributions funded from the national budget.

Currently, monthly childcare benefits are calculated at 40% of a mother’s average salary over the preceding two years, with a mandatory 10% pension contribution deducted from that allowance. To protect women’s long-term retirement savings while they are away from work, the state previously covered the shortfall—subsidizing the difference needed to match a full 10% contribution based on their pre-maternity income.

For example, if a woman earned an average monthly salary of 500,000 tenge before going on leave:

• Monthly childcare allowance: 200,000 tenge;

• Pension contribution deducted from the allowance: 20,000 tenge;

• Additional state subsidy: 30,000 tenge.

Previously, this ensured a combined total of 50,000 tenge was deposited into her Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (UAPF) account each month.

However, beginning in early 2027, the 30,000-tenge state top-up will be completely eliminated. Consequently, only the 20,000 tenge deducted directly from the childcare benefit will be transferred to her retirement account—resulting in an immediate 60% reduction in pension inflows for mothers on maternity leave.