Salary guide · Egypt
Social insurance in Egypt 2026: the 11% share, the 16,700 cap, and what you pay
You pay 11% of your insured wage. In 2026, that wage can't be under EGP 2,700 or over EGP 16,700 a month, so the most an employee pays is EGP 1,837 a month.
For example, on EGP 10,000 a month you pay EGP 1,100. On EGP 30,000 you pay EGP 1,837, the same as someone on EGP 16,700, because your pay above the ceiling isn't insured. Social insurance (at-ta'minat al-ijtima'iya, التأمينات الاجتماعية) comes off your pay before salary tax. The National Organization for Social Insurance set these limits from 1 January 2026, up from 2,300 and 14,500.
| Monthly pay | Insured wage | You pay (11%) | A year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | 2,700 | 297 | 3,564 |
| 2,700 | 2,700 | 297 | 3,564 |
| 5,000 | 5,000 | 550 | 6,600 |
| 7,000 | 7,000 | 770 | 9,240 |
| 10,000 | 10,000 | 1,100 | 13,200 |
| 15,000 | 15,000 | 1,650 | 19,800 |
| 16,700 | 16,700 | 1,837 | 22,044 |
| 20,000 | 16,700 | 1,837 | 22,044 |
| 30,000 | 16,700 | 1,837 | 22,044 |
| 50,000 | 16,700 | 1,837 | 22,044 |
This assumes your whole pay counts for social insurance. The 2027 limits aren't out yet, so we'll check this page again in January 2027.
Where does the 11% come from?
It's three lines in Law 148 of 2019, added together. 9% goes to old age, disability and death cover (Article 19). 1% goes to sickness (Article 70). 1% goes to your end-of-service account (Article 36). The employer pays its own larger share on top: 12%, 1%, and 3% or 3.25% on those same three lines, plus others. We don't give a total for the employer, because we couldn't confirm one in the official text. Article 19 also says the total rate rises by 1% every seven years from the law's start, split equally between you and your employer. The law began in January 2020, so check your payslip in January 2027. We haven't seen the authority announce it.
Which parts of my pay count?
The insured wage is what your main employer pays you in cash for your main work: basic pay, incentives, commission, overtime and allowances. Transport, travel, housing, clothing and car allowances given in place of a benefit in kind are left out (Article 1, item 8). So on the same gross, two people can pay different amounts. If yours looks low or high, your payslip and your employer can show you which parts were counted.
My pay is above 16,700. Is that fine?
Yes for the sums, and it's worth knowing what it means. You stop paying at EGP 1,837 a month, and your pension builds on the insured wage only. The authority's notice says the 2026 pension limits are a minimum of EGP 1,755 and a maximum of EGP 13,360 a month. The same notice links the higher wage limits to better pensions later.
My employer insures me on less than I earn. Is that allowed?
The authority says Law 148 obliges employers to insure the actual wage. It also says the EGP 2,700 minimum exists for groups whose pay is hard to fix, such as irregular workers and construction and farm workers. So being kept at the minimum while you earn much more doesn't match what the authority says. It also lowers your future pension. Check your record, then raise it with your employer.
The authority's site has a lookup for your insurance number and another for your insured periods and the wage for each one. The site has New user and Login buttons, and we couldn't see the screens behind them. Your local insurance office can also help you.
How does it change my tax?
It lowers it, because insurance comes off first. On EGP 10,000, your year's pay of EGP 120,000 less EGP 13,200 of insurance and EGP 20,000 exemption leaves EGP 86,800 to tax. Tax is EGP 592.50 a month, and you take home EGP 8,302.50.
Is comprehensive health insurance the same thing?
No, it's separate, and it works differently. It's 1% of your whole monthly income with no ceiling, and it starts only once the system reaches your governorate. It goes by your permanent home: the authority says an employer elsewhere collects it for staff whose permanent home is in a covered governorate, and staff working in one only for a while aren't covered there. Article 70 of Law 148 makes the sickness share subject to the health insurance law, and we couldn't confirm whether your 1% sickness share still applies once this starts. The employer's share is 4%. A family pays more: the authority's own example on EGP 5,000 is EGP 300, for the worker, a non-working wife and two children. The authority's service list names Port Said, Luxor, Ismailia, South Sinai, Suez and Aswan.
What are Form 1 and Form 6?
Form 1 is the request to join the insured list when you start a job, and Form 6 tells the authority that your insurance with an employer has ended. You'll often be asked for Form 6 after you leave. For example, the labour office asks for it when you register again. The authority also moved to a digital system on 24 February 2026, so some older advice about paper may no longer fit.
Sources
Checked 2 November 2026. Each figure keeps the period and scope of its source.
- Social insurance wage limits for 2026, notice of 30 November 2025 (National Organization for Social Insurance)
- Social Insurance and Pensions Law 148 of 2019 (National Organization for Social Insurance)
- Insurance number lookup (National Organization for Social Insurance)
- Insured periods and wages lookup (National Organization for Social Insurance)
- Digital system from 24 February 2026 (National Organization for Social Insurance)
- Comprehensive health insurance questions (Universal Health Insurance Authority)
- How contributions are worked out (Universal Health Insurance Authority)
- Service outlets by governorate (Universal Health Insurance Authority)
- Private sector monthly payroll form 2026 (Egyptian Tax Authority)