Calculation of financial benefit

Composition of the financial benefits

The financial benefits that the insured person receives from the CNS consists of the following elements

• a basic benefit ;
  
• if due, supplementary and accessory benefits.

Basic benefit

Basic benefit corresponds to the highest basic pay included in the calculations basis applied in the course of one of the three calendar months preceding the commencement of benefit payments by the CNS.

Basic remuneration is here defined as those parts of benefits payable as monthly cash payments and which are not classed as supplementary and additional benefits.

In the absence of a month of activity fully covered by mandatory insurance (e.g. temporary work), basic remuneration is awarded according to the rate agreed in the work contract. It is reduced according to a base cost of living index of 100 and divided by the cost of living index for the month in question. The number of working hours calculated corresponds to those of the month in question or the highest number of hours taken from the months in which the basic remuneration is identical.

For apprentices, apprenticeship pay constitutes the basis of calculation for benefit payments.

Complementary and accessory benefits

The complementary and accessory benefits to be covered by the CNS are those elements of cash remuneration that are payable monthly but whose amount may vary from month to month (e.g. a productivity bonus).

The CNS determines the amount of complementary and accessory benefits by taking the average of the complementary and accessory benefits declared over the twelve calendar months preceding the month prior to the occurrence of the incapacity for work.

If this reference period of twelve months is not fully covered by an activity subject to insurance contributions, the average is calculated on the basis of the month or months which were fully covered. The cost of living index of the month or months where complementary and accessory benefits were included in the contributions calculation basis is used to adjust benefits according to the one hundred cost of living index.

Request for recalculation of cash benefits for the fraction of a month

The cash benefit payable by the CNS for a fraction of a month may be recalculated if the insured person notice a difference in income for the month in question, caused by different prorating methods used by your employer and the CNS. If this is the case, you can request a recalculation of the cash benefit by completing the "Request for recalculation of cash benefits for the fraction of a month" form and attaching the detailed statement of the salary paid by your employer for the month in question.

Limits and maximum amounts of financial benefits

Minimum social wage

Monthly financial benefits shall not fall below the minimum social wage, excepting some special cases that allow for exemption or reduction. In the case of part-time work, the threshold is established on the basis of the minimum hourly social wage.

The financial benefits rate shall not exceed the minimum social wage by a factor of more than five.

Where the insured is involved in several different kinds of occupation of a different nature, whether work on a fixed salary or not, the various financial benefits can be pooled up to a limit of five times the current minimum social wage. Beyond this ceiling, financial benefits are reduced proportionately.

Age limit

Persons over the age of 68 are not eligible for sickness benefit pay.

Overtime, bonuses and remuneration in kind

The CNS does not take into account the following when calculating the financial benefits :

• overtime, even if it was regularly performed before the period of incapacity for work and was originally planned for the period during which the employee is incapacitated for work ;
  
• bonuses or other occasional benefits ;
  
• remuneration in kind (company housing, company car, meal vouchers, etc.).