| Date: | 2003- |
| Web: | Official website of the programme |
| Description: | Non-Contributory Pension (NCP) was introduced in 2003 with the intention of alleviating poverty in Belize. It was initially designed to only cover women over 65 years old with inadequate or no source of income, but later in 2007, was amended to also include men over 67 years old under same condition. In order to be eligible for this program, possession of valid social security card is required. |
Characteristics
| Target population: | 1) Female 65 years of age or older, Male 67 years of age or older without adequate source of income |
| Geographic scale: | National |
| Targeting method: | 1) Categorical : Requirements for age (65 years for women and 67 years for men), permanent residency and possesion of valid social security card 2) Proxy means test |
| Instrument of selection: | … |
| Registry of recipients: | … |
| Exit strategies or criteria: | … |
| Comments: | The pension will be disallowed if the applicant is receiving support from any other local or external entities. Persons who are entitled to contributory long-term grant from Social Security Board as well as NCP can opt for either one of them, but not both. Once NCP is approved, the recipient must complete a declaration form every six months. |
Institutionality
| Legal framework: | Social Security (Non-Contributory Pension for Persons 65 Years or Over Regulations), Section 22 of the Social Security Act, Chapter 44 |
| Responsible organization(s): | Ministry of Finance |
| Executing organization(s): | Social Security Board |
| Responsible organization(s) for the registry of recipients: | Social Security Board |
| Source of funding: | Social Security Fund |
1) Non-Contributory Pension
| Recipient(s): | Eligible men and women without adequate source of income |
| Mode of transfer: | Monetary |
| Mode of delivery: | … |
| Periodicity of delivery: | Monthly |
| Recipient of the transfer: | Direct participant |
| Maximum per household: | … |
| Conditionalities: | -- |
| Sanctions: | -- |
| Comments: | The amount of the pension at its initial introduction was set at BZ$ 75.00, but it was increased to BZ$ 100.00 in 2007. Only one person per household is allowed to receive the pension. |
| Amount : | BZD$100.00; see data Excel format |
The Feasibility of a Universal Pension in Belize
| Author: | Charles Knox-Vydmanov |
| Date: | 2011 |
| Publication info: | HelpAge International |
| Link: | See Webpage |
| Topic: | General information |
Belize Pension System
| Author: | Waldo Tapia |
| Date: | 2015 |
| Publication info: | IDB Technical Note No. IDB-TN-767 |
| Link: | See Webpage |
| Topic: | General information |
