These days, flexible work – including freelancing, part-time jobs and other non-traditional employment – is becoming increasingly common. While it offers freedom and flexibility, this kind of work also comes with challenges, especially around social insurance contributions and legal responsibilities for both workers and employers.

This guide will show you how to manage your social insurance smoothly.

Q: What should I, as a flexible employee, do if I have an unsuccessful social insurance fee deduction?

A: Flexible employees should check the deduction status in time. If the deduction is unsuccessful, they can pay the social insurance fees for flexible employees on their own before the 24th of each month through the Electronic Tax Services (电子税务局), Government Online-Offline Shanghai (一网通办) app, Alipay and other channels.

Q: What are the channels for flexible employees to make their own contributions?

A: Flexible employees can make contributions on their own through the following channels:

1. They can log on to the Electronic Tax Services and pay social insurance fees in the module of Tax Handling – Social Insurance Service – Declaration and Payment – Payment of Social Insurance Fees for Flexible Employees.

2. They can log on to the Electronic Tax Services app and pay social insurance fees in the module of Handle & Check – Social Insurance Services – Payment of Social Insurance Fees for Flexible Employees.

3. They can use Shanghai Online-Offline, select the Municipal Tax Bureau by department, and pay social insurance fees in the module of Payment of Social Insurance Fees by Flexible Employees.

4. Alipay app: Home – Citizen Center – Social Insurance – Social Insurance Payment – Flexible Employee Social Insurance Payment.

5. Follow ICBC Shanghai Branch on WeChat (ID: shanghai-icbc), select ePoint – Service Hall – Social Insurance Zone – Individual Social Insurance Payment.

6. Designated bank app: ICBC app – Life Payment – Insurance Protection – Social Insurance.

7. UnionPay app: Go to the section Government Affairs and People's Livelihood – Shanghai Social Insurance Payment – Flexible Employee Social Insurance Fee Payment.

8. Visit local community affairs center.

9. Visit local taxpayer service hall.

Q: How do flexible employees pay social insurance fees?

A: Flexible employees can pay monthly social insurance fees from the next month after they register for social insurance, which should be paid by the 24th of each month. They can choose between two methods of payment: self-payment or deduction by tax authorities.

Q: What are the conditions for flexible employees to pay social insurance fees by means of deductions by tax authorities?

A: 1. Sign a commissioned debit agreement.

2. Deposit the full amount of funds. The tax department's deduction period is from the 11th to the 15th of each month (postponed in case of holidays). During this period, self-payment is not possible.

Q: How to declare and pay work-related injury insurance fees for construction projects?

A: The general contractor of the construction project can declare and pay the work-related injury insurance fees through the social insurance fees management client or the Electronic Tax Services after completing the social insurance-related registration of the construction project with the tax department. Work-related injury insurance fees for construction projects must be paid at one time.

Channel 1:

The general contractor of the construction project can log on to the social insurance fees management client, add the enterprise. When confirming the enterprise, select "Contracting Enterprises," then declare and pay the work-related injury insurance fees in the module of Construction Project work-related injury insurance fees Declaration – Construction Project Social Insurance Fees Declaration.

Channel 2:

The general contractor of the construction project can log on to the Electronic Tax Services, declare and pay the work-related injury insurance fees in the module of Tax Handling – Social Insurance Fees Service – Declaration and Payment – Construction Project Work-related Injury Insurance Fees Declaration Payment (Including Insurance Participation).

Q: How do employers pay social insurance fees?

A: Employers can pay social insurance fees through the social insurance fees management client or the Electronic Tax Services.

Channel 1: The employer can log on to the social insurance fees management client and pay the social insurance fees in the module of Fees Payment – Payment.

Channel 2: The employer can log on to the Electronic Tax Services and pay the social insurance fees in the module of Tax Handling – Social Insurance Fees Service – Declaration and Payment – Social Insurance Fees Payment.

Q: Channels for handling business related to social insurance fees for employers?

A: Employers can handle businesses related to social insurance fees through online and offline channels such as the Social Insurance Fee Management Client, the Electronic Tax Services or local taxpayer service hall.

Q: How can a flexible employee check his/her social insurance fee payment status?

A: After the payment of fees is completed, the employee can log on to the Electronic Tax Services of Shanghai and inquire about the payment status of the current month in the module of Tax Handling – Social Insurance Fee Service – Information Inquiry – Flexible Employment Social Insurance Fee Payment Record Inquiry. Select "Period to which the fee belongs" and click "Query."

You can check the social insurance fee payment record for "Myself" or "Others." You can print the social insurance fee payment record after two working days of payment completion.

Q: What is the default initial filing password for the Social Insurance Fee Management Client?

A: Declaration password for the employer unit is the last six digits of the social security number (SSN), if the SSN is less than six digits, the digits end with complementary 0. For example, if the SSN is "12345," the initial declaration password is "123450."

At the initial login, the system will remind the user to modify the password. For employers who have more than one unit social security number, the initial declaration password is the last six digits of any social security number.

Q: What is the connection between contributory base and contributory salary?

A: If the contributory salary of an employee is more than 300 percent of the average salary of employed persons in the city in the previous year, the portion of 300 percent or more shall not be included in the contributory base.

If it is less than 60 percent of the average salary of employed persons in the city in the previous year, 60 percent of the average salary shall be used as the contributory base.