Dominica Social Security funds pensions and short-term assistance, and administers redundancy benefit on behalf of the Protection of Employment Act.
The contribution split
- Employee: 6.75% of gross income
- Employer: 7.75% — or 7.50% where redundancy does not apply
Total: 14.50% of the employee's gross wage where the Protection of Employment Act covers you.
The 14th of the month
Employers must submit the total amount to Dominica Social Security by the 14th of the following month.
That is a specific deadline, and it gives you a reference point when checking whether contributions are current.
Verify your record
Employees should regularly verify that contributions are properly paid.
A deduction on your payslip does not prove the employer remitted it. Gaps affect your pension and short-term benefits, and redundancy eligibility depends on being covered.
Annual leave
Under the Labour Standards Act, employees who work for at least one year are entitled to a minimum of two weeks of paid annual leave.
After five years with the same employer, this increases to three weeks.
Employers must schedule leave considering both business needs and the employee's preference.
Maternity leave
Under the Labour Standards Act: 12 weeks total, typically at least 3 weeks pre-natal and up to 9 weeks post-natal.
At least 4 weeks of the leave period is paid at no less than 50% of wages — the statutory floor.
The DSS maternity benefit pays 60% of average weekly earnings, generally for up to 12 weeks, with timing rules applying.
Paternity leave
There is no specific statutory paternity leave provision in current law.
Overtime and hours
The Labour Standards Act allows the Minister to set special rules for sectors where night shifts and shift work are common, such as hotels and security services.
There is no statutory cap on weekly overtime hours for adults, but the Labour Commissioner can intervene where excessive hours threaten worker safety.