What bonuses and allowances can government employees expect at the end of the year? Here’s everything you need to know about the regulations.
Despite changes in the incentive system, public servants in Kazakhstan will continue to receive bonuses and allowances for their work performance, good behavior, and completion of tasks of special importance. To learn more about the expected payments for public servants at the end of the year and the criteria for their distribution, read the article on inbusiness.kz.
Currently, there are approximately 83,000 public servants working in Kazakhstan. According to the latest data from the national statistics bureau, leaders and public servants earn an average of 588,000 tenge per month, significantly higher than the national average salary.
In October 2024, the Minister of Finance Madi Takiyev announced that public servants would no longer receive bonuses funded by savings from state agencies. These funds will be redirected to the budget. However, this new rule does not apply to planned funds.
Main Rules
According to the Government Resolution of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 1127, bonuses and allowances for public servants are paid exclusively from the state budget. In simpler terms, a leader can reward employees from the funds allocated for the maintenance of the state agency (salaries, taxes, utilities, etc.). However, money saved on investment projects or purchases that do not directly impact the operations of the agency must be returned to the budget and cannot be used for bonuses.
The decision to reward an employee is made by the head of the state agency and the head of the office.
The main criteria for awarding bonuses remain:
- compliance with state and labor discipline;
- work performance results over a specific period;
- exemplary fulfillment of job responsibilities, impeccable public service, completion of tasks of special importance and complexity, and other work achievements;
- completion of urgent and previously unforeseen work, the timely execution of which is essential for the normal (uninterrupted) operation of the state agency as a whole or its individual divisions;
- development of draft laws, conventions, agreements, contracts, and projects of normative legal acts in the state language, if these powers do not fall under the job responsibilities of employees;
- celebration of holidays.
Additionally, according to the rules, heads of state agencies or offices can independently develop and approve regulations on employee bonuses.
Savings Lead to Bonuses
Moreover, in addition to the annual bonus, public servants may qualify for bonuses for completing complex and important tasks, as well as material assistance in unforeseen circumstances. Employees of state agencies also receive a salary supplement, which can be established in cases of staff reductions or changes in job responsibilities.
It is worth noting that public servants receive bonuses throughout the year amounting to no more than 30% of the total saved funds. However, in December, when budget program managers finalize and calculate the total savings from expenses such as base salaries, compensation payments, taxes, utility payments, communication services, transportation services, building maintenance, and others, the bonus amount can reach up to 100% of the savings.
The Ministry of Finance did not disclose the total amount of savings for the current year. Therefore, we can only speculate about the bonuses public servants will receive in December. As explained by the department, the overall bonus volume and its reduction depend on the savings of each state agency, and the decision on bonuses is made independently.