Ministry of Economy and Labour to coordinate with agencies to resolve craftsmen contribution problems
Ministry will work with the Public Revenue Office and Ministry of Finance after changes published in the Official Gazette on July 6, 2026 caused registration errors for contribution payments.
The Ministry of Economy and Labour announced it will open a coordinated review with the Public Revenue Office (PRO) and the Ministry of Finance to remove obstacles that left more than 3,000 self-employed craftsmen without health insurance after a change in the way mandatory social contributions are calculated.
Change in administration of contributions
According to the ministry, the legal amendment published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia No. 148 on July 6, 2026, transferred responsibility for calculating contributions for self-employed persons who pay personal income tax on a lump-sum net income basis to the Public Revenue Office. The obligation to pay those contributions remains with the self-employed individuals.
The ministry said the problem surfaced in July, when the PRO began issuing contribution calculation notices to craftspersons' personal identification numbers (EMBG) instead of to their unique tax numbers (EDB) and the registered business name, which led to payments not being properly recorded and many artisans losing health insurance coverage.
“The Ministry of Economy and Labour is aware of the challenges faced in the recent period by some self-employed persons — craftsmen, particularly with regard to generating and paying the obligations for contributions from mandatory social insurance,” the ministry said.
The ministry urged the Chamber of Crafts to submit an official list of specific complaints and problems from its members so that the institutions can review the issues institutionally and work on solutions in coordination with the PRO and the Ministry of Finance.
Officials added that the ministry remains open to dialogue with the Chamber of Crafts and all interested parties and will actively participate in finding fixes that allow the craft sector to operate without disruption. Under the new rules, craftsmen must make contributions for health and pension insurance, personal income tax and salary payments from their personal bank accounts rather than from their business accounts.
Photo: Arhiva na
