Employers

The National Insurance programme is a partner with employers in advancing the economic security of workers of The Bahamas. When employers pay contributions on behalf of workers, they are released from the obligation of paying full wages when employees are off sick or on maternity leave, and they are excused from liability when job-related injuries and diseases happen. 
Businesses (employers) and self- employed persons are required to register with NIB within 10 working days of commencing operations. The employer/ self-employed are assigned a unique nine (9) digit number for the payment and recording of contribution payments.

To register Employers must:

  • Obtain a business license from the Department of Inland Revenue
  • Complete and submit Form R1 to the National Insurance Board
  • Show NIB Smart Card, another form of government identification or voter’s card at the time of registration
Contributions are to be paid monthly, and should be received into the Board by the 15th day of the month following the month they were due. Click here to read more.
The Employer Self Service (ESS) portal is a website where employers may logon from anywhere at anytime to manage their NIB accounts thus avoiding long lines and unnecessary trips to NIB. The ESS portal puts the employers in control and simplifies this process. Three key benefits experienced by employers who use the ESS portal are:
  • Employers will be able to submit C10 contribution forms directly into the system and eliminate the additional step of manual data entry by NIB personnel;
  • Employers can make contribution payments using a debit/credit card (Visa or Mastercard only); and,
  • Employers are able to manage their employee register.
Employers can sign up for the Employer Self Service portal (ESS portal), by emailing your request to ess@nib-bahamas.com to be guided through the set-up process. Click here to see ESS Promotional ad. 
A Letter of Good Standing is issued by the National Insurance Board (NIB) verifying that an Employer’s account is current and that NIB has no objection with issuing a letter stating that the Employer does not owe NIB. To obtain a Letter of Good Standing, an Employer must:

  1. Register the name of the business with NIB;
  2. Have a current account with the correct rate of contribution payments. Contribution payments must be paid for all employees;
  3. Download the Contribution Status Letter Form which may be found on the NIB website: www.nib-bahamas.com;
  4. Email the completed form to compliance@nib-bahamas.com or submit form at a local NIB office.
Processing time is 5 (five) business days. If collecting on behalf of an Employer, an authorization letter is required.