4 common questions you will get as a HR in Kenya on NHIF

In Kenya, the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) is a body that has been mandated by the Kenyan government to provide health insurance to Kenyans aged 18 years and older. Through this government state corporation, NHIF members and their declared dependents in Kenya have a shot at accessing quality medical care. As a HR professional, employees will turn to you when they have NHIF-related questions. Below are 4 common questions you will get regarding NHIF;

4 common questions you will get as a HR on NHIF

A 2021 report published by the Institute of Economic Affairs disclosed that more than 100 million people across the globe were pushed below the poverty line due to Out of Pocket health expenses. The glaring fact is, even in 2023, accessing quality health care for a majority of individuals in Kenya and across the world is next to impossible because of financial instability. As a HR professional, it is your responsibility to stay up to date with NHIF-related matters so that you can help your employees navigate this area.

Let’s dive into the questions!

1) How much is NHIF for the first time?

Once an individual registers, they are required to contribute sh1500 for the initial 3 months. After getting a card, one can begin using their NHIF after 2 months.

2) How much is NHIF every month for employees?

NHIF rates for Kenyan employees vary based on their gross income. The minimum contribution for employees earning sh5,999 or less is sh150, while those with a gross income of Ksh100,000 and higher contribute Ksh1,700, the highest rate for the year. 

Here is a summary of NHIF deduction rates for Kenyan employees in 2023; 

Table: NHIF deduction rates for Kenyan employees as of 2023

Before employees approach you with this question, you can share an organization-wide document that stipulates how much each employee will need to contribute every month. This, of course, will go hand-in-hand with their salaries.

3) Can NHIF cover two wives (spouses and family members)

NHIF allows male members to declare multiple wives as dependents, with a contribution of ksh500 for each additional wife. The coverage includes the member, spouse(s), and children. Children above 18 can be covered if they provide proof of being students. 

If one of the employees walks into your office sweating and fidgeting and states that they have a strange NHIF question to ask, they probably want to know whether their second wife can benefit from their NHIF coverage. Well, it’s either that or they really need to go to a hospital, and they are wondering whether their NHIF will cater to their medical bill.

If their question revolves around the "two wives" dilemma, tell them to breathe because they can in fact extend their coverage to their second wife or multiple wives, if any. In October 2022, NHIF published a new regulation that male NHIF members could declare their multiple wives as their NHIF dependents, provided that these men contribute sh500 for the extra wives. Initially, this regulation stated that men could only declare one spouse as a dependent and a maximum of 5 children. 

To be clear, NHIF only covers you, your spouse (or spouses), and your children. Children above the age of 18 years old can continue to be beneficiaries of their parent’s NHIF coverage as long as they are in school, i.e., in college/campus. They are required, however, to provide tangible proof that they are students, i.e., fee structure, school ID, etc.

4) How do I check my NHIF balance?

Employees can check their NHIF balance through:

• Email: Send an email to customercare@nhif.or.ke for a PDF document with NHIF status
• SMS: Send ID {space} ID number to 21101. Each text costs sh10.
• NHIF’s Web Portal: Access account details, including activation status and contributions.
• USSD: Dial *155# and follow prompts (requires airtime).
• NHIF Mobile App: Download "My NHIF" from the Play Store for balance information

Pro Tip: Automate NHIF deductions and reports with ElevateHR's software for efficient payroll management

Email

This method can take hours or days depending on how fast an NHIF employee will be able to retrieve your NHIF records. 
 

An employee can send an email to customercare@nhif.or.ke. An NHIF employee will respond by sending a PDF document with your NHIF status. 

SMS

This platform is the fastest way to check your NHIF balance but it comes with a catch. For every text an employee sends to NHIF, they will be charged sh10. If they have a Safaricom or Airtel line, they can use this method. 

Instruct the employee to send a text message structured as follows; ID {space} ID number then send to 21101. Their text message will appear as follows; ID 34894264. Inform the employee that they can also use their passport number. 

The employee will receive a message showcasing their employer’s name and the last time they contributed to their NHIF monthly payment. 

NHIF’s web portal

This is an alternative way an employee can check their NHIF balance. Once they have accessed the NHIF portal, they can either sign up or sign in depending on whether they have an account or not.

Once they are able to access their account, they can learn about their NHIF status i.e., activation status, months defaulted and latest contributions. 
 

If they are satisfied with the details retrieved, they can log out of their account. This way, they can protect their details from hackers.

USSD

You can also advise employees to use *155# and follow the prompts so that they can learn about their NHIF status. You should inform them that they need to have airtime in order to do so. 

Now that you know some of the common NHIF-related questions you can get as a HR professional, how about learning how you can automatically deduct NHIF when running payroll?

 My NHIF mobile app

Employees can also go to playstore and download the “My NHIF” mobile app. After registering by providing the required details, an employee will be able to access their dashboard which has several options including “Payments and Status”. Here, you will learn about your NHIF balance. 

Now that you know some of the common NHIF-related questions you can get as a HR professional, how about learning how you can automatically deduct NHIF when running payroll?

How to automatically deduct NHIF when running payroll and generate a statutory report

As a HR professional, you are required to cater to the payroll needs of the company you are in. NHIF deductions happen to be a significant element when running payroll. Fortunately, there is an automatic way to deduct NHIF from employees’ payrolls. You can also automatically obtain an elaborate statutory report.

Instead of manually calculating NHIF deductions when running payroll, you can use ElevateHR’s time-saving, accurate and easy-to-use software. This platform automatically runs payrolls allowing you to; 

• Pay your staff on time hassle-free.
•  Manage statutory deductions and benefits for employees in your organization (PAYE, NSSF, NHIF, HELB).
•  Automatically factor in salary advances taken when running payroll.
•  Generate statutory reports.
•  Manage multiple payroll accounts i.e., Manage multiple payroll accounts on one platform, with separate accounts for casual and regular employees, different branches and locations, or multiple companies. 

With ElevateHR, you can say goodbye to the tedious and irksome tasks associated with running payroll and generating statutory reports!

To learn how you can automate NHIF deductions and reports as you run payroll, request for a demo here.