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# The contributory scheme

- System and programme

It is the way to enrol for people who can pay: employees, pensioners and self-employed people who contribute and cover their family.

Updated Nov 5, 2026

## Key points

- Definition: joining the system by paying an individual and family contribution (Law 100, article 202).
- Mandatory members: employees with a contract, public servants, pensioners and retirees, and self-employed workers able to pay (article 157).
- Family coverage (article 163): spouse or permanent partner, children according to age and dependency and, failing these, dependent parents.
- The contribution is calculated on the contribution base income and is shared between employer and employee when there is a contract.
- Ability to pay is presumed, among others, in people who file income tax returns (Law 1438, article 33).
- Contributor = the person who pays; beneficiary = a registered family member who does not contribute.

On this page

- The basics Key points
- What it is
- How it is organised
- Worked example
- Who belongs to the contributory scheme
- Markers
- In practice
- Reference norms
- Memory aid

- Study Test yourself

- Connections Connections

## What it is

The contributory scheme groups the people who join the SGSSS by paying a contribution, alone or together with their employer. Mandatory members are employees with a contract, public servants, pensioners and self-employed workers able to pay. Enrolment covers the family: the contributor registers beneficiaries, who receive the same plan without paying separately.

## How it is organised

- The employer enrols the employee and pays its share together with the employee's contribution.
- Self-employed people able to pay enrol and contribute on their own income.
- Pensioners are also contributors to the contributory scheme.
- The EPS registers the family group; a newborn becomes a beneficiary of the EPS where the mother is enrolled.

## Worked example

- A made-up engineer signs her first work contract: the employer enrols her with the EPS she chooses in the contributory scheme.
- She is the contributor; she registers her permanent partner, who does not work, and her 3-year-old daughter as beneficiaries.
- All 3 members of the family group receive the same benefits plan from a single contribution.
- If she loses her job and cannot pay, she can move to the subsidised scheme under the mobility rules, without changing EPS.

## Who belongs to the contributory scheme

| Group | How they take part |
| --- | --- |
| Employee with a contract | Contributor; pays together with the employer |
| Public servant | Contributor |
| Pensioner or retiree | Contributor on their pension |
| Self-employed worker able to pay | Contributor on their income |
| The contributor's family | Beneficiaries: they do not pay separately |

## Markers

- Contributor
- Beneficiary
- IBC
- Family coverage

## In practice

- Enrollees and beneficiaries are subject to user fees (cuotas moderadoras and copayments), which under Law 100 may never become access barriers for the poorest.
- The contributory scheme pays its contributors sick leave for general illness and maternity leave (Law 100, articles 206 and 207).

## Reference norms

- Law 100 of 1993, articles 157, 163, 187 and 202 to 207.
- Law 1438 of 2011, article 33: presumption of ability to pay.
- Decree 780 of 2016: enrolment, updates, transfers and mobility between schemes.

## Memory aid

Contributory: one contributes, the family is covered.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Who are the mandatory members of the contributory scheme under Law 100?

Employees with a contract, public servants, pensioners and retirees, and self-employed workers able to pay.

## What is the difference between a contributor and a beneficiary?

The contributor pays the contribution; the beneficiary is a family member registered by them who receives the same plan without paying separately.

## Which family members can be beneficiaries?

The spouse or permanent partner, children who meet the age and economic dependency conditions and, failing these, parents who depend on the enrollee.

## What happens with the EPS if a contributor loses the ability to pay?

They can move to the subsidised scheme through mobility, without changing EPS, if they meet the conditions.

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## Connections

## Related 5

- [Colombia's General System of Social Security in Health (SGSSS)](https://durgical.com/en/epidemiology/colombia-s-general-system-of-social-security-in-health/)
- [The subsidised scheme](https://durgical.com/en/epidemiology/the-subsidised-scheme/)
- [EPS and IPS (insurers and providers)](https://durgical.com/en/epidemiology/eps-and-ips/)
- [ADRES and the capitation payment unit (UPC)](https://durgical.com/en/epidemiology/adres-and-the-capitation-payment-unit/)
- [The health benefits plan](https://durgical.com/en/epidemiology/the-health-benefits-plan/)

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Educational content on epidemiological and statistical methods; the examples use made-up numbers to teach the calculation. Not a clinical or legal guide: current Colombian rules are in the official sources.

Sources: [Ley 100 de 1993](https://www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=5248) (Departamento Administrativo de la Función Pública, Colombia (Gestor Normativo), 1993); [Ley 1438 de 2011](https://www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=41355) (Departamento Administrativo de la Función Pública, Colombia (Gestor Normativo), 2011); [Decreto 780 de 2016 Sector Salud y Protección Social](https://www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=77813) (Departamento Administrativo de la Función Pública, Colombia (Gestor Normativo), 2016).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/epidemiology/the-contributory-scheme/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/epidemiology/the-contributory-scheme/