Argentina (AR)

Argentina is South America's second-largest country — a land of European-influenced culture, world-class wine, legendary beef, breathtaking landscapes from Patagonia to the Andes, and one of the most vibrant expat communities in Latin America.

Capital: Buenos Aires

Region: Americas

Language: Spanish

Currency: ARS ($)

Cost of living: Very affordable (index 25)

Emergency: 911

Social Security in Argentina

Benefits, contributions, and how the system works for expats.

Argentina has a comprehensive social security system administered primarily by ANSeS (Administración Nacional de la Seguridad Social) and covering: state pension (SIPA), family allowances, unemployment insurance, maternity benefits, and disability support. The system is funded by employee and employer contributions under the SIPA regime. Argentina's formal employment social security is strong — informal workers (approximately 35% of the workforce in 2026) have limited access. The Asignación Universal por Hijo (AUH) programme extends family benefits to informal and unemployed workers. All formal employees, including expats, are enrolled from their first day of work regardless of nationality.

CUIL (Clave Única de Identificación Laboral)

CUIL — Clave Única de Identificación Laboral

The CUIL is Argentina's social security and labour identification number. Expats can obtain a CUIL even before obtaining a DNI. To get a CUIL: visit any ANSeS office (anses.gob.ar) with your passport; a CUIL is typically issued on the same day. Alternatively, apply online at anses.gob.ar if you already have a DNI. Your employer will need your CUIL before they can register your employment with ANSeS and AFIP. The CUIL has the format: XX-XXXXXXXX-X (11 digits). Note: the CUIT (Clave Única de Identificación Tributaria) is the tax-specific version for taxpayers — the numbers are the same format. For employees, CUIL is the relevant identifier.

Used for

Employment registration (both employer and employee must register at AFIP with CUIL)
Payslip (recibo de sueldo) — appears on every payslip
ANSeS benefits (family allowances, maternity, unemployment)
Pension contribution tracking at ANSeS
Healthcare (obra social) registration
AFIP tax registration and filing
Bank account opening and financial identity
Access to Mi ANSES portal (anses.gob.ar)

Benefits & Support Payments

Unemployment Benefit

Seguro de Desempleo (Prestación por Desempleo)

Minimum: SMVM (Salario Mínimo Vital y Móvil). Maximum: 4× SMVM. In practice, amounts in 2026 range from ARS 50,000–250,000/month depending on contribution history.

Contribution-based unemployment benefit paid when you lose a formal job through dismissal. Covers a portion of your last salary for a limited period.

Eligibility

Must have contributed to the SIPA system for at least 12 months in the last 3 years. Dismissed (despedido) — not resigned (renuncia) or dismissed for just cause (justa causa). Must register as unemployed at ANSeS within 90 days of dismissal. Must be available and actively seeking employment.

How to Apply

Apply at any ANSeS office (anses.gob.ar) or online via Mi ANSES with your DNI and CUIL within 90 days of dismissal. Bring: last recibo de sueldo, dismissal telegram (telegrama de despido), and bank account details. Benefits begin within 45 days of application approval.

Duration: 2 months if employed less than 2 years; 4 months if 2–4 years; 8 months maximum if 4+ years. After the benefit period, access to Seguro de Desempleo is exhausted until a new contribution period is met. Many Argentine workers prefer to negotiate an acuerdo de partes (mutual agreement with full indemnification) over accessing the unemployment benefit due to the higher payout of full indemnización.

Family Allowances

Asignaciones Familiares

Asignación por hijo: ARS 15,000–80,000/month per child depending on income level (adjusted quarterly by ANSeS). Asignación prenatal: same amount monthly from 3rd month of pregnancy.

Monthly cash benefits for formal employees with children, pregnant workers, and other family circumstances. Automatically paid through the payroll system.

Eligibility

Formal employees registered in the SIPA system. Amount is inversely related to salary — lower-income workers receive higher allowances. Children up to 18 years (21 if studying, no limit for disabled children).

How to Apply

Automatic — employer registers children and dependants with ANSeS. Add new children via Mi ANSES app or ANSeS office with birth certificate and DNI. Pregnant workers notify employer who informs ANSeS.

Annual Ayuda Escolar Anual (school bonus) paid in March for each school-enrolled child. These benefits are received separately from salary — paid directly by ANSeS to the employee's bank account.

Asignación Universal por Hijo (AUH)

AUH — Asignación Universal por Hijo

ARS 50,000–90,000/month per child in 2026 (adjusted quarterly). 80% paid monthly; 20% held and released at year-end upon proof of school enrollment and annual health checkup.

Family benefit for children of informal workers, unemployed parents, and low-category Monotributistas. Extends the formal system's family allowances to workers outside the registered employment sector.

Eligibility

Parents who are unemployed, informal workers, domestic workers, or Monotributistas in lower categories (A, B, C). Children must be Argentine citizens or residents. Income limit applies.

How to Apply

Apply at ANSeS office or Mi ANSES online with DNI, CUIL, birth certificate, and proof of school enrollment.

One of Argentina's most important social programmes — covers over 4 million children. The 20% conditional component is released annually in December. Works alongside (but separate from) the formal asignaciones familiares system.

Maternity Benefit

Asignación por Maternidad

100% of the employee's usual net salary for 90 days (45 days before + 45 days after birth)

Income replacement during the statutory 90-day maternity leave. ANSeS pays 100% of the employee's usual salary directly to the employee during the entire leave period.

Eligibility

All female formal employees registered in the SIPA system. Must notify employer and provide medical certificate of pregnancy.

How to Apply

Employer notifies ANSeS. ANSeS pays directly to the employee's bank account. Employee does not receive payroll from employer during this period — ANSeS is the direct payer.

Informal workers and domestic workers have a more limited version of this benefit. Monotributistas receive a lower fixed AUH-equivalent benefit. During maternity leave, CUIL employment registration is maintained.

State Pension

Jubilación Ordinaria (SIPA)

Minimum pension (haber mínimo): adjusted quarterly — approximately ARS 300,000–500,000/month in 2026 (subject to frequent updates). Proportional to contribution history.

Contribution-based state pension paid from the SIPA (Sistema Integrado Previsional Argentino). Argentina operates a pay-as-you-go pension system managed by ANSeS.

Eligibility

Age requirements: 65 years for men, 60 years for women. Minimum contribution period: 30 years of SIPA contributions. If age is met but contribution years are insufficient, the "Moratoria Previsional" programme allows purchase of missing years of contributions.

How to Apply

Apply at ANSeS office or online at anses.gob.ar 6 months before planned retirement. Required: DNI, CUIL, complete employment history, and documentation of all contribution periods. Processing: 3–6 months. Pension is paid monthly via bank transfer.

Argentine pensions are adjusted by an index (actualmente: Ley de Movilidad) to account for inflation — adjustments are quarterly. Expats who contribute to the Argentine SIPA during their working years here can claim a proportional pension from Argentina at retirement age, even from abroad. See leavingCountryInfo for portability details.

Disability Pension

Pensión por Invalidez / Prestación por Invalidez

70% of the average of the last 5 years of SIPA-registered salary. Minimum: the haber mínimo.

Monthly pension for contributors who become permanently incapacitated before reaching retirement age. Separate from the ART (workplace accident) system.

Eligibility

Must have contributed to SIPA for at least 18 months. Must be assessed as permanently disabled by the Medical Commission of ANSeS (Comisión Médica Central).

How to Apply

Apply at ANSeS with medical documentation of disability and CUIL. A medical evaluation is conducted by ANSeS medical commission.

Separate from ART (Aseguradora de Riesgos del Trabajo) compensation for workplace accidents — that covers injuries at work. The SIPA disability pension covers all causes of permanent incapacity.

Non-Contributory Pension

Pensión No Contributiva

Tied to the minimum pension (haber mínimo) — approximately ARS 200,000–400,000/month (2026)

Means-tested pension for elderly people who do not have the required contribution history for the regular jubilación. Administered by the Ministry of Social Development.

Eligibility

Argentine nationals or long-term residents over 65 with no other pension or social security benefit, and insufficient means to live.

How to Apply

Apply at the Ministerio de Desarrollo Social — desarrollosocial.gob.ar.

Primarily for Argentine nationals. Expats are unlikely to qualify unless they have long-term permanent residency and have naturalized.

Contribution Overview

SIPA contributions for formal employees (2026): Employee contributions from gross salary: SIPA Pension 11%, Obra Social 3%, ANSeS INSSJP 3% (for healthcare of retirees), Unemployment 0.5%. Total employee deductions: approximately 17–18% of gross. Employer contributions: SIPA Pension 16%, Obra Social 6%, ART (variable by industry, typically 2–5%), Asignaciones Familiares 5.4%, INSSJP 1.5%, Fondo Nacional de Empleo 0.89%. Total employer cost is approximately 45–55% on top of gross salary. For Monotributistas: pay a monthly fixed amount covering SIPA + obra social, which varies by Monotributo category. In 2026: Category A (lowest): approx. ARS 25,000/month combined; Category H (highest): approx. ARS 120,000/month.

International Social Security Agreements

Argentina has bilateral social security agreements (acuerdos de seguridad social bilaterales) that allow contribution periods in partner countries to count toward Argentine pension eligibility (and vice versa). Countries with agreements: Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, and several others. Under these agreements: (1) You don't pay into both countries' pension systems simultaneously if working temporarily in Argentina; (2) Argentine and foreign contribution years can be combined (totalización) to meet the 30-year minimum; (3) You can receive an Argentine pension while living abroad in a treaty country. For countries without an agreement (e.g., Germany, UK, USA, France, most of Asia and Africa): contributions to SIPA and those countries are separate, and Argentine pension eligibility requires 30 Argentine years independently.

All social security contributions (retenciones previsionales) appear on your recibo de sueldo (payslip) as deductions. Your employer deducts employee contributions and pays the combined employee + employer share directly to AFIP every month — employees never handle these payments directly. Self-employed Monotributistas pay their own SIPA + obra social monthly via AFIP online (afip.gob.ar) — this is called the "cuota Monotributo." Keep records of all monthly Monotributo payments as evidence of SIPA contribution history.

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