The aim of the paper is to classify the main features of insurance and non-insurance social benefits, quantify the fiscal significance of these benefits in 2017 and draw attention to the important characteristics that need to be considered when designing and adjusting the whole system. The methodology is based on an analysis of the characteristics of social security benefits and the fiscal statistics for these benefits. The paper also defines the possibilities of using individual types of benefits in the relevant scenarios in relation to what we want to achieve in social security. The paper is consistent with the theory of social models. We do not analyse individual benefits in detail, rather we provide overview approach and comparison of essential characteristics that are important for the settings of the social security system.