During pregnancy and after labour, you will be out of work for some time. During maternity leave you can receive maternity benefit and, usually when maternity leave is over, you can receive parental benefit.
While you are receiving benefits, your health and social insurance contributions are paid automatically.
While you are receiving benefits, your health and social insurance contributions are paid automatically.
Maternity Benefit („Peněžitá pomoc v mateřství")
You can receive the maternity benefit during your maternity leave (i.e. 28 weeks at the most). Under certain conditions, it is the father who can receive the maternity benefit.
The benefit is calculated on the basis of your previous income, e.g. with the minimum gross salary from 2018, i.e. 12 200 CZK, the maternity benefit will be around 8 430 CZK per month.
While receiving maternity benefit, you are not allowed to make money by doing any other economic activity.
The benefit is calculated on the basis of your previous income, e.g. with the minimum gross salary from 2018, i.e. 12 200 CZK, the maternity benefit will be around 8 430 CZK per month.
While receiving maternity benefit, you are not allowed to make money by doing any other economic activity.
Conditions of Eligibility for Maternity Benefit:
- During the 2 years preceding the start of your maternity leave, you were insured as an employee or paid the insurance contributions yourself as a self-employed person for at least 270 calendar days.
- At the start of your maternity leave, you are paying the sickness insurance contributions, i.e. either they are paid by your employer or by yourself, or you are not employed anymore but are in the protection period of 180 days (you will learn more about the protection period below).
If you have not been paying sickness insurance contributions, you are not entitled to maternity benefit. However, you can directly start receiving the parental benefit, provided that you fulfil certain conditions (see below).
How to proceed? Just like with the maternity leave application, i.e. go and see your gynaecologist, who will determine the starting date of your maternity leave. Submit the form filled in by the doctor to your employer. If you are self-employed and are entitled to maternity leave, take the form filled in by the doctor directly to the Social Security Administration (Správa sociálního zabezpečení).
Protection Period
If your employment has ended during your pregnancy, the so-called protection period might apply to you. This means that if you lose your job while pregnant, you are still entitled to maternity benefit, on the condition that you start your maternity leave within 180 days since the termination of your employment.
Parental Benefit
You can receive parental benefit while you are on parental leave, which usually starts when maternity leave ends and lasts until the child turns three. However, you can also draw the parental benefit until your child turns four. Parental benefit can also be drawn right after the birth of the baby in case you are not entitled to maternity leave. You are allowed to make money while receiving parental benefit. Parental benefit can also be drawn by the father of the child stated in the child's birth certificate. It is always only one of the two parents who can receive parental benefit.
Conditions for Eligibility for the Benefit
Determining the Amount of Parental Benefit
Parental benefit is meant for the parent who duly cares for a child younger than 4 years all day.
Important! The child for which you are receiving parental benefit may not attend a nursery or kindergarten for more than 46 hours per month, otherwise you lose the benefit.
Submit your application for parental benefit on time to avoid having no money between the end of maternity leave and the beginning of parental leave. It is recommended to submit the application one month before the end of maternity leave.
Conditions for Eligibility for the Benefit
- 365 days of continuous legal stay in the Czech Republic.
Determining the Amount of Parental Benefit
- Parental benefit has a fixed total amount of 220 000 CZK if one child is born and 30000 CZK if twins or other multiples are born
- The possible monthly benefit is calculated on the basis of yours or the baby's father's income. The monthly contribution must not exceed 70 % of the basis of assessment, which is, simply put, your (or the baby's father's) gross salary. If, for example, your gross salary was 20 000 CZK, 70 % corresponds to 14 000 CZK. This means that the maximum monthly benefit you can receive is 14 000 CZK and, receiving 14 000 CZK monthly, you will draw the total amount of 220 000 CZK in 15 months.
- If you were not entitled to maternity benefit, you may chose the amount of monthly benefit, but in that case, the maximum monthly amount in 2018 is 7 600 CZK.
- While receiving parental benefit, you may change the length of drawing (and thereby the amount) once every three months (apply at the Social Aid Department) and alternate caring for your child with the father.
Parental benefit is meant for the parent who duly cares for a child younger than 4 years all day.
Important! The child for which you are receiving parental benefit may not attend a nursery or kindergarten for more than 46 hours per month, otherwise you lose the benefit.
Submit your application for parental benefit on time to avoid having no money between the end of maternity leave and the beginning of parental leave. It is recommended to submit the application one month before the end of maternity leave.
How to proceed?
1
Go to the district office of Social Security Administration (Správa sociálního zabezpečení), where you will get a document attesting that you are receiving maternity benefit. The district office where you need to go depends on the address of the registered office of your employer.
- If you did not receive maternity benefit, skip this step.
2
If you do not want to apply for parental benefit yourself but "via" the father, then instead of the document about maternity benefit, you need to fill in the so-called "certificate of the daily base of assessment for the calculation of parental benefit". The form can be found here or you can get in at the administration.
3
Go to the State Social Aid Department (Odbor státní sociální podpory, OSSP) according to your place of residence and submit the filled application for parental benefit (the form can be downloaded here or you can get it at the OSSP). Bring your child's birth certificate, a document attesting that you are receiving maternity benefit (see the point above) or, if it applies to you, the certificate of the daily base of assessment for the calculation of parental benefit, a certificate of a residence permit in the Czech Republic, a filled-in form about your residence (you will get it at the OSSP) and a certificate of your income.
Childbirth Benefit
Childbirth benefit is a one-time benefit for low-income families in order to help them with the costs related to the birth of their first and second child. The childbirth benefit is 13 000 CZK for the birth if the first child and 10 000 CZK for the birth of the second child.
Conditions for Eligibility for Childbirth Benefit:
How to proceed? You can get the form at the local Department of State Social Aid (Odbor státní sociální podpory, OSSP) or fill it in online herere.
You have to take it to the OSSP in person. Bring your residence permit and the child's birth certificate.
You may apply for childbirth benefit up until one year after the child's birth, after that you cannot claim it anymore.
Conditions for Eligibility for Childbirth Benefit:
- Having given birth to your first or second child
- Your family's income is lower than 2.7 of the minimum subsistence level, i.e. for the first child, the total income of the mother and the father is 20 817 CZK at the most. (Parental benefit and child benefit are not included in the calculated income).
- You must have stayed legally on the territory of the Czech Republic for a minimum of 365 days.
How to proceed? You can get the form at the local Department of State Social Aid (Odbor státní sociální podpory, OSSP) or fill it in online herere.
You have to take it to the OSSP in person. Bring your residence permit and the child's birth certificate.
You may apply for childbirth benefit up until one year after the child's birth, after that you cannot claim it anymore.
Child Benefit
You can apply for child benefit or housing benefit if your family has a low income.
Child benefit can be paid for a dependent child (i.e. a child that does not earn money and is studying/ undergoing compulsory schooling) living in a family with an income below 2.7 times of the minimum subsistence level of the family. Eligibility is established on the basis of the income for the preceding calendar quarter and parental benefit is included in the calculation of the income. Child benefit is paid in three variants depending on the age of the dependent child: 500 CZK up to 6 years of age, 610 CZK from 6 to 15 years and 700 CZK above 15 years.
Conditions for Eligibility for the Benefit:
How to proceed? Get the form at the local Labour Office, namely the Department of State Social Aid (OSSP), or fill it in online. You need to attach a certificate of your yearly income (you can also find this form online or go get it in person) signed by your employer (if you are employed). A new application for child benefit has to be filed every year.
Child benefit can be paid for a dependent child (i.e. a child that does not earn money and is studying/ undergoing compulsory schooling) living in a family with an income below 2.7 times of the minimum subsistence level of the family. Eligibility is established on the basis of the income for the preceding calendar quarter and parental benefit is included in the calculation of the income. Child benefit is paid in three variants depending on the age of the dependent child: 500 CZK up to 6 years of age, 610 CZK from 6 to 15 years and 700 CZK above 15 years.
Conditions for Eligibility for the Benefit:
- Permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic or other type of residence permit lasting for more than 365 days.
- Family income below 2.7 times the minimum subsistence level of the family.
How to proceed? Get the form at the local Labour Office, namely the Department of State Social Aid (OSSP), or fill it in online. You need to attach a certificate of your yearly income (you can also find this form online or go get it in person) signed by your employer (if you are employed). A new application for child benefit has to be filed every year.
