What You Need to Know about Maternity and Paternity Leave

There are new rules concerning maternity and paternal leave in the Labour code since 2012.

The length of maternity leave

Maternity leave can last for a period of 196 days (28 weeks) in 2012. If you have two or more children you are entitled to maternity leave for a period of 37 weeks. Female employees are entitled to the maternity leave if under regular contract and if participating in insurance of at least 270 days in the last 2 years.

Beginning of maternity leave

• When to start your maternity leave

Your maternity leave can start from the beginning of the sixth week prior to the expected birth date, however no earlier than from the beginning of the eighth week before that date.

• How to begin your maternity leave

Let your employer know when you start your maternity leave. You will get the right form from your gynaecologist. Give the form, signed by your doctor, to your employer in time.

• Child allowance while on maternity leave is paid by OSSZ office

Child allowance is entitled "Peněžitá pomoc v mateřství". Okresní správa sociálního zabezpečení (OSSZ) will give you the money prior 30 days of all related documents delivered.

Amount of maternity leave since 2012

The amount of maternity leave depends on your average salary in the last 12 months; they will calculate your daily pay from that amount. You can also find how much you will get using the calculator at Ministry of labour and social affairs web sites.

Working or obtaining extra money while on maternity leave

You can start working in the 7th week after the birth of your child. It is possible to work for the same company you worked at before your maternity leave. You are not allowed to have the same contract as you have maternity leave compensation. If you want to work for a competitor of your company, your employer must agree.

We should mention that your employer must keep your contract while: you are pregnant, on maternity leave, or if you are looking after at least one child till the age of three.

Maternity leave ends, parental leave is just about to start…

Maternity leave is a type of work performance, therefore you can ask to take leave in such a way that it directly follows on from the end of the maternity leave.

The employer is obliged to comply with this request. When your maternity leave ends, you can ask for holiday wage compensation and you can also take parental allowance at the same time. When your holiday ends, you start your parental leave and receive only the parental allowance according to the state social support benefit.

The length of parental leave

Parental allowance is provided until a total amount of 220,000 CZK is drawn, maximum up to child reaches 4 years of age. And you can choose the length of parental leave by yourself. While taking parental allowance, you are not allowed to take maternity leave compensation – child allowance (Peněžitá pomoc v mateřství). Parental leave is for everyone and does not depend on your job.

How to apply for parental allowance

• When and where to apply for the parental allowance

It is best to apply for the parental allowance right before the end of maternity leave. You are obliged to apply at a Labour office – A state social support benefit office under your permanent residence.

• How to apply for the parental allowance

You can get the form from the Labour office or you can download it from the web-sites of MPSV (Ministry of labour and social affairs). You must add to the form a daily assessment base for the determination of maternity benefit or sickness benefit related to the child’s confinement of at least one parent. You can apply on the internet only if you possess an electronic signature.

Amount of parental allowance since 2012

The choice of the amount of parental allowance can be changed once every 3 months. The monthly amount of parental allowance is calculated based on the daily assessment base – 70 % of 30 times the daily assessment base. Parental allowance totals no more than 11,500 CZK. 

Working while on parental leave

A parent is entitled to parental allowance provided without any limitation if the child is more than two years old. A child under the age of 2 years must attend a crèche or another facility for pre-school children for a maximum of 46 hours a month for you to not lose the parental allowance.

You can start working even sooner. The parent’s income is not tested; the parent may carry out an occupational activity without losing their entitlement to parental allowance. However, during this occupational activity, the parent must ensure that the child is in the care of another adult (e.g. grandmother or nanny).

End of parental leave and return to work

An employee who returns to work after parental leave must be assigned to a job according to his or her employment contract. Your employer is not obliged to offer you the same job you had before your maternity leave.