Slovakia - Childcare
You will learn:
- What social benefits you may claim as a child's parent on a regular basis;
- What social benefits and additional benefits you may apply for.
When can I apply for benefits?
You always need to be the beneficiary (see below).
The entitlement to the payment of Parental Allowance (rodičovský príspevok) also arises in the case when the parent is in gainful employment and provides care for the child either himself/herself, through the other parent, or another adult or legal entity.
Child Benefit (prídavok na dieťa) is received by one of the parents if s/he is an EU citizen.
Supplement to Child Benefit (príplatok k prídavku na dieťa) is a social benefit paid by the State to the beneficiary in addition to the child benefit as support for the upbringing and maintenance of the child, in relation to which a tax bonus cannot be claimed.
All entitlements may be claimed up to 6 months retrospectively.
These benefits are awarded by the local Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Úrad práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny).
Maternity Benefit (materské) is a contributory benefit provided by the Social Insurance Agency (Sociálna poisťovňa) based on pregnancy or care for a new-born child.
Pregnancy Benefit (tehotenské) is a new contributory benefit provided by the Social Insurance Agency (Sociálna poisťovňa), since April 2021.The purpose of this benefit is to provide pregnant women insured against sickness an income support to compensate for the increased expenses during pregnancy.
Furthermore, benefit for the care of a sick relative, and equalisation benefit during pregnancy are provided to parents (or future parents, as the case may be) from sickness insurance. Employees, mandatorily sickness insured self-employed persons, voluntarily sickness insured persons, as well as natural persons, who are entitled to these benefits during the protected period, and all qualify for maternity and pregnancy benefits provided that they meet the conditions prescribed by law.
What conditions do I have to meet?
You are entitled to Parental Allowance if you are regularly caring for a child under the age of 3 or 6 (in case of long-term unfavourable health conditions) and, at the same time, you are permanently or temporarily resident in Slovakia. If you were recipient of maternity benefit for the same child, you are entitled to an increased parental allowance.
You are entitled to Child Benefit for each dependent child in your care if you are permanently or temporarily resident in Slovakia. When your child first enrols in primary school, the child benefit is increased by a one-off payment. (When your child reaches 3 years of age, you are obliged to notify to the local Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family in which way the care for the dependent child will be arranged until the commencement of compulsory education. This does not apply in cases when you are the beneficiary of maternity benefits or parental allowance.)
Only a parent who fulfils the following conditions may apply for Supplement to Child Benefit:
- the parent meets the conditions for entitlement to child benefit;
- the parent is a recipient of a pension (old-age or early old-age pension, disability pension due to his/her reduced capacity to perform gainful activity by more than 70%, service pension after reaching pensionable age, or a pension paid abroad);
- the parent is a recipient of a carer's allowance;
- the parent does not engage in any gainful activity;
- the parent has not been granted a child tax bonus for the dependent child, for the support of whom the parent is receiving child benefits.
When applying for supplement to child benefit, all of the above-mentioned conditions must be fulfilled by both reviewed persons who cannot concurrently engage in any gainful activity. When the child is entrusted to the care of only one of the parents, the fulfilment of the applicable conditions by the other parent is not examined.
The entitlement to Maternity Benefit is conditioned by the continuance of sickness insurance for a minimum of 270 days in the last two years prior to childbirth, as well as by the existence of sickness insurance on the day of commencement of the maternity leave or upon duration of the protected period as of that date.
Other insured persons other than the mother are also entitled to maternity benefits, e.g. the child's father or a person caring for the child based on a decision by a competent authority, provided the conditions are met.
The main conditions for entitlement to the Pregnancy Benefit is continued sickness insurance for a minimum of 270 days in the last two years prior to the origin of the reason for granting this benefit, i.e. before the beginning of the 13th week of pregnancy as determined by the doctor, as well as the existence of sickness insurance at this date or the existence of the protected period.
Self-employed and voluntarily insured persons must pay their sickness insurance contributions on time and in the correct amount. Pregnancy Benefit is also provided during the period when the insured woman earns an income or receives other benefits. Entitlement expires on the day of termination of pregnancy.
The protected period is 7 days after the termination of the sickness insurance. If the sickness insurance expires during pregnancy or if the woman became pregnant within 180 days of the termination of the sickness insurance, the protected period is eight months.
What benefits can I apply for and how should I exercise my rights?
The basic amount of Parental Allowance is currently €280 per month. If you were recipient of maternity benefit for the same child, it is raised to €412.60. You need to complete the Parental Allowance Application and the Maternity Benefit Entitlement Certificate forms available from the Social Insurance Agency.
Child Benefit amounts to €60.00 per month. The amount of child benefit is increased by €110.00 when the child enrols in primary school for the first time. You need to complete the Child Benefit Application form.
The Child Benefit Application form must be submitted with a photocopy of the child's birth certificate and the applicant should present his/her identity card. When you and your child are residing in a non-EU country, you should append a certificate confirming the existence of your compulsory health insurance in Slovakia.
Supplement to Child Benefit amounts to €30.00.
You may claim all these entitlements at the local Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Úrad práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny) according to the place of your permanent residence (foreigners according to the place of their temporary residence in Slovakia).
From the first day, the Maternity benefit amount is equal to 75% of the daily assessment base achieved in the reference period, which is usually the calendar year preceding the year in which the entitlement to the maternity benefit has arisen.
From the first day, the Pregnancy benefit amount is equal to 15% of the daily assessment base achieved in the reference period, which is usually the calendar year preceding the year in which the entitlement to the pregnancy benefit has arisen.
You may claim the Maternity Benefit and the Pregnancy Benefit through relevant certificates at the relevant Social Insurance Agency branch office.
Jargon busters
Dependent child - A child from birth until completion of compulsory education or up to 25 years of age if in full-time education at a secondary school or university.
Beneficiary
- When claiming Parental Allowance, it is the child's parent or a natural person, into whose custody replacing parental care the child has been entrusted based on a decision of a court, or the spouse of the child's parent provided that the spouse lives with the child's parent in the same household.
- When claiming Child Benefit, it is
- the parent of the dependent child (based on the mutual agreement of both parents);
- the parent into whose personal care the child has been entrusted based on a decision of a court;
- a person, who has the custody of the child based on a final decision of a court;
- an adult dependent child (under certain conditions);
- the child with a parental responsibility.
Reference period - It is usually the calendar year preceding the year in which the entitlement to the Maternity benefit or the Pregnancy benefit has arisen.
Required documents
- Child benefit application
- Supplement to child benefit application
- Parental allowance application
- Notice on provision of child care for child benefit purposes (after reaching 3 years of age)
- Certificate of secondary school or university attendance for child benefit purposes (only for children who attend school abroad)
- Maternity benefit entitlement certificate
- Maternity benefit application for pregnancy woman - to be issued by the gynaecologist
- Maternity benefit application of another insuree (the father/adoptive parent, other than the pregnant woman) is available on the website of the Social Insurance Agency
- Application for Pregnancy Benefit – to be issued by the gynaecologist
Know your rights
Link to additional information provided by the European Commission:
Who do you need to contact if you need advice about parental benefits?
Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Ústredie práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny)
Department of Assistance in Material Need and State Social Benefits
Špitálska 8, 812 67, Bratislava
Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (Úrad práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny)
Unit of Citizen´s Services
Unit of Assistance in Material Need and State Social Benefits
List of Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family
Social Insurance Agency (Sociálna poisťovňa)
Headquarters Office, Ulica 29. augusta 8 and 10,
813 63 Bratislava 1