Estonia - Parental benefit
This chapter covers all you need to know about claiming parental benefit (vanemahüvitis) in Estonia.
The amount of parental benefit for an applicant who has worked in a country in the European Union, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland or Switzerland during the calendar year preceding the date when the right to the benefit arose is calculated in accordance with Regulation No 883/2004 of the European Union.
In accordance with the regulation, the time worked in these countries must be considered as being the same as if the person had worked in Estonia, i.e. the social tax imposed in Estonia for the previous calendar year is considered paid even during periods of employment in other countries. Income actually earned in another country is not taken into account when calculating the amount of the benefit.
If a parent worked in another EU country in the previous calendar year and received no income in Estonia, the parental benefit is designated at the minimum wage rate.
As an exception, more equitable treatment is extended to mothers who only worked in another EU country during the previous calendar year but who worked in Estonia during the year in which the right to the parental benefit arose and who took pregnancy and maternity leave in Estonia. In this case, the average salary in Estonia for the year during which the parent worked abroad is deemed to be the income received abroad.
In what situation can I claim?
If you choose to have children, you may have the right to:
- pregnancy and maternity leave (rasedus- ja sünnituspuhkus);
- childbirth allowance (sünnitoetus);
- parental leave (lapsehoolduspuhkus);
- parental benefit (vanemahüvitis).
Any parent, adoptive parent, step-parent, guardian or foster parent who is raising a child and who is a permanent resident of Estonia or a foreigner living in Estonia on the basis of a temporary residence permit has the right to the parental benefit.
Individuals within that category who have a place of residence in more than one country have the right to claim parental benefit if they qualify as permanent residents under §6.1 of the Income Tax Act, or if they qualify as permanent residents of Estonia under the Aliens Act or the Citizen of the European Union Act by residing in Estonia for at least 183 days a year.
The father of a child has the right to the parental benefit once the child has reached the age of 30 days. If one of the parents is on parental leave, the benefit is paid to that parent. Only one parent in a family may be on parental leave at any one time. Parents are also entitled to use shared parental benefit together for up to 60 calendar days.
The right to parental leave (lapsehoolduspuhkus) can be exercised by the mother or the father of the child or the child's actual caregiver until the child reaches three years of age. Parental leave may be taken in one go, or be interrupted by a return to work before being resumed before the child reaches 3 years of age.
What conditions do I need to meet?
Parents may choose which of them will receive parental benefit but the father is eligible only after the child has reached 30 days of age. For the transfer of parental benefit, the parent who wishes to receive the benefits has to submit an application and the parent currently receiving the benefits must give their agreement
Both applications can be submitted on the state portal eesti.ee: https://www.eesti.ee/est/teenused/kodanik/perekond_1/
vanemahuvitise_peretoetuste_ja_kogumispensioni_sissemaksete_taotlemine.
Parental benefit is calculated for every recipient based on their own previous income over the same period.
Family benefits as well as the parental benefit are paid to the same recipient and if the benefit is transferred to the other parent the payment to the new recipient starts from the month following the submission of an application.
A parent can work or earn income during the period in which they receive the parental benefit. If your monthly income is higher than half of the maximum amount (EUR 4,291.29 in 2023) of parental benefit, your parental benefit is reduced. Income covers all sums paid by employers within a month, including bonuses, holiday pay and others.
If you know your gross wage will be higher than EUR 4,291.29, please send an e‑mail (info@sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee) stating the amount of your gross wage. In that case Estonian National Social Insurance Board will reduce your parental benefit according to formula: Parental benefit - [(gross income - EUR 4,291.29 ) / 2] = reduced parental benefit.
If the reduced parental benefit is lower than the minimum benefit rate, you will receive the minimum Benefit which in 2022 is EUR 654.
If a new child is born within 3 years from the previous child and the amount of the parental benefit calculated for that child is smaller than that for the previous child, the benefit is determined on the basis of previous income.
What am I entitled to and how can I claim?
An employed mother is entitled to up to 100 consecutive calendar days of maternity benefit: up to 70 days before the child’s expected date of birth and 30 calendar days. The benefit is paid at a rate of 100% the reference wage by the Social Insurance Board.
A mother who is considered as an non-active person (not employed) receives the mother’s parental benefit for 30 consecutive calendar days starting from the birth of the child.
The parental benefit is calculated on the basis of the income subject to social tax earned over the calendar year preceding the beginning of the pregnancy (9 months).
Income from work on which social tax is paid in Estonia is considered income. If the state pays social tax on behalf of a person, this is not considered to be work income. Income earned abroad, which is not subject to social tax in Estonia, is not taken into consideration either.
The annual income is divided by 12 months, with the number of days on which the parent was absent from work on a doctor’s certificate, a certificate for care leave or pregnancy and maternity leave having previously been subtracted. The resulting figure is the amount of the parental benefit.
If the parent did not work during the year preceding the time at which the right to the benefit arose, the parental benefit is paid at the designated benefit base rate, which in 2023 is EUR 654.
If the parent worked during this year but his or her average income was lower than the minimum wage, the benefit is paid at the minimum wage rate, which in 2023 is EUR 725.
The upper limit of the amount of the parental benefit is three times the average salary from the year before last, which in 2023 is EUR 4,291.29
Once designated, the limits on the parental benefit do not change when the calendar year changes. As an exception, if the amount of the parental benefit is the minimum wage rate and on 1 January the minimum wage established by the Government of the Republic of Estonia rises, the parental benefit is paid at the new minimum wage rate.
During the period of payment of the parental benefit, parents are not paid a child care allowance for any child. The child allowance and other family benefits are paid at the same time as the parental benefit.
To apply for parental benefit you must contact the National Social Insurance Board and lodge an application. You must take along your passport or ID-card.
You can also apply for the parental benefit online via the citizens’ portal.
Maternity leave for a new pregnancy during parental leave
A woman who is on parental leave and wants to take a further period of pregnancy and maternity leave and receive maternity benefit for the new pregnancy and maternity leave must discontinue her parental leave. To do so, she must file an application to discontinue the parental leave with at least 14 days' notice (unless agreed otherwise between the parties).
If she specifies the day prior to commencement of the pregnancy and maternity leave as the date for ending parental leave, she does not have to go to work in the interim. The application must be submitted to the employer with time to spare before the maternity leave begins (at least 15-30 days beforehand) so that the employer and the Health Insurance Fund can arrange the insurance in a timely manner.
Forms you may need to fill in
To apply for parental benefit you should submit an application at the Social Insurance Board with an identity document.
If the applicant of the benefit is on parental leave, an additional certificate from the employer must be submitted indicating the duration of the parental leave and the name of the child.
The application can be submitted in person to the client service offices of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board or sent via mail. The application may also be submitted electronically through the State portal.
The application form is available from the client service offices of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board (the addresses and reception hours of the client service offices are available on the homepage).
http://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/iseteenindus/blanketid#Pereh%C3%BCvitiste%20blanketid
Know your rights
Publications and webpage of the European Commission
Who do you need to contact?
The Estonian National Social Insurance Board has 17 client service offices across Estonia that deal with requests and applications in person, as well as via mail.
The Estonian National Social Insurance Board can also be contacted by telephone.
Information is available via telephone number 16106 (in Estonia) or +372 612 1360 between the hours of 9:00-17:00 on all working days and the general phone numbers of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board's offices (please see https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/organisatsioon-kontaktid/ska-klienditeenindused).
Visit us at our regional offices on any working day (please see https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/organisatsioon-kontaktid/ska-klienditeenindused).
Applications submitted electronically must be digitally signed.