Maternity benefit

Women are entitled to receive maternity benefit for the period of pregnancy and childbirth leave if:

• they are covered with the maternity social insurance;
• they were granted pregnancy and childbirth leave according to the procedure established in the laws;
• before the first day of the pregnancy and childbirth leave they have the maternity social insurance record of not less than 12 months during the last 24 months.

An adoptive mother who is covered by maternity social insurance is also entitled to maternity benefit if her employer grants her a 30 calendar day leave in accordance with Article 132(2) of the Labour Code (also applicable to adoptive mothers without employment or service relationship) and she has at least 6 months of maternity social insurance record during the last 24 months before to the first day of leave. Maternity benefit in such cases shall be granted in accordance with the provisions applicable to paternity benefit.

The maternity social insurance record includes the periods during which state social insurance contributions for maternity social insurance are paid or had to be paid as required by law, as well as the periods during which the insured person received sickness benefit (including the benefits payable by the employer during the first two days of sickness), vocational rehabilitation, maternity, paternity and childcare benefits, sickness due to accidents at work or occupational disease benefits, unemployment social benefits and partial work benefits.

In case an individual does not have the required maternity social insurance record as she/he has been on a childcare leave, the maternity social insurance record shall be calculated throughout the preceding 24 month period until the child attained the age of 2.

A woman who has the maternity social insurance record and becomes an uninsured person within 24 months before the first day of pregnancy and childbirth leave shall be paid the maternity benefit according to the same procedure as used for the employed women on the pregnancy and childbirth leave.

Duration of maternity benefit payment

The maternity benefit for women, who gave birth after 30 weeks of pregnancy and later, is paid for 126 calendar days. In cases of complicated childbirth and if more than one child was born, the benefit is paid for additional 14 calendar days. Women who have not used the right to a pregnancy and childbirth leave before the date of childbirth shall be paid a maternity benefit for 56 calendar days after the childbirth. Women who have not used the right to a pregnancy and childbirth leave before the date of childbirth (30 or more weeks of pregnancy), in case of complicated childbirth and if more than one child was born the maternity benefit shall be paid for 70 calendar days after the childbirth.

The maternity benefit for women, who gave birth during the 22–30th week of pregnancy, is paid for 28 calendar days after the childbirth. If the baby lives for 28 days or more the benefit is paid for 126 days after the childbirth. The women who gave birth to a stillborn baby in the 22-30 week of pregnancy shall be paid a maternity benefit for 28 calendar days after the childbirth. A maternity benefit shall be payable for additional 14 calendar days to women who gave birth in the 22nd-30th week of pregnancy, in the case of complicated childbirth and if more than one child was born.

The insured person who is appointed as a guardian of a newborn shall be paid a maternity benefit for the period from the date of establishment of the guardianship until the day the baby is 70 days old.

The amount of a maternity benefit

The amount of a maternity benefit during a pregnancy and childbirth leave period shall make 77,58 per cent of the beneficiary’s compensatory wage. Monthly maternity benefits cannot be less than the size of 8 Basic social Benefits.

If during period of payment of the maternity benefit the insured person has income and the amount these income is less than the maternity benefit, the said person shall be paid the difference between this benefit and the income received by the person in the appropriate month. If the amount of these income is higher than the maternity benefit or equal to this benefit, maternity benefit is not payable. When paying the maternity benefit the income shall not include the income received for the work carried out before the first day of the pregnancy and childbirth leave.

The compensatory wage on the basis whereof the amount of maternity benefits are determined shall be calculated on the basis of the insured person’s insured income during twelve consecutive calendar months before the calendar month preceding the month in which a pregnancy and childbirth leave began. For example, for individuals who qualify for the maternity benefit on 01.05.2023, the compensatory wage shall be calculated on the basis of insured income received during the period from 01.04.2022 to 31.03.2023.

Insured income of the insured person includes all income and other amounts of a person on which state social insurance contributions for maternity social insurance were paid or had to be paid as well as sickness benefits (including the first 2 days of sickness for which the employer pays), vocational rehabilitation, maternity, paternity, childcare benefits, sickness due to accidents at work or occupational disease benefits, and also unemployment social insurance benefits and partial work benefits.

The maternity benefit is payable for working days.