Maternity pay and parental allowance
Maternity pay (PPM) comes from sickness insurance, so it depends on having worked and paid in. Parental allowance (rodičovský příspěvek) is paid by the Labour Office and has residence conditions that many foreigners need to check.
There are two different payments. Maternity pay (peněžitá pomoc v mateřství, PPM) is paid by the Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ) from sickness insurance. Parental allowance (rodičovský příspěvek) is a state benefit paid by the Labour Office after PPM ends, or from birth if you do not get PPM.
You qualify for PPM if you are insured on the day it starts and have at least 270 days of sickness insurance in the previous two years. Employees are insured through their job. Self-employed people only qualify if they paid voluntary sickness insurance. You choose a start date between the 8th and 6th week before the due date. It lasts 28 weeks, or 37 weeks for twins or more.
PPM is 70% of your reduced daily assessment base. For 2026 the income is counted in full up to 1,633 Kč a day, at 60% from 1,633 to 2,449 Kč, at 30% from 2,449 to 4,897 Kč, and not at all above that. A father can also take PPM by written agreement with the mother, from the 7th week after birth, for at least seven days in a row.
Parental allowance is a total amount you draw monthly until the child turns three: 350,000 Kč for a child born in 2024 or later (700,000 Kč for twins or more). You choose how fast to draw it. The highest monthly amounts depend on a parent's daily assessment base; without one, the cap is 15,000 Kč a month. You can change the monthly amount once every three months.
The residence rules matter. Parental allowance normally needs permanent residence, but it can also be granted to a foreigner registered for residence in Czechia for more than 365 days. If a parent works in another EU country, EU coordination rules apply. Ask your Labour Office about your exact situation before you count on the money.
The government has approved raising parental allowance to 400,000 Kč for children born from 1 January 2027. It is a proposal in Parliament, not law yet.
Step by step
- Check you have 270 days of sickness insurance in the last two years
- Choose your maternity start date between 8 and 6 weeks before the due date
- Before maternity ends, check with the Labour Office whether your residence status qualifies for parental allowance
- Apply for parental allowance at the Labour Office for where you live, in person or online
- Bring the birth certificate, your ID and proof of maternity pay or your daily assessment base
Last checked 2026-11-11. Open this guide in the app to add the dates to your calendar.