Fathers are entitled to apply for paternity benefit if their child was born or adopted within six weeks prior to the effective date of the Act. Therefore, fathers whose children were born on 21st December 2017 or later can use this benefit.
The person considered to be the father is he who is officially recorded in the birth registry as the father. A prerequisite for obtaining this benefit is participation in sickness insurance. Fathers apply for the benefit on a prescribed form submitted to their employer or the relevant district social security administration office.
A father who is insured will be paid benefit from sickness insurance for one week (seven calendar days) and receive 70 percent of the assessment base of his salary. The benefit will be at the same level as maternity benefit.
A paternity benefit calculator is available on the website of the Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs: www.mpsv.cz/cs/11580.
Conditions for claiming paternity benefit
Starting paternity leave is possible within six weeks after a child's birth or adoption of a child under the age of seven and cannot be interrupted. The benefit will be paid to the father for the whole week even if the child dies before the end of the support period.
Every father is entitled to take paternity leave and benefit only once, even if he takes care of more newborn or adopted children at the same time. Fathers are also entitled to the benefit if the mother, child, or both of them are staying in a medical care facility for health reasons.
Fathers who take paternity leave after the termination of their medical insurance are not entitled to the benefit. Insured fathers in custody, working prisoners and workers placed in a security detention are not entitled to the benefit either.
If a child is staying in a non-stop child-care facility for non-medical reasons on the child's or the mother's side, the entitlement to paternity benefit ends on the day when the child is placed in the facility.
Approximately 100,000 children are born annually in the Czech Republic.
Conditions for claiming paternity benefit if your child was born in December 2017 and January 2018
When a child was born in a period of six weeks prior to 1st February 2018, i.e. on 21st December 2017 or later, fathers are entitled to the paternity benefit only if they decide to start their paternity leave in the period from the date of the entry into force of the legislation to the end of the sixth week after the date of birth of the child (i.e. birthday + 41 days except for children born on 21st December 2017).
The Czech Social Security Administration (CSSA) presents the following examples:
- Child born on 25th December 2017 - It is necessary to start paternity leave between 1st February 4th February 2018.
- Child born on 3rd January 2018 - It is necessary start paternity leave between 1st February and 13th February 2018.
- Child born on 3rd February 2018 - It is necessary to start paternity leave between 3rd February and 16th March 2018.
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