Social Security - Maternity Insurance

Conditions:

• the insured woman must be on maternity leave and not receiving the full amount of her salary or wage from her employer,
• at least 26 weeks must have passed between the day on which the woman became insured and the week in which her maternity leave began,
• insurable earnings totalling not less than 20 times the weekly basic insurable earnings amount must have been paid or credited to the woman in the previous contributions year.

An insured woman is entitled to maternity allowance for 16 weeks, commencing from any week between the sixth and second week before the week in which she expects to give birth. If the birth occurs after the week in which it was expected, the period of 16 weeks is increased accordingly. If the application is submitted after the birth, the period of 16 weeks is fixed on the basis of the date of the birth instead of on the basis of the expected date of the birth.

In the case of adoption, the insured woman is entitled to maternity allowance for 14 weeks commencing from the week of the adoption.

The amount of the maternity allowance is determined on the basis of the weekly average of the insured woman’s paid and credited insurable earnings in the previous contributions year. Maternity allowance is made up of a basic allowance and a supplementary allowance.

In order to be paid maternity allowance the insured woman must submit a claim on a special form which can be obtained from any social insurance office and from the website of the Social Insurance Service.

• For more information contact the Social Insurance Services  (Tel. +357 22 40 16 00 or via the website).

Text last edited on: 12/2007

Source: European Union
© European Communities, 1995-2008
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