Czech maternity benefit calculator

Maternity benefit under Czech law

This calculator follows the Czech maternity benefit (peněžitá pomoc v mateřství, PPM) for 2026. It is paid by the social security administration for every calendar day of the benefit period: 28 weeks (196 days), or 37 weeks (259 days) for twins and more. The leave starts 6 to 8 weeks before the expected date of birth, at the mother's choice.

The benefit is 70 % of the reduced daily assessment base. The base is the gross income of the last 12 months divided by 365; for the self-employed it is the base they pay voluntary sickness insurance from. The daily amount is rounded up to whole crowns.

The 2026 reduction thresholds

• 100 % of the daily base up to 1,633 CZK (unlike sick pay, which counts 90 %).
• 60 % of the part between 1,633 and 2,449 CZK.
• 30 % of the part between 2,449 and 4,897 CZK, nothing above that.
• The highest benefit is therefore 2,000 CZK a day, roughly 60,000 CZK a month, reached at a gross salary of about 149,000 CZK.

Frequently asked questions

Who is eligible?

Anyone with at least 270 calendar days of sickness insurance in the two years before the leave who is insured on the day it starts, or is within the 180-day protection period after a job that ended during pregnancy.

Do the self-employed get it?

Only with voluntary sickness insurance paid for at least 180 days in the last year, on top of the general 270 days in two years. The benefit is based on the monthly base they chose, and they must not personally run their business during the leave.

Six or eight weeks before the due date?

The benefit period is always the same length, so an earlier start means an earlier end: 8 weeks before leaves 20 weeks after the birth, 6 weeks before leaves 22.

Can the father take it?

Yes, from the seventh week after the birth under a written agreement with the mother, provided he meets the insurance conditions himself. The benefit is then based on his income.