Childbearing represents a significant responsibility for families, and the state seeks to provide support through various financial and in-kind benefits. In 2024, we already reviewed the eligibility conditions for maternity benefits. The purpose of this article is to summarize the most important information, update previous details, and present the changes that came into force in 2025 in the amount and regulation of these benefits.

Pregnancy Benefit

1. Eligibility Conditions

Every woman is entitled to pregnancy benefit if she:

• has valid health insurance, and
• has been insured for at least 270 days in the past two years.

If the entitled person is self-employed, she must pay the insurance premiums herself by the deadline set by the insurance company. It is important that, at the time of applying for the benefit, any arrears in contributions do not exceed 5 EUR.

2. Application Procedure
   I. The expectant mother must visit her gynecologist, who issues the “Application for Maternity Allowance.” This usually takes place after the 13th week of pregnancy, during the first preventive examination.
   If the mother is entitled to benefits from multiple insurers (for example, from employment and voluntary insurance), the doctor issues a separate application for each insurer.
   III. After receiving the doctor’s application, the mother must fill out the insurance declaration:

• on paper at the competent office (at the employer’s registered office, or in the case of voluntary insurance, at the office corresponding to her permanent residence), or
• electronically via the insurer’s website. Online applications require an electronic ID card (eID) and a qualified electronic signature (KEP).

These rules are the same as those in force in 2024.

What changed in 2025 is the amount of the benefit. The level of the allowance has been modified as follows:

3. Who Is Not Entitled to Pregnancy Benefit?

Students are not entitled to pregnancy benefit unless they have voluntary health insurance, as otherwise they do not meet the eligibility criteria. For them, a so-called pregnancy scholarship can be applied for, available to both university and secondary school students.

The main features of the scholarship are:

• The decision on awarding the support is made by the head of the educational institution.
• The scholarship is fixed at €200 per month.
• The application must be submitted to the school administration, which also handles the payments.

Students are entitled to the scholarship if they:

• are not entitled to pregnancy benefit (this must be certified by a document issued by the insurer),
• have a permanent residence in Slovakia, and
• can provide medical confirmation of their pregnancy.

Maternity Benefit

Maternity leave may start no earlier than six weeks before the expected date of delivery. From this point, the previously paid pregnancy benefit becomes a maternity benefit. However, this transition is not automatic: the mother must submit an application to the Social Insurance Agency.

The required documents are issued by the attending physician and must include:

• the expected date of delivery, and
• the start date of maternity leave.

The method of submission depends on the insured status:

• Employees: the document must be submitted to the employer, who forwards it to the Social Insurance Agency.
• Self-employed: the applicant must submit the document directly to the Social Insurance Agency.

1. Under What Conditions Can the Father Apply for Maternity Benefit?

The father may apply for maternity benefit no earlier than six weeks after the birth, provided he meets the insurance-related eligibility conditions.

Conditions for the father to take over the benefit:

• An official agreement between the mother and father is required, in which the mother waives the benefit in favor of the father.
• The application – similar to the mother’s – must be issued by the physician and submitted to the Social Insurance Agency together with the mother’s waiver declaration.

After approval by the Social Insurance Agency, the period of entitlement already used by the mother is lost, and the remaining entitlement period may be used by the father.

2. Amount of the Benefit

There is no legally determined minimum amount for maternity benefit. The amount is calculated as follows:

1. Determine the insured person’s daily assessment base.
2. Take 75% of this value.
3. Multiply the resulting daily amount by the number of calendar days in the given month this equals the monthly maternity benefit.

The maximum daily assessment base considered by law is 94.0274€.

If the insured person’s daily base reaches this value, the monthly maternity benefit can be as high as 2,186.20€ in a 31-day month.

Examples for an average wage and twice that wage:

3. Can Students Apply for Maternity Benefit?

In principle, there is no obstacle for students to apply for maternity benefit, but the general eligibility conditions also apply to them.

• Secondary school students: eligible if they voluntarily paid insurance contributions. In such cases, the benefit amount is calculated based on the paid contributions.
• Recent graduates: may be eligible even if they did not previously pay voluntary insurance. Under the regulation introduced in 2024, successfully completed studies (school-leaving exam, vocational exam, or diploma) count toward the required insurance period.
• Students with part-time jobs: if working under a student contract or part-time employment, they obtain insured status, and the benefit is calculated based on gross salary.
• Eligibility based only on study completion: if the student meets the required insurance days solely through completed studies, the benefit equals the minimum amount.

For further information, please contact us at office@paragrafslovakia.sk, and we will get back to you as soon as possible!