For employees

Caring for young children

Balancing family and work, especially when raising firstborns, is a challenge for all parents, however a number of state-guaranteed measures can help achieve this balance.

Maternity leave

After 30 weeks of pregnancy, a pregnant woman can go on maternity leave. The start date of the maternity leave must be discussed with a doctor who issues an electronic maternity leave certificate. The employer must be notified of the receipt of the said certificate so that it can submit all the necessary documents to Sodra (State Social Insurance Fund Board) and fill out an application for receipt of maternity leave allowance either online, by mail or via delivery to one of Sodra’s branch offices. If you have not applied to Sodra before going on maternity leave, you can still do so by sending your application for receipt of maternity leave allowance within 12 months from the last day of the leave.

The Labour Code stipulates that pregnant employees must be granted maternity leave of at least 126 calendar days, 70 calendar days of which must be granted before childbirth, and 56 calendar days – after childbirth (or 70 calendar days in case of complicated childbirth or birth of more than one child). However, if you choose not to take maternity leave, your employer will still be required to grant you a 14-day leave immediately after you give birth.

Maternity leave allowance shall be paid for the maternity leave period, which comprises 77.58 percent of the recipient’s salary. This allowance is granted when an employee has been covered by social security for at least 12 months in the last 24 months before the first day of the maternity leave, i.e. social security contributions have been paid for the said employee during this period. Granted maternity leave allowance shall be transferred to the personal bank account of the recipient. If the maternity leave period extends throughout two different years, you can choose whether you want to receive the entire allowance at once or in instalments (until December 31 of the current year and from January 1 of the new year).

Employees appointed as caregivers of new-borns are also entitled to this period, in which case maternity leave is granted from the date on which care is established until the baby reaches the age of seventy days.

More information on the maternity leave allowance can be found HERE.

Paternity leave

The Labour Code provides that working fathers must be granted 30 calendar days of uninterrupted paternity leave. They can be used at any time from the birth of the child until the child turns one year old.

In terms of paternity leave, you should first contact your employer and submit your application to Sodra for receipt of paternity leave allowance no later than within twelve months after the end of the paternity leave. This can be done either online, by mail or by going directly to one of Sodra’s branch offices.

In accordance with the procedure established by the Law on Sickness and Maternity Social Insurance of the Republic of Lithuania, the paternity leave allowance shall comprise of 77.58 % of the recipient’s salary. This allowance is calculated on the basis of the recipient’s insured income for the last twelve months, but may not be higher or lower than the established limit. If the application for receipt of paternity leave allowance is filled out before or at the beginning of the paternity leave, the said allowance shall be transferred to the bank account specified in the application within 5 working days after the end of the paternity leave.

It is important to note that if insured income is received during the paternity leave that is less than the minimum amount of the paternity leave allowance or paternity allowance granted to the person, the difference between them will be paid for. In other words, if you decide to work during your paternity leave but your salary is lower than the allowance amount granted to you, you will be compensated for the difference. This means that it does not matter whether you decide to continue working or devote your time to childcare, you will be paid the same amount.

More information on the paternity leave allowance can be found HERE.

Parental leave

Who will go on parental leave should be decided within the family. Parental leave can be taken all at once, in parts, or interchangeably with another carer until the child reaches the age of three. The employer will be obliged to retain the job positions of its employees who are raising a child under the age of three, or who are on maternity, paternity or parental leave, and cannot terminate the employment contract signed with these employees, if there is no fault of the employee.

An allowance shall be granted during parental leave in accordance with the Law on Sickness and Maternity Social Insurance of the Republic of Lithuania. Depending on when you plan to return to work after parental leave and how you are sharing responsibilities within your family, there are two different ways to receive the parental leave allowance:

1. Until your child reaches the age of one. If you choose to receive this allowance until your child reaches the age of one, the allowance will comprise 77.58 percent of your salary. If you choose to receive this allowance only during the first year of childcare, but will be working at the same time, you will be paid the difference between the parental leave amount and your received income.
2. Until your child reaches the age of two. If you choose to receive this allowance until your child reaches the age of two, you will receive an allowance of 54.31% of your salary during the first year of your child’s life, and 31.03 % during the child’s second year. If you choose to receive this allowance until your child reaches the age of two, but will begin working during your second year of parental leave, the allowance will still be paid to you during the second year of parental leave, regardless of the income received at that time. This means that you will receive a salary paid by your employer and an allowance of 31.03% of your salary amount, which you are entitled to.

Allowances shall be paid on a monthly basis for the previous month. If you have been on maternity or paternity leave and have received a paternity or maternity leave allowance, then parental leave allowance will be paid to you from the end of the said leave until your child reaches the age of one or two. However, if you have not received maternity or paternity leave allowance, you can choose to have your parental leave allowance paid to you from the day your child is born. You can calculate the parental leave allowance amount you are entitled to by using the Sodra calculator.

In cases where parental leave is taken in turns, parental leave allowance is paid to the person who is currently on parental leave. For example, when applying for parental leave allowance until the child reaches the age of one, and when the mother goes on parental leave for the first six months of the child’s life, this allowance will be paid to the mother. When the child is cared for by the father for the remaining half of the year, the allowance comprising of 77.58 percent of the father’s monthly salary shall be paid to him.