Parental leave by country / Czechia
Maternity, paternity and parental leave in Czechia
How long each parent can be away, who pays and how much, the notice rules and the job protection — in plain English, whether you run a team in Czechia or work on one.
Czech mothers take 28 weeks of maternity leave (37 for multiples), starting six to eight weeks before the due date, with maternity benefit from the Social Security Administration at 70% of the reduced daily assessment base; the first six weeks after the birth are reserved to the mother, after which the father may take over the benefit. Fathers have two weeks of paternity leave at 70% within six weeks of the birth. Either parent may then take parental leave until the child is three, with a state parental allowance of CZK 350,000 per child drawn at a monthly rate the parent chooses.
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How it works
Sections 195 to 198 of the Labour Code give the mother mateřská dovolená of 28 weeks, or 37 for two or more children, beginning six to eight weeks before the expected birth; at least 14 weeks must be taken and it cannot end before six weeks after the birth. The peněžitá pomoc v mateřství from the ČSSZ is 70% of the daily assessment base after the statutory reductions, requiring 270 days of sickness insurance in the previous two years, and from the seventh week after the birth the parents may agree that the father draws it instead. Otcovská, introduced in 2018 and extended in 2022, gives the father two weeks at 70% within the six weeks after the birth. Rodičovská dovolená is available to either parent, or both at once, until the child’s third birthday, with the right to return to the same job for the first period and to equivalent work afterwards; the rodičovský příspěvek, paid by the Labour Office, totals CZK 350,000 per child (more for multiples) for children born from 2024 and can be spread up to the third birthday at a monthly amount the parent sets within limits linked to prior earnings.
Worth knowing: Czech parental allowance is a fixed sum rather than an income replacement: drawing it faster means a higher monthly amount and a shorter period, within a ceiling tied to previous earnings, which is why parents with two incomes often return to work well before the child is three.
If you run a team in Czechia
Grant maternity leave on the employee’s notice and paternity and parental leave on written request; the ČSSZ pays the benefits, though employers with more than 25 insured staff process the claims. Dismissal is barred during pregnancy and maternity or parental leave except for defined organisational reasons. The first 22 weeks of maternity leave (31 for multiples) count as time worked for annual leave; parental leave does not.
If you work in Czechia
Give your employer the doctor’s form and start maternity leave six to eight weeks before the due date; apply for the benefit through your employer or the ČSSZ. Fathers apply for otcovská for two weeks within six weeks of the birth. Request parental leave in writing at least 30 days ahead and set your parental allowance rate with the Labour Office — you can change it every three months.
Parental leave and annual leave
Maternity leave counts as work for annual leave for its first 22 weeks (31 for multiples); parental leave does not accrue holiday, and holiday scheduled to follow maternity leave must be granted on request.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Czechia annual leave page — 20 working days minimum.
Keeping the record straight
Long leaves are where leave records go wrong quietly: holiday that kept accruing for months and was never credited, a return date nobody diarised, a reduced entitlement applied where the law forbids it. In Czechia the rules above decide what is owed on return, and the record has to show it. A tracker like Leavo keeps the leave, the accrual and the approvals in one place so the return is a date, not a dispute. We compare the options in our leave management software guide, and the policy side — carryover, payout, accrual — in our guides.
Parental leave in Czechia: common questions
How much is the maternity benefit?
70% of the reduced daily assessment base for each calendar day of the 28 (or 37) weeks, paid by the ČSSZ, provided the mother has 270 days of sickness insurance in the previous two years.
Can the father take maternity leave?
From the seventh week after the birth the parents may agree in writing that the father draws the maternity benefit and takes the leave instead of the mother. He also has his own two weeks of otcovská in the first six weeks.
How does the parental allowance work?
It is a fixed total of CZK 350,000 per child (more for multiples), paid by the Labour Office in monthly amounts the parent chooses within a ceiling based on previous earnings, until it is exhausted or the child turns three.
Does annual leave accrue during maternity or parental leave in Czechia?
Maternity leave counts as work for annual leave for its first 22 weeks (31 for multiples); parental leave does not accrue holiday, and holiday scheduled to follow maternity leave must be granted on request.
Source
Primary source: Zákoník práce §§195–198; Zákon o nemocenském pojištění (PPM, otcovská); Zákon o státní sociální podpoře (rodičovský příspěvek). Benefit rates and ceilings change every year and collective agreements frequently improve on the statutory scheme — confirm against the current text before acting. See our methodology.