Parental leave by country / Hungary
Maternity, paternity and parental leave in Hungary
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 Hungary or work on one.
Hungarian mothers receive CSED — 24 weeks of maternity benefit at 100% of daily average earnings from the health insurance fund. Fathers have 10 working days of paternity leave at full pay within two months of the birth. Each parent then has 44 working days of parental leave paid at 10% of absentee pay, and the family can draw GYED until the child is two (70% of earnings, capped) followed by the flat-rate GYES until the child is three.
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How it works
Hungary has one of Europe’s longest paid family-leave chains. CSED (csecsemőgondozási díj) runs for 24 weeks, normally starting four weeks before the due date, and since 2021 pays 100% of the daily average earnings with no deduction. GYED (gyermekgondozási díj) follows until the child’s second birthday at 70% of daily average earnings, capped at 70% of twice the minimum wage. GYES (gyermekgondozást segítő ellátás) is a flat monthly amount payable until the third birthday, and can be drawn while working after the child turns six months. The 2023 transposition of the EU directive added two entitlements in the Labour Code: 10 working days of paternity leave at full pay, taken within two months of the birth, and szülői szabadság — 44 working days of parental leave per parent until the child is three, paid at 10% of absentee pay, available after a year of service and not transferable between parents.
Worth knowing: Hungary abolished the personal income tax on CSED and GYED for mothers under 30, and from 2026 extended income-tax exemptions to mothers of two and three children, which changes the net value of these benefits considerably.
If you run a team in Hungary
Grant paternity leave on request within two months of the birth and pay it in full; it is reimbursed from the central budget. Grant the 44 working days of parental leave to employees with a year of service, at 10% of absentee pay. Dismissal protection applies during pregnancy, maternity leave and unpaid child-care leave, and the employee returns to the same or equivalent work. Annual leave accrues during CSED and the first six months of child-care leave.
If you work in Hungary
Apply for CSED through your employer or the health insurance fund before the leave starts; it pays 100% of your daily average earnings for 24 weeks. Fathers must take the 10 days within two months of the birth. Ask for the 44 days of parental leave in writing once you have a year of service — they are per parent and cannot be transferred.
Parental leave and annual leave
Annual leave accrues in full during CSED and during the first six months of unpaid child-care leave; beyond that it does not. Leave accumulated before the leave must be granted after the return, on request in the year of return.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Hungary 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 Hungary 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 Hungary: common questions
How much is CSED worth?
100% of the daily average earnings for 24 weeks, paid by the health insurance fund, with no upper cap applied to the percentage since the 2021 change.
What is the difference between GYED and GYES?
GYED is an earnings-related benefit — 70% of daily average earnings, capped — payable until the child is two. GYES is a flat monthly amount payable until the child is three, and can be combined with work after the child is six months old.
Is the 44-day parental leave transferable?
No. Each parent has their own 44 working days until the child turns three, paid at 10% of absentee pay, and the entitlement lapses if not used.
Does annual leave accrue during maternity or parental leave in Hungary?
Annual leave accrues in full during CSED and during the first six months of unpaid child-care leave; beyond that it does not. Leave accumulated before the leave must be granted after the return, on request in the year of return.
Source
Primary source: Act I of 2012 on the Labour Code §§118–121; Act LXXXIII of 1997 (CSED, GYED); Act LXXXIV of 1998 (GYES). 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.