Sick leave by country / Czechia
Sick leave and sick pay in Czechia
Who pays when someone is ill, how much, for how long, and what the certificate rules are — in plain English, whether you run a team in Czechia or work on one.
In Czechia the employer pays wage compensation (náhrada mzdy) for the first 14 calendar days of incapacity, from the first day, at 60% of reduced average earnings for the hours the employee would have worked. From the 15th day the Czech Social Security Administration pays sickness benefit (nemocenské) at 60% of the reduced daily assessment base, rising to 66% from day 31 and 72% from day 61, for up to 380 days. The doctor issues an electronic certificate (eNeschopenka) from the first day.
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How it works
Section 192 of the Labour Code obliges the employer to pay náhrada mzdy for the first 14 calendar days of temporary incapacity, for the working days or shifts the employee misses, at 60% of average hourly earnings reduced by statutory reduction limits — since 1 July 2019 from the first day, the earlier three unpaid “karenční” days having been abolished. From day 15 the ČSSZ pays nemocenské for calendar days at 60% of the reduced daily assessment base until day 30, 66% from day 31 to 60 and 72% from day 61, for a maximum of 380 calendar days from the start of incapacity, with the reduction limits updated every January. Since 2020 the certificate is electronic: the doctor sends the eNeschopenka to ČSSZ, which notifies the employer through its portal; the employee must still inform the employer without delay. Employers may check that the employee observes the doctor’s permitted outings during the 14-day period, and ČSSZ may check afterwards.
Worth knowing: Because compensation covers only missed working days, a five-day illness that starts on a Friday costs the employer one day, while nemocenské from day 15 is paid for every calendar day — the two systems count differently.
If you run a team in Czechia
Pay compensation for missed working hours in the first 14 calendar days at 60% of reduced average earnings; you do not pay for weekends or public holidays unless a shift was scheduled. Pick up eNeschopenka notifications from the ČSSZ ePortal and send the required data for benefit from day 15. You may check compliance with the permitted outing regime during your period. Sick leave does not reduce annual leave, which accrues in full for up to the first 100 days.
If you work in Czechia
See a doctor on the first day; the eNeschopenka reaches ČSSZ and your employer electronically, but you must still tell your employer you are absent. Expect 60% of your reduced average earnings for the first two weeks from your employer and nemocenské from ČSSZ afterwards, paid monthly in arrears. Keep to the doctor’s permitted outing times.
Sickness and annual leave
Illness during annual leave interrupts it and the days are rescheduled. Annual leave accrues during temporary incapacity within the limits of the Labour Code’s rules on excused absence.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Czechia annual leave page — 20 working days minimum.
Keeping the record straight
Sick pay rules turn on dates: the day the illness started, the day the certificate was due, the day the employer's obligation ends and the benefit takes over. In Czechia those dates decide who pays and how much, and they have to be provable months later — to a payroll auditor, an insurer, or the employee. A shared spreadsheet rarely survives that; a tracker like Leavo records each absence with its dates and approvals alongside annual leave, so the record exists before anyone asks for it. We compare the options in our leave management software guide, and the policy side — carryover, payout, accrual — in our guides.
Sick leave in Czechia: common questions
Are the first three days still unpaid?
No. The unpaid karenční days were abolished on 1 July 2019; compensation is paid from the first missed working day.
How is nemocenské calculated?
From the daily assessment base (average earnings of the previous twelve months) reduced by three statutory limits, at 60% until day 30, 66% from day 31 and 72% from day 61, for up to 380 calendar days.
Do I need a paper certificate?
No. The eNeschopenka is electronic; your doctor sends it to ČSSZ, which informs your employer. You only need to tell your employer you are absent.
What happens if I fall ill during my annual leave in Czechia?
Illness during annual leave interrupts it and the days are rescheduled. Annual leave accrues during temporary incapacity within the limits of the Labour Code’s rules on excused absence.
Source
Primary source: Zákoník práce §192 (náhrada mzdy); Zákon o nemocenském pojištění 187/2006 (nemocenské). Rates and caps change — often every January or April — and collective agreements frequently improve on the statutory scheme. Confirm against the current text before acting. See our methodology.