Sick leave by country / Hungary
Sick leave and sick pay in Hungary
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 Hungary or work on one.
Hungary splits sick pay in two. The employer pays betegászabadság — 15 working days per calendar year at 70% of absentee pay — from the first day of illness. Once those days are used, the health insurance fund pays táppénz at 60% of the daily contribution base, or 50% for employees with fewer than 730 days of continuous insurance, for up to one year; the employer contributes a third of that cost.
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How it works
Section 126 of the Labour Code gives every employee 15 working days of betegászabadság in each calendar year, paid by the employer at 70% of absentee pay and available from the first day of incapacity; a mid-year joiner gets a pro-rata share. When the 15 days are exhausted, or for an illness that continues beyond them, táppénz under the 1997 health insurance act takes over: 60% of the daily contribution base for employees with at least 730 days of continuous insurance cover, 50% for those below that threshold or during hospital treatment, subject to a daily cap tied to the minimum wage. Táppénz runs for a maximum of one year within a two-year period. Employers with their own social insurance paying office settle it directly; others go through the government office. The employer also pays a third of the táppénz cost, which is unusual in Europe and makes long absences a direct budget item.
Worth knowing: The 15 days are per calendar year, not per illness, and unused days do not carry over. Because táppénz drops to 60% or 50% and is capped, a long illness in Hungary costs the employee considerably more than in most of the EU.
If you run a team in Hungary
Pay 15 working days of betegászabadság at 70% per calendar year (pro-rata for joiners), then hand over to táppénz — and budget for the third of it you must still fund. Keep certificates of incapacity on file. Annual leave is not reduced by sickness, and days of incapacity count as time worked for leave accrual.
If you work in Hungary
Get a certificate of incapacity from your doctor; it applies from the first day. Your first 15 working days of illness each year are paid by your employer at 70% of absentee pay, after which the health insurance fund pays 60% — or 50% if you have less than 730 days of continuous insurance or are in hospital.
Sickness and annual leave
Sick leave counts as time worked for annual leave accrual, so the entitlement is not reduced. Illness during annual leave interrupts it and the days are rescheduled.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Hungary 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 Hungary 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 Hungary: common questions
What is the difference between betegászabadság and táppénz?
Betegászabadság is employer-paid sick leave: 15 working days a year at 70% of absentee pay. Táppénz is the health insurance benefit that takes over afterwards, at 60% or 50% of the daily contribution base.
Do the 15 days carry over to next year?
No. The entitlement resets each calendar year and unused days are lost. A new employee receives a pro-rata share for the year they join.
How long can táppénz be paid?
Up to one year within a two-year period for the same incapacity, subject to the insurance conditions and a daily cap linked to the minimum wage.
What happens if I fall ill during my annual leave in Hungary?
Sick leave counts as time worked for annual leave accrual, so the entitlement is not reduced. Illness during annual leave interrupts it and the days are rescheduled.
Source
Primary source: Act I of 2012 on the Labour Code §126 (betegászabadság); Act LXXXIII of 1997 on compulsory health insurance (táppénz). 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.