Paternity benefits of self-employed persons

Paternity benefits are a sickness insurance benefit for the father of a newborn child or for a person who has taken the child into care replacing the parents’ care on the basis of a decision of the competent authority, if the child has not reached the age of 7 on the day of being taken into care.

The benefits are provided for a maximum 14 calendar days from the date of taking up the benefits.

Paternity benefits belong to a person only if they have been taken up within a period of six weeks from the date of the child’s birth or his or her taking into care. The day of taking up the benefits is determined by each person as needed.

General conditions applicable to employees also apply to self-employed persons; in addition to the following conditions, paternity leave is conditional on:

• the participation of a self-employed person in sickness insurance for at least three months immediately preceding the date of taking paternity leave;
• the self-employed person not pursuing activity as a self-employed person during paternity leave.