Social security

Sickness insurance is regulated by Act No. 187/2006 Coll. The sickness insurance system provides coverage for working people in the form of financial benefits when they are temporarily unable to work due to illness, injury or quarantine, caring for a family member, pregnancy and maternity or caring for a child.

All employees are obliged to participate in the public sickness insurance system, unlike self-employed persons, for whom sickness insurance is optional. Sickness insurance remains in force for the whole period of employment.

The following 4 benefits are covered by sickness insurance:

• Sickness benefit
• Maternity benefit (paid maternity leave)
• Attendance allowance (when you miss work to look after a family member)
• Compensatory benefit in pregnancy and maternity (if you cannot continue in your usual position due to pregnancy)

To claim a benefit/allowance, the employee must deliver the application for a benefit/allowance (which is usually issued by his/her general medical doctor) to his/her employer, who sends it, together with other documents, to the appropriate District Social Security Administration.

For further information please click here.

Decisions about entitlement to pensions, their value and payment are made by the Czech Social Security Administration in compliance with Act No. 155/1995 Coll., on Pension Insurance, as amended. The Czech pension system is divided into two "pillars". The first pillar consists of mandatory basic pension insurance for all economically active individuals. You do not have to be a Czech citizen to be entitled to participate in the pension insurance scheme. All foreigners who are working in the Czech Republic are required to pay Social Security contributions, i.e. the first pillar of the pension scheme. The second pillar consists of voluntary complementary pensioninsurance, to which the state contributes a certain amount based on the amount that the insured person pays into the scheme. This second pillar is provided by commercial insurance companies. Participation in the second pillar is voluntary.

The following pensions are provided from the basic pension insurance fund:

• old-age pension
• disability pension
• widow/widower pension
• orphan pension

If you are entitled to one of these pensions, the amount you will receive depends on how long you were insured for, and the total contributions you paid. The decision about the entitlement to a pension, its amount and payment shall be made by the Czech Social Security Administration (Česká správa sociálního zabezpečení). Professional assistance in the matters of pension insurance shall be provided to individuals and organizations by district social security administrations (okresní správa sociálního zabezpečení = OSSZ).

If you are an EU citizen or have at any time in your life been registered in the public Social Security system in another EU country, your contributions there can count towards a Czech pension (similarly, your Czech first pillar contributions will count towards your pension in another EU country). For further information on this system please see here and here.

For information about receiving a Czech pension when living abroad please see here.