When you say “person without taxable income”, most people immediately think of the obligation to pay monthly premiums. However, this is where the typical confusion arises: the status of PPL only applies to health insurance, not social insurance. And yet it is often with social insurance (more specifically, pension insurance) that voluntary payment often makes the most sense – especially when you face gaps in the years of insurance needed for retirement.
The OBZP (person without taxable income) deals with compulsory health insurance only – in 2026 it is 3 024 CZK per month. Social (pension) insurance does not automatically accrue to you as an OBZP – if you want your time away from work to count towards your pension, you must actively sign up for voluntary pension insurance. In 2026, the minimum voluntary pension insurance comes to around CZK 3,428 per month (28% of the minimum assessment base).
In practice, it is because of the confusion between the OASI and social insurance that people often find themselves in a situation where they only find out retrospectively that they have a pension gap or that the authorities have not recognised something according to their expectations. If you need to quickly verify a claim and choose the correct course of action (including objection/appeal), use our pension legal advice service.
A person with no taxable income (PII) is someone who is not employed or self-employed for a whole calendar month and is not covered by state health insurance. In this situation, you have to pay for your own health insurance. As of 1 January 2026, the health insurance premium for an OBZP is CZK 3,024 per month.
And now the key point: social insurance is not compulsory for PWD. In other words – you can be a PPL and pay nothing for pension insurance if you don’t want to. So the concept of PPL is not related to social insurance.
The Czech social security system is made up of several parts, and each part behaves slightly differently. Simply put: social security is mainly based on pension insurance and sickness insurance. The core of “social security” is therefore pension and sickness insurance.
This is a way to top up your pension years when you’re not working or running a business – typically when you have a long break between jobs, are abroad or perhaps looking after a family, but you’re not in a scheme where the time is automatically counted.
That’s what voluntary pension participation solves, allowing you to ‘top up’ your pension time so that it counts towards the time you need to qualify for a pension, or so that your pension history isn’t full of gaps.
Sickness insurance should be distinguished from pension insurance: sickness insurance is a scheme that covers short-term income shortfalls (typically illness, maternity and other situations). For employees, sickness insurance is linked to employment, but for the self-employed, participation in sickness insurance is voluntary – the self-employed must ask for it and meet conditions, including applying for it and paying at least the minimum premium.
If you are not self-employed, it does not make sense (or go the same way) to deal with voluntary sick pay in a similar way to voluntary pension insurance.
Why it is important for OBZP
With PPL status, you are liable to the health insurance company, but your pension is not affected. That’s why voluntary social insurance is a good addition just for people who are out of work and out of business for a long time: they want to make sure they don’t miss out on their pension entitlement, and they may want to stabilise their insurance history.
| Area | What it solves | Is it mandatory for OBZP? | Who administers it | Typical amount 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Insurance (HMO) | health care coverage | Yes | health insurance company | 3 024 CZK/month |
| Pension insurance (voluntary) | "years to retirement" (entitlement, gaps) | No (only if you want) | SOCIAL INSURANCE INSTITUTION/ SOCIAL INSURANCE INSTITUTION | min. 3 428 CZK/month |
| Sickness insurance | short-term benefits (sickness, maternity) | typically no (outside employment) | ČSSZ | on a regular basis (voluntary for self-employed persons) |
Anyone over the age of 18 can pay into the voluntary pension scheme if they qualify for one of the schemes: either you are claiming for a qualifying reason or no reason at all. This distinction is crucial because it affects how long you are allowed to contribute to the past, how long you can be voluntarily insured and sometimes whether you are allowed into the scheme at all.
A qualifying reason means that your situation is one of the types of recognised life circumstances where it makes sense for the periods to be voluntary. For example, the CSSA includes among the qualified reasons registration at the employment office, studying after the age of 18, gainful employment abroad (if the conditions are met) or, for example, performing voluntary service.
The most important thing for you is that for qualified reasons the system is more accommodating for gap payments, because in the past you have been in a regime where, although you did not pay compulsorily, it was objectively recognised time. Therefore, the CSSA accepts that some qualifying reasons can be topped up retrospectively without a time limit – in practice, it is typically post-18 study and registration with the Job Centre. However, for other qualifying reasons, the usual limitation applies, i.e. you can only backdate up to two years from the date of application.
This option has the most restrictions:
If you’re home between jobs for a few months and don’t want to leave a hole in your pension, voluntary insurance without giving a reason will make the most sense – but only if you’ve been paying insurance for at least 1 year from gainful employment.
Conversely, if you are dealing with a longer period (for example, going abroad to volunteer for six months), it is preferable to try and see if you fall into a qualifying reason, as the scheme allows much wider options here.
| Mode | For whom typically | Refundable surcharge | Length limits | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| With a qualifying reason | e.g. Jobseeker's Allowance, studying after 18, working abroad, volunteering etc. | sometimes without limit, sometimes max 2 years | depending on the situation | qualified reasons are based on the rules of the Social Security Agency (CSSA) |
| No reason given | if you don't meet any reason but already have an insurance history | max 1 year | max 15 years | condition is to have min. 1 year of participation from work/business (Podnikatel.cz) |
The premium for voluntary pension insurance is calculated as a percentage of the assessment base. The rate is 28% of the assessment base.
The lowest assessment base is one-quarter of the average wage applicable in the year.
For the year 2026, the maximum assessment base is 48 times the average wage of CZK 2 350 416, resulting in an average wage of CZK 48 967 (because 2 350 416 / 48 = 48 967).
This implies:
Thus, the voluntary minimum pension insurance in 2026 is 3 428 CZK per month.
Voluntary pension insurance is not automatically switched on just because you are unemployed, are an OBZP or have a hole in your insurance. It only comes into existence when you take the active step of applying and then actually pay the premiums.
The reason is simple: voluntary participation is legally constructed as a choice by the insured. The CSSA must first know that you are interested in insurance, since when you are interested in insurance and for what reason (for qualified reasons). Only then can the Social Security Institution assess whether you qualify and keep you on the register of the voluntarily insured.
The CSSA has a clear form for registration: the application for voluntary participation in pension insurance.
However, once you have applied, you may not be done yet. The Social Security Institution (according to your place of residence) will check whether you meet the legal conditions – typically when you apply for a qualified reason (for example, to register with the employment office, to study, etc.) and you must provide the necessary documents. Only when the Social Security Office has everything it needs will it assess whether you meet the conditions.
And here’s one more important thing to know: if you meet the conditions, the Social Security Agency will send you written information with practical details – they will assign you a variable symbol, tell you the account number for payments and the minimum premium amount.
If you don’t meet the conditions, the Social Security Agency may decide that you are not eligible for voluntary pension insurance on the basis of your application. So the application itself is a start, but you must pay at least the statutory minimum premium to have the period of voluntary participation count towards your pension.
Voluntary social insurance has one main point: you buy time in the scheme so that youdon’t miss out on periods of insurance to qualify for a pension. It therefore makes sense especially when you are at risk of not meeting the conditions for a pension.
For example, if you are approaching the age for the old-age pension and you have had a long period of time out of insurance (e.g. working under the table, long breaks between jobs, living abroad without Czech participation), or if you are dealing with a disability pension and you lack the necessary insurance periods. In these situations, it is often a matter of saving your entitlement – without the top-up, your entitlement to a pension may not arise at all or will be delayed.
It makes a big difference whether you make up time that falls under the voluntary participation regime for a qualifying reason (for example, studying after age 18 or registering with the Jobcentre). For such periods, the system is more accommodating and will allow for significant retroactive top-ups, whereas without a reason, you will hit hard limits.
In many cases, it also makes sense to pay on an ongoing basis during periods when you know you will be out of work or business – for example, when you take an extended break in life, when you are abroad or when you are switching between schemes and don’t want to risk creating a long gap in your cover.
In our practice, we have encountered a client who had a mix of schemes over several years: periods of unemployment, shorter periods of working abroad and gaps that she considered automatically deductible. When she dealt with a follow-up social benefit, the authority did not recognise part of the period (it was not properly documented exactly what the scheme was) and the result was a refusal. After supplementing the evidence, comparing the timeline, and taking the correct procedural step, we were able to overturn the decision .
In practice, voluntary pension insurance is often not worthwhile for people who have a long career ahead of them and are also very likely to return to regular employment or business. If your gap is short (say, a few months) and you have an otherwise stable insurance history, the impact on eligibility tends to be minimal – and you’re just paying thousands a month for something that doesn’t realistically bring you anything.
If you’re not sure whether a voluntary pension scheme will actually save your entitlement, or whether you’re just paying thousands a month for a minimal effect, it’s worth checking the specific impact on your situation first (periods of insurance, creditable periods, clawback limits). As part of our pension legal advice, we’ll assess your evidence base and recommend the most appropriate course of action.
In 2026, the OBZP means mainly one thing: the obligation to pay health insurance of CZK 3,024 per month. Social security is not automatically affected – and if you are out of work or business for a long period of time, you may have pension gaps that will determine your pension entitlement later on. Voluntary pension participation may be a solution, but it depends on whether you fall into a scheme with a qualifying reason (often more accommodating rules) or without a qualifying reason (limit 15 years and backdated max 1 year). In 2026, the minimum voluntary pension contribution comes out at £3,428 per month – so it makes sense especially if it will realistically help you save or stabilise your entitlement.
No. The EHIC covers health insurance; you only pay for your pension voluntarily.
3 024 CZK per month.
The lowest possible monthly premium is CZK 3,428.
Maximum of 15 years (and you will pay back a maximum of 1 year).
Typically only for a qualifying reason (some without time limit, others max 2 years).
Yes, the Social Security Office usually asks for documents proving the reason (e.g. studies, registration with the Social Security Office, etc.).
Yes, you can also apply online via the ČSSZ ePortal (with an electronic identity).
Did you apply for a disability pension and get a denial instead of the expected award? Or was your retirement pension calculated differently than you expected? We can help you find out how the Social Security Administration assessed your situation and check whether there was an error.
Ondřej is the attorney who came up with the idea of providing legal services online. He's been earning his living through legal services for more than 10 years. He especially likes to help clients who may have given up hope in solving their legal issues at work, for example with real estate transfers or copyright licenses.
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