A Clear Overview of Paternity Leave

Paternity leave is time off work granted to an employee for the period during which he is entitled to paternity benefits. The benefit lasts for 14 calendar days and cannot be taken in installments. The child’s father, as listed on the birth certificate, or an insured person who has taken the child into care in lieu of parental care is eligible. Employees apply through their employer; self-employed individuals apply directly to the Social Security Administration. A prerequisite is participation in health insurance; for self-employed individuals, this must include at least 3 months immediately prior to the start of paternity leave.

What Is Paternity Leave and What Is It For?

Paternity leave is time off work that an employer grants an employee in connection with the birth of a child and caring for the child. The Labor Code regulates it in Section 195a and links it to the period during which the postnatal paternity benefit is provided under the Sickness Insurance Act. In everyday language, it is often referred to simply as “paternity leave,” but in reality, it is important to distinguish between two things:

• Paternity leave is time off from work granted by the employer.
• Postnatal paternity care is a sickness insurance benefit paid by the state.

The purpose of paternity leave is to allow the other parent or another eligible person to be at home during the first few days after the child’s birth. In practice, this means helping the mother after childbirth, caring for the newborn, taking care of practical matters, and creating space for the family to adjust to their new routine.

Paternity leave is voluntary. The father is not required to take it. However, if he wishes to take it, he must meet the legal requirements, particularly regarding participation in health insurance and the correct start date.

Who Is Eligible for Paternity Leave

The child’s father— that is, the man listed as the father on the child’s birth certificate—is primarily entitled to paternity leave. Legal paternity is the determining factor, not merely a biological relationship. Therefore, if a man is listed as the child’s father, he may apply for paternity leave provided he meets the other requirements.

A person who has taken the child into care that replaces parental care may also be eligible. In this situation, the person need not be a man. The Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ) states that paternity benefits are also available to an insured person—whether a man or a woman—who has taken the child into care that replaces parental care, provided the child was under 7 years of age on the date the child was taken into care.

Typically, this may involve:

• the father listed on the birth certificate,
• an adoptive parent,
• a foster parent,
• a person to whom the child has been entrusted with care that replaces parental care based on a decision by the competent authority.

The basic requirement is participation in health insurance. For employees, this coverage is generally mandatory by law. For self-employed individuals, sickness insurance is voluntary, and to be eligible for paternity leave, the self-employed individual must have been enrolled in sickness insurance for at least 3 months immediately preceding the start date of paternity leave.

Students, unemployed individuals registered with the employment office, and persons for whom the state pays only health insurance are not eligible for paternity leave unless they are also enrolled in sickness insurance. Simply being a father is therefore not sufficient.

When to Start and How Long Paternity Leave Lasts

Paternity leave lasts 14 calendar days. It must be taken in a single block; it cannot be split, for example, into one week after the birth and another week later. Payment of the benefit cannot be interrupted or taken on a day-by-day basis.

The eligible person chooses when to start paternity leave. However, it must fall within the statutory timeframe. The basic rule is that paternity leave must begin within 6 weeks of the child’s birth or the date the child is taken into care.

Practical example: The child is born on June 1. The father does not have to begin paternity leave immediately the day after the birth. He may, for example, choose a date after the mother and child return from the maternity hospital or a later date within the six-week postpartum period. However, paternity leave must begin no later than the statutory deadline.

An important exception applies if the child is hospitalized. If the child is hospitalized after birth for health reasons related to the child or the mother, the 6-week period for starting paternity leave is extended by the number of calendar days of hospitalization that fall within this period. Thanks to this, the father does not have to use up his paternity leave while the newborn is still in the hospital. He can use it once the child is home and the family truly needs practical help around the house.

The death of a child is another sensitive but important situation. According to current information from the Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ) , paternity leave is also granted to a father whose child was stillborn or died within 6 weeks of the date of birth.

How Much Money Will You Receive During Paternity Leave

Paternity leave benefits are a type of sickness insurance benefit. They amount to 70% of the reduced daily assessment base. The calculation is based on previous earnings—usually earnings during the reference period—and, as with other sickness insurance benefits, the daily assessment base is reduced.

This does not mean, however, that everyone will receive exactly 70% of their net salary. The benefit is calculated according to sickness insurance rules, and the resulting amount depends on the level of income and the reduction thresholds.

For an employee with a standard employment contract who is covered by sickness insurance, the benefit amount is based on their employment income. For self-employed individuals, the benefit is calculated using the assessment base for self-employed sickness insurance. The lower the sickness insurance premiums a self-employed person pays, the lower the benefit may be.

Special attention must be paid to work performed under a contract for services. In 2026, the threshold income for an employee’s eligibility for sickness insurance in standard employment is 4,500 CZK. For work-performance agreements, participation in sickness insurance is triggered when the reported income is at least 25% of the average wage; The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MPSV) specifies a rule for 2026 linked to 25% of the average wage, which in practice corresponds to 12,000 Kč.

In practice: anyone who works solely under a work agreement and does not reach the income threshold for sickness insurance coverage may not be eligible for paternity leave. It is therefore not enough for a person to simply “work somewhere.” The decisive factor is participation in sickness insurance.

How to Apply for Paternity Leave

An employee applies for paternity leave through their employer. The Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ) states in the 2026 form that the employee must notify the employer of the start date of paternity leave, the reason for taking the leave, and the child’s identifying information. The employer then submits the necessary documents to the relevant social security administration.

Self-employed individuals submit their application directly to the social security administration. To be eligible, they must have been enrolled in health insurance for at least 3 months immediately prior to the start of the benefit.

Recommended practical steps:

1. Check whether you are enrolled in sickness insurance,
2. determine the start date of your paternity leave,
3. verify that you meet the 6-week deadline from the child’s birth or adoption,
4. if the child is hospitalized, keep the hospitalization certificate,
5. An employee must notify their employer of the start date,
6. Self-employed individuals must submit an application directly to the Social Security Administration.

The employer should not treat paternity leave as regular vacation, which they can arbitrarily deny for operational reasons. It constitutes a legal impediment to work on the part of the employee, provided the conditions for paternity leave benefits under the Sickness Insurance Act are met.

Paternity Leave, Parental Leave, and Situations Where Entitlement Does Not Arise

Paternity and parental leave are often confused, but they are two distinct concepts.

Paternity leave is a short period of time off work following the birth of a child or after taking a child into care. It lasts 14 calendar days and is associated with a sickness insurance benefit.

Parental leave is a longer period of time off work intended to allow for more intensive care of the child. Both the mother and the father may take it, for the duration they request, until the child reaches the age of 3 at the latest. Parental leave is not the same as the parental allowance; parental leave is a form of leave under labor law, while the parental allowance is a state social assistance benefit.

In practice, paternity leave and parental leave can be taken consecutively. A father can first take 14 days of paternity leave and later apply for parental leave. Parents can also take turns caring for the child according to the family’s needs.

Entitlement to paternity leave typically does not arise if:

• the person is not enrolled in health insurance,
• a self-employed person has not paid into sickness insurance for the required period,
• the person works only under a contract without participating in health insurance,
• the start of paternity leave is chosen after the statutory deadline,
• the person is neither the father listed on the birth certificate nor a person who has taken the child into care in lieu of parental care.

In practice, we often find that parents are aware of the duration of paternity leave but underestimate the importance of being enrolled in sickness insurance. This problem arises particularly among self-employed individuals, those with short-term contracts, or people who are between jobs.

Summary

Paternity leave in 2026 lasts 14 calendar days, is taken as a single block, and is linked to the postnatal paternity benefit. The father listed on the child’s birth certificate or an insured person who has taken the child into care in lieu of parental care is eligible. The basic requirement is participation in health insurance.

Paternity leave must generally begin within 6 weeks of the child’s birth or the date the child was taken into care. If the child is hospitalized, this period is extended by the number of days spent in the hospital. Employees submit their application through their employer; self-employed individuals submit it directly to the Social Security Administration.