Ways to Earn Extra Income While on Maternity Leave: Part-Time Jobs, Regular Work, or Starting a Business?

Quick Overview: During maternity leave, you may not work or run your own business in the insured activity for which you are receiving maternity benefits. However, you may earn additional income through other work—under a different employment relationship, for a different employer, or through self-employment—provided that you do not violate the rules of health insurance, the Labor Code, or any requirement for your employer’s consent. Maternity benefits amount to 70% of the daily assessment base; for self-employed individuals, a prerequisite is having maintained voluntary health insurance for the required duration.

Maternity Leave Is Not the Same as Parental Leave: Why the Difference Matters

In everyday speech, people often say “I’m on maternity leave” even when a parent is already receiving parental benefits and taking parental leave. Legally, however, these are two distinct situations.

Maternity leave is time off from work as defined by the Labor Code. An employee is generally entitled to 28 weeks of maternity leave in connection with childbirth and caring for a newborn child; in the case of the birth of two or more children, the leave lasts 37 weeks. It typically begins six weeks before the expected date of delivery, but no earlier than eight weeks before that date. Maternity leave must not be shorter than 14 weeks and cannot end or be interrupted before six weeks have elapsed from the date of delivery.

Maternity benefits, abbreviated as PPM, are a sickness insurance benefit. The benefit period is 28 weeks for a woman who has given birth to one child, and 37 weeks in the case of the birth of two or more children. The amount of PPM is 70% of the daily assessment base.

Parental leave typically follows maternity leave and may be taken by either the mother or the father until the child reaches the age of three. The parental allowance is a state social assistance benefit for which the parent’s income is not taken into account; therefore, a parent may work as long as they ensure the child’s care. For children born on or after January 1, 2024, the parental allowance is 350,000 CZK; for multiple births, it is up to 700,000 CZK.

This difference is crucial for earning additional income. While on parental leave, income restrictions are generally much more lenient. During maternity leave, however, care must be taken to ensure that work or business activities do not interfere with the insured activity for which maternity benefits (PPM) are paid.

Employment with the Same Employer

The basic rule is:maternity benefits are not paid for the period during which the insured person performs workin the insured activity from which the benefit is derived, or personally engages in self-employment. In practice, this means that if an employee is receiving maternity benefits under her employment contract, she cannot simply continue doing the same work under the same employment contract during that period while simultaneously receiving maternity benefits from that employment.

However, it is possible to enter into a different employment relationship with the same employer for a different type of work. This could include, for example, an agreement to perform work, an agreement on work activity, or even another employment relationship, provided that the work is not of the same type as in the original employment relationship. The Labor Code generally restricts the performance of work of the same type under another primary employment relationship with the same employer; an exception effective from 2025 applies to parental leave, not to maternity leave in general.

Real-world example: An accountant is receiving maternity benefits (PPM) from her employment as an accountant. While on maternity leave, she should not perform the same accounting duties under a contract of employment with the same employer. Theoretically, however, she could agree to perform different work—such as one-time administrative assistance—provided that it is genuinely a different type of work and does not violate the purpose of maternity leave or her postpartum health restrictions.

Special care must be taken during the first six weeks after childbirth. Maternity leave cannot end or be interrupted before the six weeks following childbirth have elapsed. The purpose of this provision is to protect the health of the mother and child.Different rules apply to parental leave. Starting June 1, 2025, employees on parental leave with the same employer may perform the same type of work under a DPP or DPČ agreement as they did in their original employment relationship. This is a practical change facilitating a gradual return to work, but it does not apply as freely to maternity leave.

Working for Another Employer: DPP and DPČ

Working for another employer is often easier than working for your original employer. For the purposes of maternity benefits (PPM), it is important that the work does not constitute an insured activity for which you are receiving benefits. Therefore, if you are receiving PPM from employment with Employer A, you may, under certain conditions, earn additional income from Employer B.

However, be sure to obtain your original employer’s consent. An employee may engage in gainful activity identical to the employer’s line of business alongside their regular employment only with the employer’s prior written consent. This restriction does not apply to scientific, educational, journalistic, literary, or artistic activities. The rule does not mean, therefore, that you need consent for any part-time job; it depends on whether the activity is the same as your employer’s line of business.

Example: A marketing specialist working at an advertising agency wants to write advertising copy for a competing agency while on maternity leave. In this case, she should seek her employer’s consent and address any potential competitive sensitivity of the work. However, if the same woman occasionally writes her own journalistic articles, she may fall under the exception for journalistic activities.

A common form of side income is a DPP or DPČ agreement. In 2026, the threshold income for regular employees’ participation in health insurance is 4,500 Kč. A separate threshold applies to work performance agreements (DPP): as of January 1, 2026, the threshold for employees’ participation in sickness insurance under a DPP is 12,000 Kč. For DPPs, insurance participation is assessed based on income in a specific calendar month. If an employee has multiple work-performance agreements with the same employer, the incomes are added together for the purposes of insurance coverage.

This is significant not only for contributions but also for future sickness insurance benefits. A small side income under a DPP may be administratively simpler, but it may not trigger participation in sickness insurance. Conversely, a higher income may trigger the obligation to make contributions.

Running a Business While on Maternity Leave

Running a business during maternity leave is possible, but the rules differ depending on whether the woman was self-employed before going on maternity leave or whether she was an employee and starts a business only during maternity leave. If a woman is receiving maternity benefits from her employer and starts a new business during maternity leave, this is not considered the same insured activity for which the benefits are being paid. Simply starting a business does not automatically result in the loss of maternity benefits. However, it is necessary to address tax and insurance obligations, as well as obtain the employer’s consent if the business is in the same line of work as the employer’s.

If a woman was self-employed before beginning to receive maternity benefits and her entitlement to the benefit arose specifically from her self-employed sickness insurance, she may not personally engage in the self-employment activity from which the benefit is derived while receiving maternity benefits. The Sickness Insurance Act expressly excludes the payment of benefits for the period during which the self-employed woman personally performs this self-employment activity. This does not mean that the business must always cease entirely. In practice, it is sometimes possible to arrange for the business to be actually carried out by an employee, a business partner, or another person, while the mother herself does not personally engage in the business activity from which she receives maternity benefits. For smaller businesses, however, suspending business operations is often the solution.

A self-employed person is entitled to maternity benefits only if she has voluntarily paid sickness insurance premiums and met the legal requirements. The Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ) states that a self-employed person must have been enrolled in self-employed sickness insurance for at least 180 days during the one-year period preceding the start of maternity leave and, at the same time, must have at least 270 calendar days of sickness insurance coverage in the two years prior to the start of the benefit.

Example: A graphic designer was self-employed and became eligible for maternity benefits based on this business activity. While receiving maternity benefits, she should not personally accept or process orders as a graphic designer. However, if she has an employee who handles the orders and she does not personally perform the work herself, the situation is different, and it is advisable to establish the appropriate legal and accounting framework in advance.

How to Earn Extra Income Safely: Practical Scenarios

The safest approach is to first answer three questions: what activity entitles me to maternity benefits, what kind of work do I want to do, and for whom do I want to perform it? Only then does it make sense to address the specifics of a contract.

Scenario 1: An employee wants to help her former employer.You can consider a new DPP, DPČ, or other employment relationship, but for a different type of work. Simply renaming the job description is not enough. If the work is essentially the same, just with a different title, the risk of losing benefits or facing an audit remains.

Scenario 2: The employee wants to work for another company.From the perspective of maternity benefits, this may be possible provided it is not the same employment from which she is currently receiving benefits. However, it is necessary to verify whether the activity is identical to the original employer’s line of business and whether the employer’s prior written consent is required.

Scenario 3: A woman wants a short-term part-time job under a DPP agreement.A DPP agreement may be suitable for occasional extra income. In 2026, the threshold for eligibility for sickness insurance under a DPP agreement is 12,000 Kč. Once this threshold is reached, the employee becomes eligible for sickness insurance; below the threshold, the agreement may be simpler in terms of contributions, but it does not establish sickness insurance coverage.

Scenario 4: An employee starts her own business.If she is receiving maternity benefits (PPM) from her employment, the new business in and of itself does not necessarily preclude her from receiving the benefits. However, it is necessary to ensure the employer’s consent, if applicable, as well as to manage taxes, contributions, and the practical care of the child.

Scenario 5: A self-employed person wants to continue their business.If the maternity benefit (PPM) is derived from the self-employed person’s sickness insurance, personally performing this self-employment activity poses a problem. One option is to suspend the business or delegate its operation to another person.

Practical experience repeatedly shows that the greatest complications do not arise from the additional income itself, but from a poorly drafted contract. Typically, a contract for work (DPP) is entered into that has a different formal title but, in practice, involves performing the same work as before maternity leave. With such agreements, it is also necessary to monitor limits, keep records of work performed, and ensure compliance with social security contributions.

Summary

Earning additional income during maternity leave is possible in 2026, but not without restrictions. The key rule is that maternity benefits are not paid while the insured person is performing work or engaging in self-employment within the insured activity for which the maternity benefits are due. Other types of work, different employment relationships, work for another employer, or a new business may be permitted provided certain conditions are met.

For female employees, it is necessary to distinguish between maternity leave and parental leave. The rules regarding earnings are generally more flexible during parental leave, and starting in 2025, it will be possible to perform the same type of work for the same employer under a DPP or DPČ contract. The rules are stricter during maternity leave, particularly regarding work for which maternity benefits (PPM) are paid.

For self-employed individuals, the determining factor is whether the maternity benefit (PPM) is derived from their self-employed health insurance. If so, they may not personally perform that specific self-employed activity while receiving the benefit. Before taking on additional work, it is therefore advisable to review not only the contract but also the impact on health insurance, contributions, and any necessary consent from the employer.