If you had your first baby as a freelancer in Czechia and then let your voluntary sickness insurance lapse, you probably assumed that door was closed for good. As of July 1, 2026, that assumption is no longer automatically true.
The Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ) has confirmed a new rule that extends eligibility for peněžitá pomoc v mateřství (PPM), the Czech maternity benefit, to some parents who currently have no active nemocenské pojištění (sickness insurance) at all.
Here is what changed, who it applies to, and why it matters if you are self employed (OSVČ) in Czechia.
The old rule, in short
Normally, to qualify for PPM you need to be actively paying into the sickness insurance system (or be within your ochranná lhůta, a short protective period after your insurance ends) at the time you start your maternity leave.
For freelancers, sickness insurance is voluntary and separate from your mandatory health and social insurance payments. Many freelance parents pay into it while pregnant with their first child, then stop once the baby arrives. Once that happens, the standard rule says any future PPM claim requires starting the whole process over.
What changed on July 1, 2026
ČSSZ now allows a claim to PPM even without current insurance, if you are expecting another child within four years of your last birth and you meet a few specific conditions. In practice, this means a second (or third) maternity leave may still be covered, even if you have not paid a single crown of voluntary sickness insurance since your last child was born.
Who qualifies
You may be eligible for this new rule if all of the following are true:
- You are expecting another child within 4 years of your previous birth.
- You received PPM for that previous birth.
- Before starting that previous maternity leave, you had at least 540 calendar days of nemocenské pojištění within the 4 years leading up to it.
If you tick all three boxes, you may be entitled to PPM again, calculated from the same daily assessment base used for your previous PPM, adjusted for the current reduction thresholds.
The catch
There are two things to watch closely.
First, the claim does not arise if you are already receiving a comparable benefit from another EU country. If you have moved, or split time between countries, this needs a closer look.
Second, you can only start claiming from July 1, 2026 onward. Nástup na dávku (the start date of the benefit) cannot be earlier than that.
How to apply
The application route depends on your situation:
- If you are currently employed or still within your protective period from employment, your (even former) employer submits the “Potvrzení o datu porodu” identifier on your behalf.
- If you are an OSVČ who is currently insured (paying voluntary sickness insurance), you use the “Žádost o nemocenskou dávku OSVČ” form.
- If you are an OSVČ who is currently uninsured, or no longer employed, you use the “Žádost o peněžitou pomoc v mateřství pro ženy bez účasti na pojištění” form.
All of these can be submitted through the ePortál ČSSZ if you have a data box or verified digital identity.
Why this matters for freelance parents
Most freelancers plan carefully for their first maternity leave and then stop thinking about insurance once the baby is here. Budgets are tight, priorities shift, and voluntary payments are usually the first thing to go.
This update rewards exactly the freelancers who paid into the system consistently before their first birth, even if they have not paid anything since. If you fall into that group, it is worth checking your eligibility before assuming a second maternity leave means zero income support.
Not sure if you qualify?
Eligibility here depends on exact dates, exact day counts, and how your previous PPM was calculated, so small details can change the outcome. If you want to check where you stand, book a consultation and we will go through your specific situation together.