What do I do if I get sick?

1. Contact your doctor. After diagnosing the disease, he will prescribe the treatment and, if you are recognized as having a temporary incapacity for work, the doctor will issue you an electronic certificate of incapacity for work (a “medical certificate of absence”). It will indicate the period of temporary incapacity, i.e. the amount of time the treatment will take and you will not be able to go to work due to the illness.
2. Inform your employer (all employers, if you work at more than one workplace) that you are ill and cannot come to work. The employer must do the following after you have contacted him:

• Calculate the sickness benefit from his own funds for the first 2 days of the sick leave, which coincide with your work schedule.
• Provide a filled NP-SD2 notification to “Sodra”.

3. If you would like to receive the sickness benefits from the “Sodra” budget, please submit an application to “Sodra” once and every time you get sick, the sickness benefit will be granted automatically. You can submit an application directly over the internet or upon arrival to a “Sodra” department.
4. Comply with the rules of established conduct for your type of incapacity for work.
5. In case the doctor issued you with a medical certificate (form No. 094/a), it should be presented to the employer.
6. Upon your recovery (after the period of temporary incapacity for work) – go to work. If the doctor determines that your treatment should be continued – he will issue a new certificate of incapacity for work.

Important! Sickness benefit for the first 2 days of illness, which coincides with your work schedule when you became temporarily incapacitated due to your illness or injury, or when you were suspended from work due to outbreaks or epidemics of communicable diseases, as well as if you were being treated at a health care facility providing orthopaedic and/or prosthetic services, is paid by your employer and from day 3 of illness by "Sodra".

From 1 April 2022, the sickness benefit to which you acquired entitlement on or after 1 April 2022 will be paid by each employer for the first 2 days of sickness corresponding to your work or service schedule, even if you do not have a minimum of 3 months of sickness social insurance record in the last 12 months or 6 months in the last 24 month.

It should be noted that although your employer will have paid you sickness benefit for the first two days of temporary incapacity for work, if you have not completed the required social insurance period of the illness, the sickness benefit from "Sodra" funds will not be paid to you from the 3 rd day of sickness (with the exception of the following exceptions).

  You can apply for the sickness benefit no later than in 12 months after the end of the sickness.

Sickness benefit shall be payable if you have become ill and have been issued a certificate of incapacity for work.

You must also meet the following conditions:

1. You are insured by sickness social insurance.
2. You have become ill while working (if you receive income according to an authorship agreement - during the insurance period).
3. You lost your income due to sickness.
4. You have had a minimum of 3 months of sickness social insurance record in the last 12 months or 6 months in the last 24 month.

If you have not accumulated the required length of service, exceptions are possible, but you must meet the following conditions:

1. You are under 26 years old and you have not gained the required sickness social insurance record prior to the illness due to the fact that you have been attending general education, vocational training program or have studied in higher education institutions for the last two years according to a full-time or continuous education scheme, and temporary incapacity has started (a certificate for temporary incapacity for work has been issued) within 6 months after graduation (according to the studies and/or qualification achievement validating document).
2. You have not gained the required sickness social insurance record prior to the beginning of the illness, because during the past year or two you have been insured as a compulsory military service soldier or you have undergone an alternative national defense service and temporary incapacity for work has begun (a certificate of incapacity for work has been issued) not later than within 6 months from the end of the service.
3. You did not have the necessary social insurance record before the onset of your illness because you have been granted childcare leave for the past two years, during which you have not received childcare benefit, so the length of your sickness social insurance record is calculated from the 24-month period prior to the child for whose care you have been granted leave by your employer.

Completion of education shall be proved by a document certifying the achievement of the learning and/or qualification (attainment of the relevant education), such as a diploma with an appendix.

An application for a sickness benefit. It can be provided:

1. Online, by connecting to your personal citizen’s “Sodra” account and choosing an application for a sickness benefit (in Lithuanian), GPS1.
2. By mail. An application you can download here. When sending a request by post, a copy of the identity document approved in accordance with the law must be attached (i.e. notary approved copy).
3. Upon arrival at the “Sodra” department, the application will be filled out and submitted for you by the employee. You need to have the following with yourself:

• Personal identification document (passport, personal identification card, a Lithuanian residence permit);
• You should know details of the bank account where the payment will be transferred.

If you have not acquired the required length of service to receive parental benefit while working in Lithuania, but have worked and / or been insured abroad in the last 24 months, additionally submit an application to mediate in obtaining data on periods of employment and / or insurance acquired abroad. You can submit this application:

1. By internet, by connecting to your personal citizen’s “Sodra” account and choosing an application to mediate in obtaining data on periods of employment and / or insurance acquired abroad, GPS12 (in Lithuanian).
2. By mail. An application you can download here. When sending a request by post, a copy of the identity document approved in accordance with the law must be attached (i.e. notary approved copy).
3. Upon arrival at the “Sodra” department, the application will be filled out and submitted for you by the employee. You need to have the following with yourself:

• Personal identification document (passport, personal identification card, a Lithuanian residence permit);
• Social security number (or personal identification number) given in the foreign country where you worked;
• Name (s) and period (s) of employment of the foreign employer (s).

Decision to grant a sickness benefit has to be made no later than in 10 business days from the day the application (with all needed documents) and/or data is received at the “Sodra” department.

• A document proving the date of graduation and form of study, if you are less than 26 years old and do not have the required sickness social insurance record.
• A certificate on the date of termination of service.
• Documents attesting to periods of social security or employment abroad (in the Member States of the European Union, in the countries of the European Economic Area.
• If your receive income from authorship contracts, you must submit a certified copy of the authorship contract and a document confirming the date of completing the works, performed under the authorship agreement.
• If the sickness benefit is calculated when you are already dismissed, you can additionally provide a statement of the calculated and paid remuneration for the month you have been sick and the applicable Tax exempt income (hereinafter – NPD).

• The employer is paying a benefit of 62,06 - 100 percent of the recipient’s average wages for the first 2 days of illness (the employer has to pay at least 62,06 percent, but it is at his discretion to pay more than that).
• 62,06 percent of the recipient’s compensated wages shall be paid by the National Social Insurance Fund from the 3^rd day of illness.
• If the persons are incapable to work because of tissues, cells or organs donated for transplantation, the National Social Insurance Fund shall pay the benefit in the amount of 77,58 percent of the recipient’s compensated wages from the first day of inability to work.
• The monthly sick pay paid by the National Social Insurance Fund cannot be smaller than 11,64 percent of domestic average monthly wages valid for the last quarter before the temporary working inability was determined.
• The maximal compensated wages used for calculation of sick pay cannot exceed the amount of two domestic average monthly wages valid for the last quarter before the temporary working inability was determined:

Example 1​

If a person became entitled to sickness benefit from 1 March 2023, the maximum earnings for the calculation of the sickness benefit shall be applied to the assessment of the average salary levels of the third quarter of 2022 (EUR 1787,10 * 2).

​Example 2

If a person became entitled to sickness benefit from 1 April 2023, the maximum earnings for the calculation of the sickness benefit shall be applied to the assessment of the average salary levels of the fourth quarter of 2022 (EUR 1887,80 * 2).

Pay attention:

• The sick pay shall not be paid to the persons, who receive income on the ground of author agreements, self-employment in the area of agriculture, their partners, family members, self-employed persons (save for the persons, who have business licences), owners of personal enterprises, members of small partnerships and real members of partnerships for the first two days of temporary working inability.
• The sick pay is paid only for the working days.

• The sickness benefit will be transferred to the personal account, specified in the application.
• The decision on the award of the sickness benefit is made within 10 business days of receipt of the application with all the necessary documents and / or data receipt at the “Sodra” department.
• The sickness benefit is paid within 7 business days after the decision to pay has been made.

Pay attention:

• If a person's temporary incapacity for work lasts for less than 14 calendar days, the sickness benefit shall be paid upon the expiry of the temporary incapacity for work for the whole period.
• If the duration of temporary incapacity for work exceeds 14 calendar days, the sickness benefit shall be paid for each previous period of at least 14 calendar days.

Sickness benefit payment period:

• Until the date of recovery of work capacity or the level of capacity for work being set, or until the first day of participation in the professional rehabilitation program. In case of illness or injury.
• For a maximum of 90 calendar days during a calendar year, if you receive a state social insurance lost working capacity (disability) pension.
• For the duration of treatment in health care facilities (including going to and away from these institutions) providing orthopedic and / or prosthetic health care facilities.
• For the entire period of suspension before the quarantine is cancelled when an outbreak or epidemic of contagious diseases is detected and a quarantine regime is imposed in the disease centers, or in case, the person is removed from work as a carrier of an infectious agent (if it is not possible to transfer the person to another job).
• For a maximum of 28 calendar days once a calendar year:
  • treatment in individual health care institutions providing treatment services for addiction diseases;
  • voluntary treatment in specialised institutions for gambling addiction, addiction syndrome with psychoactive substances (alcohol, narcotics, medicines, stimulants, tobacco, etc.).
• Until the date of recovery of capacity for work or the determination of the level of capacity for work if the person is incapacitated due to donating tissue, cells or organs for transplantation.
• For no more than 5 calendar days of illness, after dismissal from work.

I am self-employed, am I covered by sickness insurance and will I get sick pay if I get sick? 

Individuals working under the individual economic activity certificates are covered by sickness insurance and can receive sick pay when they get sick. As with all sickness insurance payers, in order to receive sick pay, self-employed persons working under the individual economic activity certificate must have a period of at least 3 months of such insurance over the last 12 months or at least 6 months over the last 24 months before the first day of illness. 
 

How is the sickness social insurance period calculated if I am self-employed? 

The qualifying period is determined by the contributions paid:  

• if the contributions have been paid from the amount of 1 MMA (Minimum Monthly Salary) – the person qualifies for a period of 1 month of social insurance; 
• if the contributions are paid from an amount higher or lower than the MMA, the qualifying period is considered to be proportionally higher or lower. 

It should be noted that the period of sickness social insurance may also be acquired before the onset of the illness by the self-employed person when they also are employed under an employment contract and their employer pays state social insurance contributions; as well as when the self-employed person is receiving maternity, paternity, child care social insurance benefits. In such case, the insured, before the onset of temporary incapacity for work, must also have a period of sickness social insurance of at least 3 months over the last 12 months or at least 6 months over the last 24 months. 

If the insured person does not have the required sickness social insurance period due to the fact that they had been on the parental leave during the calculation period, the sickness social insurance period shall be calculated from the 24-month period prior to the date when the child, for the care of which the insured has been granted the parental leave, reaches the age of two years. 

IMPORTANT! Where a self-employed person makes use of the possibility not to pay state social insurance contributions during the first year of his independent activities, he shall be considered as not covered by sickness social insurance and shall not be entitled to a sickness benefit.

What amount of contributions and when I need to pay to received sickness benefit?  

Contributions to Sodra are paid from 90 percent of the amount of taxable income of the individual economic activity (without the deduction of VSD (State Social Insurance) and PSD (Compulsory Health Insurance) contributions). 
 

Rates of VSD contributions:  

• 12.52 %;  
• 15.52 % if the person contributes additional 3 % for the pension. 

You must pay these contributions, as before, by 1 May of the following year and for the calendar month preceding the month in which entitlement to sickness benefit arises or for the current month if in the previous month you were temporarily incapacitated for work or received sickness, profesional rehabilitation, maternity, paternity or childcare benefits or entitlement to sickness benefit arose in the month of commencement of activity. 

A person can choose whether to pay contributions calculated, for example, from 1 MMA, or calculated from the income actually received per month. If you choose to pay from the planned income, for example, from MMA, until May 1 of the following year, it is necessary to pay the difference in insurance contributions, calculated on the basis of the income actually received. 

Example 1

A person who has been issued a certificate of incapacity for work on 15 April 2023 is considered an insured person if the state social insurance contributions have been paid and the SAV notification for March 2023 has been submitted.

Example 2

If a person started individual activities on 6 April 2023 and became entitled to sickness benefit on 21 April 2023, the person will be considered an insured person if the state social insurance contribution will be paid and the SAV notification for April 2023 will be submitted.

Example 3

A person is self-employed since July 2022. The certificate of incapacity for work has been issued on 15 April 2023, but the state social insurance contribution for the previous month, i.e. for March 2023, has not been paid. In this case, the person is not entitled to sickness benefit from 15 April 2023. Sickness benefit will only be available to be granted if the person will declare his insured income to the STI by 1 May of the following year and will pay the state social insurance contributions for 2023.

Example 4

A person started individual activities on 10 October 2022. The certificate of incapacity for work has been issued on 6 April 2023, and the state social insurance contribution for the previous month, i.e. for March 2023, has not been paid because during the period from 15 March 2023 to 25 March 2023 the person had a certificate of incapacity for work issued to him, or, for example, during that period the person was paid professional rehabilitation, maternity, paternity or childcare benefit. In order for the benefit to be granted, the state social insurance contribution has to be paid and the SAV notification for April 2023 has to be submitted.

Example 5

Sickness benefit is granted if a self-employed person has paid social insurance contributions for the previous month before the first day of the month in which the right to receive sickness, vocational rehabilitation, maternity, paternity or child care benefits arises and acquires the right to a new sickness benefit without interruption (i.e. the day after the end of the previous benefit payment). For example a person paid social security contributions for February 2023 and for the period from 2023 March 15 until 2023 April 13 received paternity benefit. When he from 14 April 2023  was recognized as temporarily unable to work due to a domestic injury, he is awarded a sickness benefit, regardless of the fact that the contributions for 2023 unpaid in March.

Does the fact that I pay Compulsory Health Insurance contributions ensure that I can receive sick pay and I am covered by sickness insurance? 

No, compulsory health insurance contributions ensure free access to health care services, but they are in no way related to sickness insurance.  

Sickness insurance is designed to ensure that a sick person is not left without income while they are unable to work due to a sickness.  

Thus, the payment of compulsory health insurance contributions guarantees free health care, and the payment of sickness insurance contributions provides the possibility to receive sick pay in the event of illness or care for a family member. 

What happens if I pay contributions on a monthly basis but my actual income will be higher or lower than the income from which I paid contributions? 

If the insured income on the basis of which the amount of sick pay was calculated is adjusted after submitting the annual income tax return and the insured income for that period decreases, the sick pay will be recalculated accordingly and the overpayment of sick pay will be determined, which has to be paid back by the person. 
It should be noted that in such case, the state social insurance contributions paid by the person will also be recalculated – if it is established that they have been paid from a higher amount and after submitting the annual income tax return the income for that period decreases, the person will also be reimbursed for the overpayment of contributions. If by that time the person has not yet paid back the overpayment of sick pay, the overpayment of state social insurance contributions will be refunded to them after deducting the amount of overpayment of sick pay. 

Is it true that even though I was sick this year, I will only receive sick pay next year, after 1 May? 

Not necessarily. This will only happen if you declare your income once a year by submitting the annual income tax return to the State Tax Inspectorate. If you choose to pay contributions to "Sodra" only once a year, "Sodra" may pay your benefits only after you have declared your income and paid your outstanding contributions. 
 

Can I pay in advance the state social insurance contributions to receive sick pay? 

Yes, you can pay the state social insurance contributions to receive sick pay in advance. For example, in January 2023, you can pay state social insurance contributions for several, for example, three months or for the whole year ahead. 
 

Will the sick pay be paid from the first day of incapacity for work? 

As, for example, for employed persons, as well as for self-employed persons who have become temporarily incapacitated for work due to their illness, the sick pay from "Sodra" funds is paid from the third day of temporary incapacity for work and is paid for working (not calendar) days applied for a 5-day working week. For self-employed persons working under the individual economic activity certificate, the sick pay is not paid for the first two days of temporary incapacity for work, while for the employees working under an employment contract, the sick pay is paid by the employer for this period. 

Will the sick pay be granted if contributions are paid but no SAV notification is submitted? 

No, sickness benefit will not be granted without submitting the SAV notification. If the insured person pays state social insurance contributions to receive sick pay but does not submit a SAV notification, the contributions paid by the insured person for the respective month will not be visible as social insurance contributions for sickness benefit in the "Sodra" system, so the insured person will not be able to receive the sick pay. 

If contributions are paid from the MMA, what is the amount of sick pay? 

Compensatory earnings, which determine the amount of sick pay, are calculated on the basis of the person’s income from which sickness social insurance contributions have been paid (employment income, sickness, maternity, paternity, childcare benefits, unemployment social insurance benefits), received for 3 consecutive calendar months preceding the previous calendar month before the month in which the temporary incapacity for work was established. For example, if you get sick in March, the income earned in November, December, and January is evaluated. 

• The sick pay paid by "Sodra" per month may not be less than 11.64 % of the national average monthly salary (valid for the quarter before the last quarter preceding the month in which the temporary incapacity for work was established). 
• The maximum compensatory earnings for the calculation of sick pays may not exceed the amount of the two national average monthly salaries valid for the quarter before the last quarter preceding the month in which the incapacity for work occurred. 

We remind you that in order to receive the sick pay, the person must have accumulated a period of sickness insurance of at least 3 months over the last 12 months or at least 6 months over the last 24 months before the first day of illness. 

Except for the cases when the insured person does not have the required sickness social insurance period due to the fact that they had been on the parental leave during the calculation period (in which case the sickness social insurance period is calculated from the 24-month period prior to the date when the child, for the care of which the insured has been granted the parental leave, reaches the age of two years). 

• Self-employed persons, who have become entitled to a sickness benefit, are paid this benefit without regard to their income from self-employment. 
• If at the same time a person is employed and is carrying out activities as a self-employed person, a sickness benefit can only be paid if, during the period of temporary incapacity for work, the person worked neither for the employer nor as a self-employed person, but was able to pay state social insurance contributions as a self-employed person.
• If a person with the status of an artist is receiving an unemployment social insurance benefit, and during that period he has been issued with a certificate of incapacity for work, then a sickness benefit is not paid for the period that coincides with the period of receiving unemployment social insurance benefit.