What should I do if I nurse a family member?

1. Address the doctor. In case he diagnoses an illness affecting your child or other family member and if you desire, he will issue you an electronic certificate of temporary incapacity for work (a “medical certificate of absence”). It will include the nursing period, i.e. the period you can spend to nurse your close one and be absent from work.
2. Inform the employer that you are nursing a sick family member and you cannot come to work. The employer will have to provide a filled NP-SD2 notification to the “Sodra”.
3. Provide an application to “Sodra” (via internet or by coming to a department), if you want to receive sickness/nursing benefit from the “Sodra” budget.
4. Return to work at the end of the nursing period. In case the doctor determines that treatment should be prolonged, he will issue a new certificate of temporary incapacity for work.

You are entitled to a sickness benefit in case:

1. Your child (adopted child), foster child, grandchild or other family member (parents, foster-parents, spouse) became sick and you have been issued with a sick leave certificate.
2. You are insured with a sickness social insurance.
3. You nurse your close one during working time (if you receive income according to authorship rights – during an insurance period).
4. If you have lost your working income due to nursing a family member or foster child.
5. You have a minimum of 3 months of sickness social insurance record in the last 12 months or 6 months in the last 24 month.
6. You are under 26 years of age and have not acquired the required length of social insurance for sickness before the start of nursing because you have spent the last year or two years studying under a general education or vocational training programme or in higher education according to a full-time or permanent form of study and temporary incapacity for work has started (temporary incapacity certificate issued) within 6 months of graduation (on the basis of a document validating learning and/or qualification achievements).
7. You have not acquired the required length of social insurance of the illness prior to the beginning of nursing because you have been insured as a serviceman of compulsory military service for the past year or two, or have performed alternative national defence service (as specified in Article 6(4) of the Law on State Social Insurance), while 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 service.
8. You did not have the necessary social insurance record before the start of nursing, because you have been granted childcare leave for the past two years, during which you did not receive childcare benefit, so the length of the sickness social insurance period is calculated from the 24-month period prior to the child for whom you had been granted leave by your employer.

The benefit can be received by parents, foster-parents, grandparents, caretakers, on-call guardians and custodians, having the right for such a benefit. The children can be nursed and the corresponding benefit can be received alternately by parents, foster-parents, grandparents, caretakers, on-call guardians and custodians, having the right for such a benefit. The list of severe and especially severe illnesses and diseases is approved by the Minister of Health and the Minister of Social Security and Labor.

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

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).
• A certified copy of the application for the NPD, if the payment is paid for the whole calendar month or the insured's monthly salary is less or equal to the NPD.
• Documents confirming the determination of custody or care if the certificate of incapacity for work was issued to a guardian, on-call guardian or a caretaker.

• The national Social Insurance Fund is paying 65.94 percent of the recipient’s compensated wages from the first day of working inability.
• 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 sick pay is paid only for the working days.
• 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).

• 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.

The sickness benefit for nursing family members is paid:

• No longer than 7 calendar days if you are nursing children or grandchildren older than 14 years of age, a spouse, parents or foster-parents.
• No longer than 14 calendar days if you nurse children or grandchildren younger than 14 years of age. The benefit can be paid to one of the parents, foster-parents, grandparents, guardian or on-call guardian.
• For the whole period of nursing, but not longer than 120 calendar days per year if you nurse a child or grandchild younger than 7 years of age, who is sick with any kind of disease or sickness and is being treated at a hospital, and/or medical rehabilitation and sanatorium treatment facility for any illness. The benefit may be granted to one of the parents, adoptive parents, grandparents, guardian or on-call guardian.
• No longer than 14 calendar days if you take care of a child, when the other person (mother, father, adoptive mother, adoptive father, guardian, grandmother or grandfather) is granted childbirth and pregnancy or a parental leave for the same child, but who is unable to take care of it due to the parent’s sickness or trauma. For example, a mother, who is on parental leave, got sick and therefore cannot take care of the child. In such a case, a medical certificate of absence can be issued to the father of the child if he has the right to receive it. The benefit can be granted to one of the parents, adoptive parents, grandparents or guardian.
• Sickness benefit for taking care of a healthy child cannot be longer than 90 calendar days per calendar year, without regard to whom of the child’s parents the certificate of incapacity for work has been issued to take care of the child.

  This case applies when one of the parents is on a pregnancy and childbirth or parental leave, but cannot take care of the child due to a justifiable reason (i.e. trauma, sickness). In such a case, the sickness benefit is granted to the other parent.

• Whenever a person, who is on a parental leave cannot take care of the child not only because of his own sickness or trauma, but also because of a sickness or trauma of another child aged up to 3 years old, for the care of whom the person has also received parental leave, the other parent, foster-parent, grandparents or custodian, will be paid a sickness benefit for taking care of the healthy child from the first day of the child care and no longer than for 14 calendar days. The total payment term for this sickness benefit cannot be longer than 90 days per calendar year.
• For no longer, than 14 calendar days if you take care of a pre-school, pre-primary or primary aged child whenever a quarantine is announced at a school or kindergarten. The benefit can be paid to one of the parents, foster-parents, guardian or on-call guardian.
• While nursing a child up to 18 years of age with severe illness, the benefit begins to be paid from the first day of nursing and is paid during the complete required nursing period, but for no longer, than 180 calendar days. The benefit can be paid to one of the parents, foster-parents, grandparents, guardian or on-call guardian.
• While nursing a child up to 18 years of age with an especially severe illness, the benefit begins to be paid from the first day of nursing and is paid during the complete required nursing period, but for no longer than 364 calendar days. The benefit can be paid to one of the parents, foster-parents, grandparents, guardian or on-call guardian.

After specified sickness benefit payment terms (364 or 180 calendar days) end, the benefit for nursing the same child can be paid for not more than 120 days per calendar year.

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. 

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. 

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 2022 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 2022 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 2023. 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 March 2023 has to be submitted.

Example 5

If a person becomes entitled to a new sickness benefit without interruption on the day following the end of payment of the previous sickness, professional rehabilitation, maternity, paternity or childcare benefit, then it is important that the contribution be paid to receive the benefit that has been previously granted. For example, a certificate of incapacity for work has been issued from 15 March 2023 to 31 March 2023, and from 1 April 2023 a person becomes entitled to maternity benefit. In order for the person to be entitled to maternity benefit, the state social insurance contribution has to be paid in February 2023 or if the person is self-employed only since 1 April 2023, then the state social insurance contribution has to be paid for April 2023.

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 March 2023, you can pay state social insurance contributions for several, for example, three months or for the whole year ahead. 

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

Sickness benefit for nursing a sick family member from "Sodra" funds shall be paid from the first day of temporary incapacity for work.

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 in cases established by law.

• 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.