I want to receive childcare benefit for a child born (adopted) before 31 December 2022

1. The right to receive the child care benefit is provided to one of the parents, adoptive parents or guardians. Therefore, before childbirth, it is necessary to decide which parent will take child care leave, how long it will take and how long it will be needed to receive a benefit. The employer should also be informed about his decision in advance.
2. Apply to the employer for childcare leave not later than 14 days before the end of the pregnancy and childbirth leave. In the case of adoption, no later than one month after the entry into force of the judgment (in the case of urgent enforcement, within one month of the commencement of enforcement of the decision).
3. They can last until the child reaches three years of age. In the case of adoption, 12 or 24 months before the child reaches the age of 18 (not longer). During this period, the employer undertakes to save your job and offer it upon your return from your leave.
4. Contact the "Sodra" for the payment of a childcare benefit after the employer grants child care leave. An application for the payment of this benefit can be submitted to the "Sodra" online, by post or upon arrival at the office.
5. The childcare benefit may be paid until the child reaches the age of one or two years. When applying for the childcare benefit, you must specify how long you want to receive it. If another parent who is eligible for this benefit will apply for this benefit for the same child, the payment will be determined by the first parent.
   Important! Where a person receiving a child care allowance or other parent (adoptive), guardian or grandparents applies for a child care allowance for the same child (or the same children), the choice of the duration of the allowance may, at the request of the person applying for the child’s care, be converted only after the amount of payment has been paid back to the State Social Insurance Fund budget (where the duration of the payment of the parental benefit is replaced by the amount paid in payment to the person receiving the benefit, the amount paid shall be credited to the amount due).
6. The child’s care allowance for the same child may be granted to one of the parents (adoptive parents), guardians or one of the grandparents, so that persons entitled to the parental allowance have the opportunity to receive this allowance alternately.

​For example, after the childbirth, the childcare leave is granted to the mother and she submitted an application for receiving a childcare benefit for two years. After half a year, she decided to return to work, and childcare leave was granted to the child's father. In this case, the mother must submit an application for the termination of the childcare benefit to the "Sodra", and the father must submit an application for the grant of the childcare benefit. All of these applications can be submitted online, by post or at the office.

• If you decided to receive a benefit until the child reaches the age of two years, during the second year the father or mother receiving the benefit has the ability to work (to terminate the childcare leave) and to receive income, but the benefit paid by the "Sodra" will not be reduced.
• When two or more babies are born, both parents can take the child care leave and receive childcare benefits for separate children.
• When a child is adopted, the childcare benefit is paid 12 or 24 months before the child reaches the age of 18 (not longer). In such case, not later than within one month from the date on which the judgment is enforced, you must apply to the employer for such leave and, in the case of a payment you must apply to the "Sodra".

  You must submit an application for the childcare benefit not later than within 12 months from the end of the period for which the person is entitled to the benefit.

You are entitled to receive childcare benefit if:

• You are insured under maternity social insurance:
  • you are employed under employment contracts;
  • you work in the civil service;
  • you work under copyright contracts or contracts on the activity of sports or performers;
  • you perform individual activities under an individual activity certificate;
  • you perform individual agricultural activities;
  • you are an owner of a sole proprietor company;
  • you are a partner of a small partnership, general partnership or limited partnership;
  • you are a member of a family-type child care organisation;
  • you are a soldier of the compulsory initial military service or perform an alternative national defence service;
  • you are a serviceman in professional military service of the national defence system, also a volunteer soldier;
  • you are not employed, but you are a spouse of a civil servant and live abroad where he has been transferred to a post at a diplomatic mission, consular post of the Republic of Lithuania;
  • you are a spouse of a serviceman in professional military service and live abroad where he has been transferred to a post at a mission of the Republic of Lithuania at an international organisation;
  • you are a spouse a delegated person and live abroad where he has been transferred to a post at a diplomatic mission, consular post of the Republic of Lithuania;
  • you are a spouse of the President of the Republic of Lithuania;
  • you don't work or do self-employment, but you get a childcare allowance.

Persons who work under the individual activity certificate, are engaged in individual agricultural activities, are members of a family-type child care organisation, owners of individual companies, partners of small, general or limited partnerships are considered insured if they have paid maternity social insurance contributions for the last period specified in the Law on State Social Insurance and from 01-02-2021 - 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. For self-employed persons who have acquired the right to maternity benefit, this benefit is paid regardless of income.

• You are the father, mother, foster-father, foster-mother or guardian of a child:
  • for whom the employer has granted the child care leave, except in the second year of child-raising (if you the benefit is received for two years, you can work in the second year so you are not on leave);
  • you are a self-employed person* (the day of the entitlement to the benefit will be considered the next day after the child care leave or the last day of pregnancy and childbirth leave);
  • you have been dismissed, but have the required length of service;
  • you are a grandfather (grandmother) of the child. Grandparents have the right to receive the childcare benefit only if one of parents (adoptive parents) of the child has the right;
  • you have a maternity social insurance record of not less than 12 months during the last 24 months before the first day of your childcare leave;
  • if you do not have the obligatory social insurance record due to the fact that:
    • during the last two years you have completed professional military service, you have been a volunteer soldier, a soldier of an active or preparatory reserve and a break from the change of status does not exceed 3 months;
    • and during the last two years the woman was a soldier of a compulsory military service or an alternative national defence service, and the break from the change of status does not exceed 3 months (entitlement to the benefit since 01/01/2017);
    • because you had been on child care leave before, i.e. the employer has granted child care leave for the child who was born before. In such a case, the maternity social insurance period is calculated from the 24-month period preceding the child's age of 2 years.

• An application for granting a maternity or child care benefit.
• An application for applying of the tax-free amount of income.

They can be submitted:

1. ​Via internet through a personal "Sodra" account for resident and choosing an application for granting a child care benefit, GPS2 and an application for applying of the tax-free amount of income. GPS9.
2. ​By post.  Applications' forms you can download here. When sending applications by post, a copy of the identity document approved in accordance with the law (for example notary) must be attached.
3. ​Upon arrival at the "Sodra" department, the application will be completed and submitted to you to sign by the employee. You need to have:

• An identity document, such as a passport, identity card, a permit to live in Lithuania.
• It is also needed to know the details of the personal account to which the benefit will be paid.

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).

1. A copy of the order for the grant of child care leave if the employer has not provided information about the leave granted to the "Sodra" (a notification 9-SD).
2. A copy of a child birth certificate certified by a notary, with a translation into the Lithuanian language, if the child birth certificate is issued abroad. If a copy of the notarized copy of the child birth certificate certified with a translation into the Lithuanian language is sent by post, accompanied by a certified copy of the identity document. The child birth certificate issued abroad must be legalized or approved (Apostille), depending on the country in which it is issued, unless otherwise provided by the international obligations of the Republic of Lithuania.
3. A certificate from the school if you are eligible for an additional amount of tax-exempt income for a child aged under 18 years attending a full-time school.
4. An employer's certificate on the amount of the insured income, if you have insured income during the period of child care leave or you receive compensation or incentive lump sums related to employment relationships. The employer may submit this certificate through his personal "Sodra" account for an insurer, where the recommended certificate form is presented.
5. A document justifying the completion of the work, if during the period of your child care leave you receive insured or other work income which is not insured income for the work performed before the first day of such leave, for example, a document of transfer-acceptance of the work performed, a copyright contract or other document justifying the end of the work.
6. Documents confirming the amount of income received and the period for which it was calculated if you receive income from work activity that is not insured income during the period of your child care leave, such as a salary received abroad from an international or European Union institution or foreign institution, certificate, etc.

• If you choose to receive a benefit until the child is one year old – you will be paid 77,58 % of your replacement wage. This amount is calculated on the basis of the person’s insured income received during the 12 consecutive months before the month preceding the payment entitlement.
• If you choose to receive a benefit until the child is two years old – from the end of the pregnancy and childbirth or the paternity leave until the child is one year old, you will be paid 54,31 %, and later, until the child is two years old – 31,03 % of your replacement wage.
• If you give birth to two or more children and you are on childcare leave, the childcare benefit is increased considering the number of children born at the same time, but the total amount of benefits paid to you cannot exceed 77,58 % of your replacement wage. 
• If the beneficiary receives income or benefits from work in the first year of child-raising, he or she will be paid a difference between the amount of the childcare allowance and the income received. 
• If you choose to receive a benefit for a period of two years, in the second year of child-raising, the benefit is paid regardless of the income or benefits received at that time.
• Childcare allowance per month cannot be smaller than 6 basic social insurance benefits valid in the last quarter before the date of entitlement to receive this allowance. 2023 Q2 - €294.
• The maximum replacement wage used for the calculation of childcare allowances cannot exceed the amount of the two average monthly salaries in force during the quarter preceding the date on which entitlement to the childcare allowance was received:

Example 1

If a person has acquired entitlement to parental benefit since 1 March 2023, the maximum earnings for the calculation of the parental benefit shall be applied to the assessment of the average wage levels of the third quarter of 2022 (EUR 1787,10 x 2).

Example 2

If a person has acquired entitlement to parental benefit from 1 March 2022, the maximum earnings for the calculation of the parental benefit shall be applied to the assessment of the average wage levels of the fourth quarter of 2022 (EUR 1887,80 x 2).

IMPORTANT! From 1 January 2021, self-employed persons receiving child care benefit (before the child reaches the age of one year or the first year of raising an adopted child) will no longer be reduced in amount if the person has a self-employed income during the period of payment. However, the amount of a parental benefit (before a child reaches the age of one year or the first year of raising an adopted child) will be reduced, as before, if the person has income under an employment contract or from legal relationships equivalent to employment relationships. When paying a child care benefit, no account shall be taken of the amounts of state insurance of a person having the status of an artist. 

If an insured person receiving childcare benefit becomes entitled to maternity benefit due to the birth, custody or adoption of another child, both benefits shall be paid to him/her but the total amount of benefits may not exceed 77,58 percent of the beneficiary's more favourable compensatory earnings, according to which the maternity or childcare benefit is calculated.

If an insured person receiving childcare benefit becomes entitled to childcare benefit due to the birth, custody or adoption of another child, both benefits shall be paid to him/her but the total amount of benefits may not exceed 77,58 percent of the beneficiary's more favourable compensatory earnings, according to which the childcare benefit is calculated.

Childcare benefits are paid regardless for which child the parental leave has been granted.

• The decision on granting the benefit must be adopted not later than within 10 working days from the date of receipt of the application with all the necessary documents and data in the "Sodra" department.
• According to the description of the procedure, child care benefits are paid not earlier than on the 15th day of the month and not later than on the last day of the month.
• The child care benefit will be paid to the personal account specified in the application.

• This benefit is paid on a monthly basis for the last month until the child reaches one or two years of age, according to the chosen payment period specified in your application.
• If you have not received a maternity benefit for the period of your pregnancy and childbirth leave, your childcare benefit may be paid from the child birth.
• If you were on pregnancy and childbirth leave or paternity leave and you received a maternity or paternity benefit, then the child care benefit will be paid from the end of the said leave.
• If you have two or more children from 1 April 2022, after the entry into force of the amendments to the legislation, childcare allowance for one of the children entitled to the benefit may be granted from the child's birth or from the first day after the end of parental leave ( when entitlement to parental benefit is acquired on or after 1 April 2022), notwithstanding the fact that the mother has not yet completed her maternity leave and is receiving maternity benefit.

During the second year of raising a child, the mother shall be insured with state funds by compulsory health insurance, pension and unemployment social insurance.