Czech sick pay: what the employer pays first and the state pays after

Anyone arriving from a country where sick pay means full pay from the first day will find the Czech arrangement a shock. Here, falling ill costs money from the first day of absence, and how much depends on how long you are off and on what the employer must cover. Knowing the structure helps you plan.

Two payers

Sick pay comes from two sources, one after the other.

The employer pays wage compensation (náhrada mzdy) for the first 14 calendar days of sickness, for the working days you miss (Labour Code, Act No. 262/2006 Coll., § 192).

The state pays sickness benefit (nemocenské) through the Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ) from the 15th day of sickness (Sickness Insurance Act, Act No. 187/2006 Coll.). It is financed by the sickness insurance part of social contributions, described in Czech social security contributions explained.

The percentages and the earnings thresholds are fixed in law and updated, so take figures from ČSSZ and not from a blog (as of 2026; check the official source). The structure has been stable since 2019.

No waiting period since 2019

Older guides, and some colleagues, still talk about three unpaid "waiting days" (karenční doba). That rule was abolished from 1 July 2019 (Act No. 32/2019 Coll.), and it has not been reinstated as of 2026, although politicians periodically propose bringing it back. Today the employer pays wage compensation from the first working day of sickness. Some employers pay more than the legal minimum through a collective agreement or company policy, and your contract or internal rules will say so. The Labour Code also protects you from dismissal by notice during temporary incapacity, with exceptions set in the Code.

Some employers offer "sick days", a number of days a year paid as if you were at work. That is a company benefit and not a statutory right, and it lives in your contract or the company's benefit rules.

A short bout of flu therefore costs something from the first day even with a doctor's certificate, because compensation is well below a full wage, and a longer illness costs less per day than it feels like at first, because the state benefit rises with its length. Anyone budgeting a month with a known operation should ask the doctor for the likely length and ask payroll what the employer will pay.

How it is calculated

Neither the employer's compensation nor the state benefit is a full wage. Both are a percentage (60% at the start) of an adjusted figure derived from your average earnings in a reference period. The adjustment uses thresholds the state updates every year, so higher earnings count at lower rates above them. The effect is that sick pay replaces a larger share of a low salary than of a high one. The state benefit is 60% of the adjusted daily base, rising to 66% from the 31st day and 72% from the 61st day. ČSSZ has a calculator and a description of the method.

How it works in practice

If you have registered with a GP, as set out in how to register with a Czech GP, you will not be hunting for a doctor while ill.

The order of steps matters. Telling the employer is your duty, and the doctor's certificate does not replace it. A common mistake is to assume that the system notifies the employer automatically in every respect. Send a message the same day, and keep it.

Family care

When a child or another family member needs care, a separate benefit for caring for a sick family member (ošetřovné) is paid by ČSSZ for a limited period to employees who meet the conditions. The doctor issues the certificate. If your child is ill and you have to stay home, ask about it at the visit.

The self-employed

A self-employed person is entitled to sickness benefit only if they opted in to voluntary sickness insurance and had been paying into it for at least three months before falling ill. The benefit then runs from the 15th day, since there is no employer to cover the first two weeks. Otherwise there is no sick pay. This cannot be arranged after the event, so freelancers should decide early. See how to get a Czech trade licence as a freelancer.

Agreement workers

People on a DPP or DPČ agreement may or may not be covered, depending on whether their earnings pass the threshold for insurance. Those below it have no sickness insurance and no state sick pay. See Czech employment contracts: DPP and DPČ explained.

A worked example of the sequence

Take a hypothetical employee who falls ill on a Monday and sees her GP the same day. The doctor issues the electronic certificate. She messages her manager and HR that morning. From the first working day the employer pays wage compensation, which is a percentage of her adjusted average earnings, not her full pay. If the illness lasts beyond 14 days, the state benefit starts from the 15th day, paid by ČSSZ on the basis of the certificate and her record. On her payslip the compensation appears as a separate line, and the benefit from the state arrives in a separate payment. If she is back at work within two weeks, the second stage never starts.

Two practical notes follow. When the illness crosses from one stage to the next, payments come from different places and may arrive at different times, so budget for a gap. And if the doctor extends the leave, the certificate is updated electronically, so there is nothing for her to send in unless her employer asks for a specific confirmation.

Preparing before you need it

Take ten minutes in your first month. Find out whether your employer has a policy on notifying absences, and whether it pays more than the statutory compensation. Check that your GP registration is in place and that the surgery issues electronic certificates, which all do. Know where ČSSZ's calculator is. And if you are self-employed, decide on voluntary sickness insurance. It is a much more comfortable decision when you are well.

Checks and consequences

Employers can ask ČSSZ to check whether an employee is following the sick leave regime. Someone on sick leave who works elsewhere, or who is not at home when the regime says they should be, risks losing benefits. Ask the doctor which hours you may go out.

Foreigners and sick leave

Foreign employees are treated like Czech ones if they are insured in the Czech system, and the same certificate and the same two payers apply. What can differ is the record behind the benefit. Employees do not need a minimum period of insurance for sickness benefit, unlike maternity benefit, and employees from other EU states should know that insurance periods elsewhere can count under EU rules. ČSSZ can confirm both points. If you work on a card tied to one employer, the employer's reporting duties continue during sick leave, and a long absence is worth mentioning to the Ministry of the Interior or a licensed adviser if you have any doubt about your status.

What to do in the first week of a new job

Ask three things. Does the company pay more than the statutory compensation, and since when do its rules apply to you? Who in HR or payroll receives the news of an absence, and by when? And does your employment contract or the internal rules say anything about doctor's visits during working hours? None of these questions is awkward, and the answers save a lot of confusion later.

Keep the habit of reading your payslip in a month in which you were ill. It will show the compensation, the days it applies to and the deduction for the days not worked. If the figures look wrong, ask payroll first and ČSSZ second.

Common mistakes

• Staying at home without a certificate and expecting pay.
• Not informing the employer on the day.
• Leaving the house during hours the regime does not allow.
• Freelancers who assume they are covered.
• Expecting a full wage from the first day.

Frequently asked questions

Do I get paid for the first days of sickness?

Yes, but not a full wage. The unpaid waiting period was abolished in July 2019, so the employer pays wage compensation from the first working day for up to 14 calendar days (as of 2026; check the official source).

Who pays after the first period?

The state pays sickness benefit (nemocenské) through ČSSZ from the 15th day of sickness.

Do I need a paper sick note?

No. The doctor issues an electronic certificate (eNeschopenka) and sends it to ČSSZ.

Are freelancers entitled to sick pay?

Only if they opted in to voluntary sickness insurance at least three months before falling ill, and then from the 15th day.

Read your contract and the employer's internal rules to see whether there is a top-up, then confirm the numbers with ČSSZ before you need them.

This is a general explainer, not legal or tax advice, and not medical advice. Rules change; check ČSSZ or a licensed adviser.