Care allowance
Care allowance is paid by the Health Insurance Fund.
A certificate for care leave can be issued by a doctor to a person insured through their employer. The doctor decides whether or not to issue a certificate for care leave based on the state of health of the person under care.
Care allowance is paid by the Health Insurance Fund from day 1:
- for up to 14 consecutive days for nursing a child under 12 years of age or a disabled person under 19 years of age (the first certificate for sick leave was issued before 15 May 2024). For first certificates for care leave starting from 15 May 2024, we will pay allowance for up to 60 consecutive days;
- for up to seven consecutive days for nursing a sick family member at home;
- when caring for a child under 3 years of age or a disabled child under 16 years of age, if the person caring for the child is themselves ill or receiving obstetrical care. In these cases, care allowance is paid for up to 10 consecutive days.
The doctor can also issue a certificate for care leave for a longer period, but the period for which care allowance is paid is limited.
A sick child, a disabled child, or a family member may be cared for by more than one person in succession. In this case, the doctor will issue them all with separate certificates for care leave. This does not extend the aforementioned period of payment of the care allowance.
As a rule, the Health Insurance Fund pays out the benefit within a few working days of receiving the information from the employer. The procedure takes longer if, for example, an enforcement agent has issued a legal instrument of seizure, the employer is late with the insurance details, etc.
When calculating the benefit for incapacity for work, the social tax paid on doctoral student benefits, parental benefit, and other benefits paid by the rural municipality, city, or artistic association are not taken into account.
Reimbursement of certificates for sick leave and care leave after parental leave
On 1 July 2024, an amendment to the Health Insurance Act came into force, creating a more favourable procedure for calculating sickness and care benefits for parents of young children when returning to work from parental leave.
The target group are parents of young children up to 3 years of age (incl.) in the calendar year preceding the certificate of incapacity for work, who were on parental leave for part or all of the year in the calendar year preceding the certificate of incapacity for work and who have received:
- the maternity benefit,
- the shared parental benefit, or
- the parental benefit of an adoptive parent.
The sickness and care benefits paid by the Health Insurance Fund are calculated on the basis of either the daily rate of benefit calculated on the basis of the person’s income subject to social tax in the previous calendar year or the daily rate of the shared parental benefit that the person is entitled to. The benefit will be paid at the most favourable rate for the person concerned.
The daily amount of the shared parental benefit is forwarded to the Health Insurance Fund by the Social Insurance Board. You can get more information about the calculation of the daily rate of parental benefit on the website of the Social Insurance Board.
The daily rate of income subject to social tax for the previous calendar year is calculated by the Health Insurance Fund on the basis of social tax data received from the Tax and Customs Board.
If enforcement proceedings have been initiated against you, the Health Insurance Fund is obliged to withhold from your benefit for temporary incapacity for work the amount to be attached and to transfer the amount to the official account of the enforcement agent who sent the attachment notice.
If you feel that the attachment fails to take into account your income and dependants, please contact the enforcement agent who is conducting the enforcement procedure. The enforcement agent can modify the attachment order. The contact details of enforcement agents can be found on the website of the Estonian Chamber of Enforcement Agents and Trustees in Bankruptcy.
For information on enforcement proceedings against you, see the ‘Execution proceedings commenced against a debtor’ page of the state portal.
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Frequently asked questions - FAQ
Tervisekassa maksab hüvitist:
a) alla 12-aastase lapse või alla 19-aastase puudega inimese põetamisel kuni 14 järjestikuse päeva eest (esmane hooldusleht algas enne 15.05.2024.a.). Alates 15.05.2024 alanud esmaste hoolduslehtede alusel maksame hüvitist kuni 60 järjestikuse päeva eest
b) alla 3-aastase lapse või alla 16-aastase puudega lapse põetamisel, kui lapse hooldaja ise on haige või talle osutatakse sünnitusabi kuni 10 järjestikuse päeva eest
Hooldushüvitist maksab Tervisekassa hoolduslehe esimesest päevast alates. Hooldushüvitist makstakse hüvitise saaja päevatulu põhjal, mis arvutatakse eelmise kalendriaasta sotsiaalmaksuga maksustatud tulu järgi. Hüvitist saab 80% päevatulust, sellest arvutatakse maha tulumaks.
Kui esmane hooldusleht algas enne 01.07.2024, arvutab Tervisekassa hooldushüvitist alampalga alusel, sest eelmisel kalendriaastal naisel sotsiaalmaksuga maksustatav tulu puudus.
Alates 01.07.2024 alanud esmaste hoolduslehtede korral võtab Tervisekassa hooldushüvitise arvestamisel aluseks kas inimese eelmise kalendriaasta sotsiaalmaksuga maksustatava tulu alusel arvutatava hüvitise päevamäära või tema jagatava vanemahüvitise päevamäära. Hüvitist makstakse inimesele soodsama määra alusel.
Hoolduslehe väljastab arst tegelikule põetajale.