Transfer to lighter work

A transfer to lighter work is only granted on the basis of a certificate for sick leave to pregnant people with health insurance who work under an employment contract, depending on their state of health. To do this, the physician or midwife issues the working pregnant person with the necessary certificate of incapacity for work.

The benefit is payable until the pregnant person starts to receive the maternity benefit or for up to 182 days.

Until the person starts to receive the maternity benefit, the doctor issues a new certificate of incapacity for work every 30 calendar days. The certificate for sick leave for transferring the person to lighter work must be terminated before the start date of the maternity leave. It is up to the pregnant person to tell the midwife when the maternity leave starts.

If the employer is able to do so, they will temporarily arrange for the pregnant person to work a lighter job.

If there is no lighter work on offer, the pregnant person can refuse to work until the maternity leave starts.

If a pregnant person has more than one employer, they may be not working one job and have a lighter job in another or continue under previous conditions.

If the pregnant person is given lighter work, the Health Insurance Fund will reimburse the difference in pay by which the pregnant person’s pay is lower than the average pay before the start of the first certificate for sick leave.

The employer must pay the pregnant woman at least 50% of her salary before the start of the first sick leave for transfer to lighter work.

If a pregnant woman has a single employer and is released from work due to the lack of lighter duties, the Health Insurance Fund compensates the sick leave starting from the second day at a rate of 70% of the income subject to social tax from the previous calendar year.

If a pregnant woman has multiple employers and works for at least one employer, the sick leave for transfer to lighter work is interpreted as employment. In this case, the payment of compensation is based on the average salary indicated by the employer, also for those employers where the pregnant woman is exempted from work.

The Estonian Health Insurance Fund pays a benefit starting from the second day of the sick leave, amounting to 70% of the average remuneration earned prior to the start of the initial sick leave with the employer who was unable to provide lighter work.

In cases involving multiple employers, the benefits calculated for each employer are aggregated and paid out as a single sum.