Leave in Estonia

Employees who work during a public holiday may be compensated either by time off or a double remuneration.

Employees are entitled to sick pay starting from the fourth day of illness. For days 4 to 8, the employer pays a benefit equal to 70% of the employee’s average income. From day 9 onward, sickness benefits are paid by the national health insurance system and are calculated based on the employee’s social tax contributions.

Mothers are entitled to up to 100 calendar days of pregnancy and maternity leave, paid by the state (Health Insurance Fund) at a rate of 100%. The benefit is available only to insured women who were working prior to taking maternity leave.

The leave can be taken starting 30 to 70 days before the expected date of birth, and a maternity leave certificate must be issued by an obstetrician-gynaecologist or a family doctor.

To receive the full 100 days, the employee must begin maternity leave at least 30 days before the expected due date. If maternity leave begins less than 30 days before the due date, the total duration of leave is reduced accordingly.

The state grants a €320 allowance for single childbirth, which is increased to €1,000 per child in case of triplets or more than three children born.

Fathers are entitled to 30 calendar days of paid paternity leave. They must take the leave in one part or several parts within 30 days of the child’s expected due date until the child reaches three. The pay is based on the employee’s average wage (paid by the Social Security Board). Fathers are entitled to 100% of their regular wages (capped at three times the average gross monthly salary in Estonia based on the Statistics Estonia data).

A person adopting a child under ten years of age receives 70 calendar days paid leave from the day the adoption ruling enters into force. The adoption benefit is paid by the state (Health Insurance Fund) based on the employee’s average salary.

Paid parental leave immediately follows maternity leave, and can be taken until the child reaches three.

Parents get 475 days off to share, with compensation calculated at the average of their previous earnings over the same period. While the time is shared, only one parent can take at any one time. The leave is paid by the state (Social Security Board).

Child leave is granted to both employed parents separately and on a per-child basis: each parent is entitled to up to 10 working days of child leave for each child under the age of 14.
In the case of a disabled child, child leave may be used until the end of the calendar year in which the child reaches the age of 18.

Child leave may be planned no earlier than two months in advance. Compensation for the leave is paid by the state and is typically transferred on the 8th day of the month following the leave.

An employee has the right to study leave (up to 30 calendar days per year) prescribed in the Adult Education Act. Twenty calendar days are compensated at the rate of the employee’s average salary.