05.04.2023

PAYMENT OF SICK LEAVE AFTER WORKING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY

Cash benefit for temporary incapacity for work or as it is known - sick pay - entitles you to compensation for lost wage income when you have to take sick leave. To acquire this right you must have been insured for general sickness and maternity for at least 6 months. Insurance for this risk is mandatory if you are employed under an employment or civil contract. Your right to compensation does not depend on whether your contributions are paid or only due without actually being paid, but you must have been insured on at least the minimum wage. If you are self-employed, you must pay insurance.

There is an exception to the 6-month insurance obligation for you if you are under 18 years old. The insurance internship may be interrupted or continuous, with different employers.

In order to receive this benefit, you must have a sick certificate, which is issued by your personal doctor or a medical advisory committee.

If you are a self-insured person, to be entitled to this benefit you must have opted for general sickness and maternity cover.

It is considered as insurance experience and the time of insurance under the legislation of another country outside the EU, with which Bulgaria has concluded an international agreement for this.

The first 3 working days of sick leave are covered by the employer in the amount of 70% of the daily gross remuneration for the month during which the incapacity for work occurred. For the following days, the daily cash benefit for temporary incapacity is 80% or 90% of the average daily gross earnings or the average daily insurance income on which insurance contributions were paid in the last 18 months before the onset of the incapacity.

For example, if your doctor prescribed 5 days of home treatment, and your gross salary is BGN 1,000 per month, your daily salary for a month with 21 working days is BGN 47.60. For the first 3 working days of sick leave, you will receive BGN 33.30 per day from the employer, or a total of BGN 99.90. For the next 2 working days, the compensation is taken over by the National Insurance Institute, which must pay you BGN 76.20.

The daily cash benefit for temporary incapacity for work due to a general illness cannot exceed the average daily net remuneration for the period from which the benefit is calculated.

Payment of compensation is made only by bank transfer. According to European legislation, the amount cannot be reduced due to administrative or bank charges.