Maternity leave in Belarus

The long-awaited child and the happiness of motherhood is such a joyful period in the life of every woman and family as a whole. Well, in order for this period of life to proceed most efficiently, from the side of society, represented by the state in our country, a whole system of incentives are provided, both at the stage of pregnancy and after the birth of a child. These measures were taken relatively recently, because even 100 years ago, until 1917, such a concept as «maternity leave» did not exist in principle. Then, in 1929, the practice of building kindergartens at factories and factories appeared, so that young mothers could breastfeed their children and at the same time carry out their work duties without wasting time on the way home. Even with the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Belarus came to three-year maternity leave. It can be noted that among the countries of the former Soviet Union, this is one of the longest periods of maternity leave.

What is maternity leave?

In our country, the concepts are often confused, calling maternity leave two periods completely different from the point of view of the law, before the birth of the child. Maternity leave in Belarus is a social leave, which is provided by law for a favorable course of a woman's pregnancy and successful childbirth. This is not a three-year period after the birth of the child, but the time from the 30th week of pregnancy to two months of the child's age. It is legally called maternity leave. And after it ends, parental leave begins until the child reaches 3 years of age.

How long do they go on maternity leave?

The birth of a child is not a simple and very unpredictable process; therefore, the date of a woman's maternity leave is calculated differently, depending on the nature of the course of the woman's pregnancy. These nuances are in the area of responsibility of the gynecologist, it is he who decides whether there are complications in the course of pregnancy and whether a woman needs to go on maternity leave earlier than usual. So, as a general rule, if the expectant mother is feeling well, then at the thirtieth week of pregnancy she is given a leave of 70 days before the expected date of birth and 56 days after the birth of the baby. If complications arise during childbirth or two or more children are born, the postpartum leave is extended to 70 days. At the twenty-seventh week of pregnancy, women leave, who permanently or for the most part live in the territory of radioactive releases: 90 days before delivery and 56 days after. The postpartum period can be increased if childbirth caused complications or when two or more children are born. In the event of problems during childbirth, which led to a deterioration in health and the need for recovery, the woman is also assigned additional procedures for recovery. So how long does the decree last? Expectant mothers can count on a well-deserved rest in the following quantities:

• 126-140 days - in case of a healthy pregnancy and the birth of 1 healthy baby

• 140-170 days - in case of complications, the birth of twins, triplets, or when living in a radiation-contaminated area.

Is maternity leave included in seniority?

According to modern legislation, maternity leave is not included in the insurance period but is taken into account when calculating the length of service. This is due to the fact that when calculating benefits associated with the birth of a child, there are no contributions to the social protection fund.

Maternity payments in Belarus

In addition to paying for maternity leave, a woman has the right to receive maternity benefits:

• allowance for those who registered with antenatal clinics before 12 weeks of pregnancy;

• a lump sum payment in connection with the birth of a child;

• allowance for caring for a child under 3 years old.

Child benefit in Belarus

What are the amounts of payments for the birth and upbringing of a child under three years old? Every year the government of Belarus revises the size of the subsistence minimum and the base value, which directly affects the change in benefits. From February 1, 2021, at the birth of a child, you will receive: monthly for the first child ‒ 472.92 rubles; for the second and subsequent children ‒ 540.48 rubles; for a disabled child ‒ 608.04 rubles. The amount of a lump sum for the birth of a child is:

• for the first child ‒ 10 living wage budgets ‒ 2628.7 rubles;

• for the second child and subsequent children ‒ 14 living wage budgets ‒ 3680.18 rubles.

Also, women registered with health care organizations before the 12-week gestation period and regularly visiting health care organizations during the entire pregnancy period and following the prescriptions of doctors are entitled to a lump sum payment of 262.87 rubles.

Registration of maternity leave in Belarus

Before you and your baby plunge headlong into the world of motherhood and joy, it is worth taking seriously and correctly collecting a package of documents that will ensure you receive a full package of social guarantees from the state. To receive payments for maternity leave and to arrange maternity leave, you only need to issue a sick leave at the antenatal clinic. Then it must be submitted to the accounting department at the woman's place of work or to the social protection authorities (if the expectant mother is unemployed). At work, an order is drawn up, which is the basis for the granting of maternity leave. After the birth of the child, you will need to submit an application at the place of work along with a package of documents. Documents that will be needed to receive all payments:

• parents' passports;

• marriage certificate;

• birth certificate of the child;

• a certificate on the composition of the family (if the registration of mom and dad does not match, you will have to prepare two certificates);

• a certificate from the polyclinic about the registration of a woman up to 12 weeks;

• copy of the workbook.

There is such a nuance if your organization employs less than 18 people, then according to the Law, you will not be paid the childcare allowance for a child under three years old, but the accounting department of the Social Security Fund at the place of your registration.

Can a husband go on maternity leave?

Since 2019, the Labor Code of Belarus provides for the possibility of going on maternity leave for a spouse. Thus, our country has adopted the global trend in the field of ensuring freedom of choice and the possibility of realization for each member of the family, regardless of gender and established traditions.

Can you work on maternity leave?

In each family, the need for additional earnings during maternity leave is considered individually: someone goes for it in order to earn money, pay off a mortgage faster or buy a car; someone simply cannot do without self-realization and sees this as an opportunity for speedy self-realization and the use of accumulated forces and energy in the right direction. You can work during maternity leave while maintaining your payments. You will continue to receive a payment of a benefit in the amount of 100 percent if you work for less than half the rate or if the activity of the individual entrepreneur is suspended. 50 percent of the payment of the allowance is due to those women who work full-time for more than half of the monthly norm of working hours, are registered as an individual entrepreneur, are engaged in advocacy, or are arranged under a civil law contract.

Photo: zapadrus.by, clinica-opora.ru, saratov24.tv