Pregnancy is one of the most important stages in a woman's life. The time when you think about not only yourself, but also about your future child. The question of material well-being arises immediately: How is the state helping in such a special situation? What payments are made by the state? For what period is the leave from work on pregnancy and child care granted? In the article you will learn all the answers to the questions arising with the onset of pregnancy and going on parental leave.
In accordance with Article 99 of the Labor Code, pregnant women, women who gave birth to a child/children, women and men who adopted a newborn child/children are granted the following leave in connection with the birth of a child:
The duration of maternity leave according to Article 99 of the Code is 126 calendar days (70 calendar days before birth and 56 calendar days after birth). In case of complicated births or the birth of two or more children - 70 days are given. The number of annual leave days does not depend on the duration of the work, so it does not matter how long you worked for the employer.
In addition to maternity leave, optional leave without pay for childcare can be granted up to 3 years. According to Article 99 of the Code, such leave can be received by the father or mother of the child, and if the child is left without parental care, then by the next of kin, i.e. who will actually be involved in the upbringing of the child.
Do not worry that you will lose your work during the leave to care for a child. In accordance with Article 54 of the RK Code, the employer can not dismiss you in connection with maternity leave. Moreover, according to Article 87, the time spent on maternity leave and childcare is counted in the length of service, and leave for pregnancy and childbirth even allows you to count on the next paid vacation.
More information on how to get out of parental leave you can find out in the useful information "Return from maternity leave".
What payments and benefits can the one get in connection with a childbirth?
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For unemployed women |
For working women |
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Benefits and payments types |
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Fixed state lump sum benefit in connection with a childbirth |
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One-time social payment in the case of loss of income due to pregnancy and childbirth, adoption of a newborn child (children) |
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Monthly social benefit for childcare until the child reaches one and a half years of age |
Monthly social payment in the case of loss of income due to child care until the child reaches the age of one and a half years |
Social benefits for the case of loss of income due to pregnancy, childbirth, or adoption of a newborn child (children) shall be paid in a lump sum. Social benefits for the case of loss of income due to childcare upon reaching the age of one and a half years shall be paid monthly. The service "Assignment of social benefits for the case of loss of income due to pregnancy, childbirth, or adoption of a newborn child (children)" is available on the e-government portal within eight (8) business days. Structural divisions of the Non-State Corporation "Government for Citizens" shall submit the documents required for the assignment of social benefits to the State Social Insurance Fund (the Fund) via information systems within four (4) business days of receiving thereof.
The Fund shall review the documents within four (4) business days of receiving thereof and make a decision on whether to grant or reject social benefits. If social benefits are rejected, it notifies the applicant of the reasons for rejection and returns the submitted documents to the applicant through the State Corporation "Government for Citizens."
The Fund also has the right to verify the authenticity of the documents (information) required for the assignment, recalculation, suspension, resumption, and termination of social benefits. For these purposes, the Fund has the right to send enquiries to government agencies and relevant organizations, the payer, and the applicant. The applicant must be notified in writing and/or electronically of any delay in making a decision on the assignment, recalculation, suspension, resumption, or termination of social benefits and of the decision extension period but not more than for one month.
To submit the documents for assignment of social benefits, it is required:
Social payment in the case of loss of income due to pregnancy and childbirth, adoption of a newborn child (children) (for working women)
Who is eligible to receive? Working women, participants of mandatory social insurance system, and entitled to receive social benefits from the Fund (i.e., individuals for whom social contributions were received by the Fund before the onset of social risk). According to para. 2 of Article 77 of the Social Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (the Code), the right to a social benefit for pregnancy and childbirth arises from the date of maternity leave, as well as for the adoption of a child (children), stated in the temporary disability certificate.
How to calculate the amount of social benefits for pregnancy and childbirth
Social benefit for pregnancy and childbirth is only available to employed women and is paid as a lump sum. The average monthly income is determined based on the income from which social deductions were made over the 12 months preceding the month in which the social risk occurred (regardless of whether there were any interruptions in the payment of social deductions during this period). The benefit amount can be calculated by multiplying the average monthly income for the past year by the disability days coefficient, minus mandatory pension contributions of 10%.
The average monthly income from which social deductions were paid is determined by dividing the sum of income from which social deductions were made for the last 12 calendar months (regardless of whether there were any interruptions in the payment of social deductions during this period) preceding the month in which the right to social payment arose, by 12. The coefficient for the number of days of incapacity for work is determined by dividing the number of days for which a certificate of temporary incapacity for work was issued by 30 calendar days (every working woman has the right to the paid maternity leave in accordance with Article 99 of the Labor Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan and to use it at her own discretion during pregnancy and after childbirth).
If a certificate of temporary incapacity for work is issued for 126 calendar days, then the coefficient is 126/30 = 4.2.
An example of calculating social benefits for pregnancy and childbirth with a monthly income of less than 7 times the minimum salary
The minimum salary starting from 01.01.2026 is 85,000 tenge.
Let's say that for the year, after deducting mandatory pension contributions (MPC), you have received an income of 1,944,000 tenge:
1,944,000 tenge /12 = 162,000 tenge,
162,000 tenge *4.2 = 680,400 tenge;
A 10% MPC of 68,040 tenge is withheld from your social payment and transferred to your account at the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (UAPF). The social payment will be transferred to your bank account in the amount of 612,360 tenge.
Social contributions shall be paid at the rate of 5% of income minus the MPC. The average monthly income is calculated based on social contributions received over the past 12 months. Therefore, if, for example, you worked for 8 months out of 12 calculated months, the total amount for those 8 months will be divided by 12.
For women whose monthly income is greater the 7 times the minimum salary per month
If the monthly income is 700,000 tenge, which is greater the monthly maximum amount of the object for calculating social payments in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 245 of the Code that is the 7 times the minimum salary = 7 * 85,000 tenge = 595,000 tenge, then the monthly income of 595,000 tenge is taken into account to determine the social payment.
Thus, if social deductions from the specified income were received by the Fund every month for 12 months, the social payment amount is 2,499,000 tenge (595,000 tenge * 4.2).
MPC of 10% in the amount of 249,900 tenge is withheld from the social payment and transferred to the UAPF.
2,249,100 tenge will be transferred to your bank account.
According to paragraph 4 of Article 99 of the Labor Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the employer pays for maternity leave, and for the adoption of a newborn child (children), while maintaining the average salary, if this is provided for by the terms of the employment and (or) collective agreement, or by the employer’s act, minus the amount of the social payment from the Fund.
How to get a temporary disability certificate for pregnancy and childbirth
If you're pregnant, you'll need a temporary disability certificate, or, in other words, a sick leave certificate, to go on maternity leave and receive social benefits from the Fund. According to the Rules for Conducting a Temporary Disability Assessment, Issuing a Certificate, and Issuing a Temporary Disability Certificate, a temporary disability certificate is a document certifying temporary disability and confirming the right to temporary release from work and receiving temporary disability benefits.
Who can receive temporary disability leave? Pregnant women, women who have given birth to a child/children, and women and men who have adopted a newborn child who were employed.
Who issues a temporary disability certificate and for what period?
A certificate of temporary incapacity for pregnancy and childbirth is issued by a healthcare professional (obstetrician-gynecologist), or in their absence, by a physician, jointly with the head of the unit, following a conclusion from the medical examination commission, starting at 30 weeks of pregnancy. For women living in areas exposed to nuclear testing, it is issued starting at 27 weeks of pregnancy for the period specified in Article 99 of the Labor Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In the event of complicated labor or the birth of two or more children, the certificate of temporary incapacity for work is extended for an additional 14 calendar days at the antenatal clinic (office) at the place of observation, based on a discharge from the maternity health facility.
What documents are required to receive a temporary disability certificate? Generally, an identity card is sufficient.
You will need a temporary disability certificate for:
- provision of maternity leave (maternity leave), leave to employees who have adopted a newborn child or children;
- receiving social benefits in the case of loss of income due to pregnancy and childbirth, adoption of a newborn child or children from the Fund.
Please note that in order to receive a temporary disability certificate due to pregnancy and childbirth, or the adoption of a newborn child (children), the reverse side must be marked by the payer of social deductions (a head’s signature and, if available, the employer's seal).
Social payment in the case of loss of income due to child care upon reaching the age of one and a half years (for employed persons)
Who is eligible to receive? This payment is assigned to a participant in the compulsory social insurance system (the participant) who is caring for a child(ren) and is eligible to receive social benefits from the Fund (i.e., those for whom the employer paid social contributions).
How to calculate the amount of social care benefits. To calculate the amount of benefits, divide your total income for the last two years (as evidenced by social deductions) by 24 months, then multiply by 0.4 and subtract 10% of the mandatory pension contributions.
An example of calculating social benefits for care
If the participant of social benefits has worked for two years before the child's birth and received a single salary increase during the year, the participant received 150,000 tenge in the first year and 200,000 tenge in the second year.
Let's calculate the income:
(12 * 150,000 tenge) + (12 * 200,000 tenge) = 1,800,000 tenge + 2,400,000 tenge = 4,200,000 tenge
We divide the resulting amount by 24 months: 4,200,000 tenge/24 = 175,000 tenge
175,000 tenge is the average monthly income.
To calculate the amount of social care benefits, this figure must be multiplied by a coefficient of 0.4 and 10% of pension contributions subtracted, i.e.:
175,000*0.4 = 70,000 tenge, minus 10% gives us 63,000 tenge monthly.
*The monthly social care benefit in 2026 cannot exceed 238,000 tenge. This is 40% of the seven times the minimum salary and cannot be lower than the benefit for the unemployed.
Documents required for processing payments
To apply for childbirth benefits and payments, the one shall submit the documents to the State Corporation "Government for Citizens". Your application will be reviewed within eight (8) business days, and a decision will be made on whether to grant or reject the benefit/payment.
The most convenient way for new parents, given all the pleasant hassle associated with the birth of a child, is to apply for benefits online. The documents required for the one-time state benefit for a childbirth and monthly social benefit for child care until the child reaches eighteen months can be found on this page. You can also submit an online application for benefits from this page.
Documents required for the appointment of a one-time social payment for pregnancy and childbirth:
Note: Submission of documents is not required if they can be obtained from government information systems, including the digital document service.
Documents required for the appointment of social care benefits:
Note: Submission of documents is not required if they can be retrieved from government information systems, including the digital document service.