How much time off does a husband get after his wife gives birth, and what does ZUS pay?
The partner of a woman who has just given birth can combine several entitlements from the Polish Labour Code (Kodeks pracy) and from sickness insurance with ZUS, the Polish Social Insurance Institution. Some apply only to employees on an employment contract, others to anyone with sickness insurance in ZUS. The table reflects the law as of 2 November 2026, based on the Act on cash benefits from social insurance in case of sickness and maternity (consolidated text, Journal of Laws 2026 item 854) and the Labour Code (Journal of Laws 2026 item 1245).
| Entitlement | How long | How much, who pays | Who for | What to file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special leave for the birth of a child (urlop okolicznościowy) | 2 days | 100% of pay, employer | Employee on an employment contract | Request to the employer |
| Paternity leave (urlop ojcowski) | Up to 2 weeks, in 1 or 2 parts of at least a week each, before the child turns 12 months | 100% of the benefit base, maternity allowance from ZUS | Father: employee, or a contractor or self-employed person with sickness insurance | Employee: request to the employer at least 7 days before. Others: application to ZUS before the first day of the allowance |
| Carer's allowance for an ill wife (sick leave to care for your wife) | Up to 14 days per calendar year | 80% of the benefit base, ZUS | A person with sickness insurance who shares a household with his wife | e-ZLA issued by a doctor for care, and form Z-15 |
| Carer's allowance for a healthy child under 8 when the mother gives birth or is in hospital | Within the limit of 60 days a year for child care | 80% of the benefit base, ZUS | A parent with sickness insurance | Medical certificate and carer's allowance application |
| Additional carer's allowance for a newborn | Up to 8 weeks, at most until the baby is 8 weeks old | 80% of the benefit base, ZUS, outside the 60-day and 14-day limits | Insured father or another close family member, when the insured mother is in hospital within 8 weeks of the birth | Certificate of the mother's hospital stay and a statement that she receives maternity allowance |
| Taking over part of maternity leave | The mother's hospital stay after week 8, or the rest of the leave when the mother returns to work after at least 14 weeks | Maternity allowance from ZUS based on the father's earnings | The father, and during the mother's hospital stay also another close family member | Request to the employer or ZUS with the documents required by law |
| Parental leave, the father's share | 9 weeks that cannot be transferred to the mother, until the end of the year in which the child turns 6 | 70% of the benefit base, ZUS | Each parent with sickness insurance | Employee: request at least 21 days before |
| Time off for a child under 14 | 2 days or 16 hours a year | 100% of pay, employer | Employee | Request to the employer |
| Time off due to force majeure | 2 days or 16 hours a year | 50% of pay, employer | Employee with an urgent family matter caused by illness or an accident | Request no later than on the day off |
| Carer's leave (urlop opiekuńczy) | 5 days a year | Unpaid | Employee | Request at least 1 day before |
You choose the order yourself, for example special leave first, then paternity leave, and carer's sick leave if a doctor finds your wife needs care. ZUS points out that carer's allowance is not paid for days for which you are entitled to pay. The regulation on special leave does not set a deadline for using it, so agree the days with your employer, ideally close to the birth.
Paternity leave in Poland in 2026: how long is it, how much does it pay and when must you use it?
The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy describes paternity leave as the father's own right, independent of the mother's entitlements: it applies even when the mother does not work. Under the Labour Code it lasts up to 2 weeks and can be taken in one go or in 2 parts, neither shorter than a week, no later than the day the child turns 12 months.
Paternity leave is paid as maternity allowance at 100% of the benefit base. For an employee the base is the average monthly pay for the 12 calendar months before the month in which the right to the allowance arose, after the contributions deducted by the employer. In a company that registers more than 20 people for sickness insurance the employer pays the allowance; in smaller companies, and for the self-employed, ZUS pays it.
- An employee submits a request to the employer, on paper or electronically, at least 7 days before the first day of leave. The employer must grant it.
- Contractors and the self-employed apply to ZUS for maternity allowance for the paternity leave period before the day they want it to start. The ZUS website has form ZAM for this (updated on 24 October 2026), and the application can also be filed through eZUS.
- For payment ZUS needs the child's details (name, surname, PESEL number, date and place of birth), the other parent's details and a statement on whether the paternity allowance has already been paid under another insurance title.
The current rules come from a Labour Code amendment in force since 26 April 2023, which shortened the time to use paternity leave to 12 months (fathers previously had 24 months). In 2025 and 2026 neither the length of paternity leave nor the allowance changed. Since 24 October 2026, however, a new regulation on benefit documents and new ZUS forms apply.
Can a husband get sick leave to care for his wife after birth or a caesarean?
Yes, if a doctor finds that your wife is ill and needs your personal care. The doctor then issues an e-ZLA to you as the carer, and ZUS pays carer's allowance for an ill family member: 80% of the benefit base, for up to 14 days per calendar year. The law refers to caring for an ill family member, so the birth itself is not enough. Whether your wife needs care after a caesarean or a difficult birth is for the doctor to judge.
- Who issues it: under the Sickness Benefits Act, a doctor, dentist or feldsher authorised by ZUS. This can be the hospital doctor at discharge, a gynaecologist or a primary care (POZ) doctor.
- A midwife cannot issue this sick leave. The law does not give her that power. A doctor may authorise someone in a medical profession to fill in the e-ZLA on their behalf, but only based on the doctor's own decision recorded in the medical notes.
- Shared household: your wife must live with you while you care for her.
- No other household member: the allowance is not paid if another family member at home can provide care. According to ZUS, this does not include someone who is ill, completely unable to work, runs a business, is resting after a night shift or is not physically able because of age.
- Limit: 14 days a year for caring for an ill family member other than a child, within the overall limit of 60 days of carer's allowance a year, regardless of how many people are entitled.
- Application: since 24 October 2026 ZUS has a single carer's allowance form, Z-15, which replaced forms Z-15a and Z-15b. Employees give it to their employer, the self-employed file it with ZUS.
On carer's leave you really have to provide care. Under the Sickness Benefits Act you lose the allowance for the whole period if you do paid work or anything inconsistent with the purpose of the leave, and this rule also applies to carer's allowance. On the other hand there is no waiting period: according to ZUS, carer's allowance is paid regardless of how long you have been insured.
Who looks after an older child when your wife gives birth or is in hospital?
If the mother who normally looks after your child under 8 is giving birth or in hospital and cannot care for the child, the other parent can get carer's allowance for a healthy child. It is 80% of the benefit base and counts towards the limit of 60 days per calendar year, shared by both parents. Only the parent who applies receives it, and only if no other household member can look after the child.
You need a medical certificate issued to you on a plain form or electronically. Under the regulation of 27 September 2026 it states the mother's name, the period and reason for care, the child's surname (and first name, if already given) and the issuer's stamp and signature. You also file a carer's allowance application.
The newborn is a separate case. If the insured mother is admitted to hospital within 8 weeks of the birth because her health prevents her from caring for the baby, the insured father or another insured close family member who stops working gets an additional carer's allowance. It is paid for up to 8 weeks, at most until the baby is 8 weeks old, and does not count towards the 60-day and 14-day limits. ZUS requires a certificate of the mother's hospital stay and a statement that she receives maternity allowance during that time (form ZDO).
When can a father take over maternity leave?
Maternity leave belongs to the mother and lasts 20 weeks for one baby. The Labour Code and the Sickness Benefits Act, however, allow the father to use part of it:
- The mother is in hospital after week 8 following the birth. If her health prevents her from caring for the baby, she can interrupt her leave for the hospital stay, and the father or another close family member uses that period. The employer must grant the request.
- The mother has used at least 14 weeks after the birth. She can give up the rest of her leave and go back to work, and the father takes over the remaining part. She files her request at least 7 days before returning to work, the father at least 14 days before his part begins.
- The mother has a certificate of inability to live independently. She can then give up her leave after just 8 weeks, and the father or another close family member uses the rest.
Maternity allowance for the maternity leave period is 100% of the benefit base, or 81.5% in the option where the mother applies within 21 days of the birth for the whole maternity and parental leave in advance. The base is calculated from the earnings of the person receiving the allowance. Together, parents cannot use more than the full length of maternity leave.
If the mother has no sickness insurance, for example because she does not work, the father can take over maternity leave only in exceptional cases: after the mother's death, if she has abandoned the child, if she has a certificate of inability to live independently, or if she takes a job of at least half time. He is entitled to paternity leave and parental leave regardless.
Parental leave: how many weeks are reserved for the father?
Parental leave lasts up to 41 weeks after the birth of one child and up to 43 weeks when more than one child is born at the same birth. Each parent has an exclusive right to 9 weeks of it that cannot be transferred to the other parent, so if the father does not use them, the mother cannot take them instead. The allowance for these 9 weeks is 70% of the benefit base.
- The leave can be taken in one go or in up to 5 parts, no later than the end of the calendar year in which the child turns 6.
- An employee submits the request at least 21 days before the leave starts, and the employer must grant it.
- Both parents can be on parental leave at the same time, but together they cannot exceed its total length. It is a way to stay at home with your wife for longer than the 2 weeks of paternity leave, although at a lower rate.
- Parental leave can be combined with part-time work for the employer who granted it. The allowance is then reduced proportionally.
Civil law contract, own business, unmarried partner: who is entitled to what?
ZUS benefits, meaning maternity allowance for paternity leave, parental leave and a taken-over part of maternity leave, and carer's allowance, are paid to people covered by sickness insurance. For employees it is compulsory. People on a civil law contract (umowa zlecenie) and the self-employed can join it voluntarily, and only then are they entitled to these benefits. According to ZUS, maternity allowance and carer's allowance have no waiting period.
- Umowa zlecenie: check whether the client registered you for voluntary sickness insurance. Special leave, the 2 days for a child, force majeure time off and carer's leave come from the Labour Code and apply to employees, so on a civil law contract alone you are left with the ZUS benefits.
- Sole proprietorship (JDG): ZUS pays the paternity leave allowance. If your unpaid contributions exceed 1% of the minimum wage, the allowance is not paid until you clear the debt, and if you do not pay it within 6 months, the right to the allowance for that period lapses.
- Self-employed on maternity allowance: ZUS explains that during this time, even for the short paternity leave allowance, you are not compulsorily covered by pension and disability insurance from your business, and voluntary sickness insurance ends. You must deregister for that period and register again, including for sickness insurance, within 7 days of the first day after the allowance. Otherwise you lose continuity of sickness insurance.
- An unmarried partner who is the child's father has the same right to paternity leave, special leave and parental leave as a husband. The employer and ZUS need the child's and parents' details, so paternity must be formally established.
- Carer's sick leave for an unmarried partner: the Act lists as family members a spouse, parents, the parent of your child, a stepfather, stepmother, parents-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings and children over 14, if they live with you. A partner with whom you have a child is the parent of your child, so you can get the allowance for caring for her. A partner without a shared child is not on this list.
- Carer's leave under the Labour Code (5 unpaid days) also covers a person who lives in the same household as you, even if they are not a family member.
How can you help your wife in the first weeks after a caesarean?
A caesarean is abdominal surgery. The NHS says you need to take things easy for several weeks afterwards: at first you should not carry anything heavier than your baby or drive. Practical help at home matters most:
- Carry anything heavier than the baby: the car seat with the baby in it, the pram, shopping, the laundry basket.
- Be the driver, including the trip home from hospital and check-ups.
- Take over the house: meals, shopping, laundry, cleaning, and at night nappy changes and bringing the baby for feeds, so your wife can rest between feeds.
- Encourage short walks. The NHS advises staying mobile and going for a daily walk, but not overdoing it.
- Keep track of medication prescribed at discharge and check-up dates, and ask the midwife or doctor about returning to exercise or lifting.
- Watch her mood. Mood swings after birth are common; when low mood needs help is covered in our article on baby blues and postnatal depression.
According to the NHS, contact a midwife or doctor straight away if your wife has severe pain, heavy vaginal bleeding, a wound that becomes more red, painful and swollen, pus or foul-smelling discharge from the wound, a cough or shortness of breath, swelling or pain in the lower leg, leaking urine or pain when peeing. These can be signs of an infection or a blood clot.
At home you will be visited by a primary care (POZ) midwife for postnatal home visits, who looks after both mother and baby; how a caesarean wound heals is covered in a separate article. If you want more time or visits at a convenient time, on MyMidwife you can find midwives who offer private postnatal care at home.
