Children and Family in Czechia for foreigners

They no longer exist as separate benefits. From October 1, 2025, law no. 151/2025 Coll. merged four payments — přídavek na dítě, příspěvek na bydlení, příspěvek na živobytí, and doplatek na bydlení — into one state social support benefit, which everyone calls the 'superdávka' (super-benefit). If you are advised to 'apply for přídavek na dítě,' the advice is outdated: there is nothing to apply for anymore.

Now it is one payment for the entire household, composed of four components: živobytí (subsistence), bydlení (housing), bonus na dítě (child bonus), and pracovní bonus (work bonus). The application is also one — online, through the Jenda app.

Each component has its own conditions. Bonus na dítě: household income up to 4x the living minimum, the child attends school, parents are employed. Složka bydlení: there is a legal title to housing, and housing costs exceed 0.30 of income. Živobytí: income up to 1.43x the living minimum (ŽM).

In addition, there is a wealth test (majetkový test) and a requirement for work activity of at least 30 hours per month or registration at the labor office (úřad práce). People aged 68+, disability pensioners, and those caring for young children are exempt from this requirement. For conditions, components, and the application form, see up.gov.cz.

This is the most important calendar for families right now. The transition period lasts from October 1, 2025, to July 31, 2026 — meaning it is ending.

Existing clients will receive the first super-benefit in August 2026 — for July 2026. This is a key date: the money will come under the new rules and as a single payment, not several benefits as before.

The second deadline is October 2026: then you need to reconfirm your income and housing costs for July–September. Prepare income statements and housing bills in advance, not in the last week. The application and confirmation are submitted online via Jenda — one for the entire household. Current deadlines and the list of documents are at up.gov.cz.

The total amount is CZK 350,000 per child (for children born from January 1, 2024). This is not a monthly payment, but a 'budget' that you can use until the child turns three or until the amount is exhausted.

You set the pace yourself. The maximum for parents without a daily assessment base (DVZ) or with a low DVZ (DVZ is the daily base from which insurance benefits are calculated) is CZK 15,000 per month; for multiple births, it is CZK 30,000.

The amount for twins is higher, and the birth date matters: for children born before December 31, 2025, it is CZK 525,000; for those born from January 1, 2026, it is already CZK 700,000.

What is being prepared but is NOT yet law: an increase to CZK 400,000. The Chamber of Deputies approved it on July 8, 2026, but the Senate and the president's signature are still ahead — the right to this money does not exist yet. Even when the law is passed, it will only apply to children born from January 1, 2027 (twins — CZK 800,000); for those born before the end of 2026, CZK 350,000 / CZK 700,000 remain. The deputies rejected annual valorization. The application is submitted through the Jenda app; current conditions are at mpsv.gov.cz.

Start with the documents — and here's good news. For a child born in the Czech Republic in a medical facility, the personal identification number (rodné číslo) is assigned automatically, no need to apply: the registry office (matriční úřad) in the district of birth enters the child into the book of births and issues the birth certificate (rodný list) with the assigned personal identification number (RČ) — for both Czech citizens and foreigners born in the Czech Republic. The rule 'holders of temporary protection are not given a personal identification number' does not apply to children born here. If Ukrainian documents are missing, the registry office may, in special cases, allow them to be replaced by a sworn statement from the parents.

Porodné (maternity grant) is a one-time payment: CZK 13,000 for the first child, CZK 10,000 for the second, CZK 23,000 for twins. But it is not automatic: you are only entitled if the family's decisive income (rozhodný příjem) is lower than 2.7 times the living minimum. The income includes net income, unemployment benefits, sickness benefits (nemocenská), care benefits (ošetřovné), maternity benefits (mateřská), and pensions, but parental allowance (rodičovský příspěvek) and child benefits are NOT included — because of this, families often wrongly decide they do not qualify. Details are at mpsv.gov.cz.

PPM (mateřská) is no longer a social benefit but an insurance payment: you need 270 days of sickness insurance (nemocenské pojištění) in the last two years plus participation in insurance at the time of commencement. They pay 70% of the reduced daily assessment base (DVZ) per calendar day for 28 weeks; for twins or more, it's 37 weeks (reduction limits for 2026: CZK 1,633 / CZK 2,449 / CZK 4,897). A detail few people know: PPM can be received by the father — under the same conditions, except for the first six weeks after childbirth, and with written consent from the mother. Conditions are at cssz.gov.cz.

Otcovská (paternity leave) is a separate two weeks (14 days) at 70% of DVZ; it has not changed in 2026. You must start within six weeks (42 days) of birth, you choose the start date yourself, but you must take it in full — it cannot be split. For self-employed individuals (OSVČ), the condition is stricter: voluntary sickness insurance paid for at least 3 months before the start. See cssz.gov.cz.

No, this is an outdated myth — and it costs families money. OSVČ (self-employed individuals) and those working under a DPP (agreement on work performance) have the right to ošetřovné (sickness benefit for care) from January 1, 2025 (amendment to Act No. 395/2024 Coll.). Conditions: for OSVČ — participation in insurance for at least 3 months before the need for care arises; for DPP — participation in nemocenské pojištění (sickness insurance) (threshold of 12,000 CZK).

Source of the myth: separate pages on cssz.gov.cz from 2022–2023 still claim the opposite. Official does not equal current — check the page's publication date before believing it.

The payment itself: 9 days (16 days — for a single insured person with a child under 16), 60% of the daily assessment base, the child must be under 10 years old. Střídání (alternating care) — changing care with another family member — is only possible once.

Separately, there is dlouhodobé ošetřovné (long-term care benefit), and this is different: hospitalization for at least 4 days (exception — incurable condition with palliative care, then hospitalization is not required), full-day care for at least 30 days, maximum 90 days, 60% of the daily assessment base, and written consent from the person being cared for. There is an asymmetry here: DPP has the right to krátkodobé ošetřovné (short-term care benefit), but not to dlouhodobé. Conditions are on cssz.gov.cz.

For the first 150 days, the payment is at the level of the living minimum: adult — 4,860 CZK, child under 6 years — 3,490 CZK, child 6–10 years — 4,188 CZK. From the sixth month, a working-age adult switches to the existenční minimum (subsistence minimum) — 3,130 CZK, while a vulnerable person remains at 4,860 CZK. Housing costs are added to this: 6,000 CZK per month for vulnerable individuals and 4,000 CZK for others.

Vulnerable individuals are considered children under 18, pregnant women, people 65+, and persons with disabilities — one condition from the list is sufficient. The benefit is granted to the entire household, and no decision is issued — it is not an administrative process. An asset test also applies: you will be denied if you have more than double the benefit amount in your account.

And two rules that most often lead to losing money. First: you cannot apply retroactively — only in the month for which you are applying. Second: the payment goes exclusively to a bank account in the Czech Republic, so an account is not an option, but a necessity. Current amounts and conditions are on mpsv.gov.cz.

Yes, it is mandatory — and this is the main practical risk for Ukrainian families. Povinná školní docházka (compulsory school attendance) in the Czech Republic is mandatory, and online learning at a Ukrainian school does NOT replace it. You can study at a Ukrainian school additionally, but not instead of Czech school.

The algorithm is as follows: find out your spádová škola (assigned school) at the municipality → submit a written application → the school is obliged to accept the child. The only legal ground for refusal is full capacity. If refused, escalation follows in a chain: municipality → regional authority → MŠMT (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports); they are obliged to find a place.

Kindergarten: povinné předškolní vzdělávání (compulsory preschool education) — the last year before primary school, from age 5 — also applies to Ukrainian children with temporary protection or ZDP (long-term residence permit) (§ 1 Lex Ukrajina). For the 2026/2027 school year, this applies to children born between September 1, 2020, and August 31, 2021. This compulsory year is free.

For the remaining years in kindergarten, you pay úplata (tuition fee), but the director can reduce it or waive it completely — including for humanitarian reasons and considering the family's situation. For Ukrainian families, this is a direct reason to come and ask, not to pay silently. Deadlines differ for school and kindergarten: **enrollment for the 1st grade is between January 15 and February 15** (a single deadline nationwide, specific days are determined by the school), and kindergarten enrollment deadlines are set by the municipality, so check them on your city's website. If you plan to request an odklad (postponement), you must still go through the enrollment process: the application for postponement is submitted during enrollment, not separately in April as it was before. Explanations for Ukrainian families are on edu.gov.cz.