If you are employed and insured in Slovakia, temporary incapacity for work is called dočasná pracovná neschopnosť, commonly shortened to PN. A doctor records the incapacity, while your employer and, for longer absences, the Social Insurance Agency (Sociálna poisťovňa) handle income replacement.
When Slovak sick-leave rules apply
This guide covers employees whose employment and sickness insurance fall under Slovak rules. Nationality is not the deciding factor: a foreign employee insured through Slovak employment generally follows the same PN process as a Slovak employee.
Cross-border workers, posted employees and people insured in another country may be subject to different coordination rules. Confirm which country is responsible for your social insurance before relying on the payment timeline below. For broader context, see LovinSK’s guides to working in Slovakia and health insurance in Slovakia.
Step 1: Contact a doctor and notify your employer
Contact a doctor when illness or injury prevents you from working. The doctor decides whether you are temporarily incapable of work and records the start date of PN.
Also notify your employer promptly using its normal absence procedure. Electronic PN transfers official data, but it does not replace practical communication with your manager or HR team about your absence, unfinished work or workplace-specific rules.
- Tell the doctor that you are employed and need an assessment of your ability to work.
- Give the doctor the address where you will stay during PN.
- Notify your employer as soon as reasonably possible.
- Ask whether the doctor created an electronic PN or issued a paper certificate.
Foreign residents preparing for the consultation may also find LovinSK’s Slovak language guide for a doctor’s visit useful.
Step 2: Check how electronic PN works
With electronic PN (ePN), the doctor creates an electronic record. According to the Social Insurance Agency’s ePN guidance, you normally do not deliver a PN certificate to your employer or the Agency, submit a separate claim for income compensation or sickness benefit, or report the end of PN. The institutions exchange the relevant records electronically.
You can review ePN information through the Agency’s Insuree’s Electronic Account, known as Elektronický účet poistenca or EUP.
If the doctor issues a paper certificate instead, follow the instructions on each part of the form. Paper cases require documents to be delivered to the employer or Social Insurance Agency. The Agency’s sickness-benefit application guide explains the current paper procedure.
Who pays during sick leave?
For PN beginning on or after 1 January 2026, the employer-payment period is 14 calendar days. The Social Insurance Agency confirmed this change in its 2026 payment announcement.
| PN period | Usual payer | Statutory rate |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar days 1–3 | Employer | 25% of the applicable daily assessment basis |
| Calendar days 4–14 | Employer | 55% of the applicable daily assessment basis |
| From calendar day 15 | Social Insurance Agency | 55% of the applicable daily or probable daily assessment basis |
The employer-compensation rates come from Act No. 462/2003 on income compensation during temporary incapacity. A collective agreement may provide a more favourable employer-paid amount within the limits allowed by that Act.
The Agency calculates sickness benefit under social-insurance legislation. Its current benefit guidance states that an employee normally becomes entitled from day 15 and that the benefit is paid for calendar days.
This is not simply a percentage of the net salary arriving in your bank account. The calculation uses a statutory daily assessment basis and a legally defined reference period. Employment ending during PN, multiple insurance relationships, work injuries and protective-period claims can alter the result.
Your treatment address and permitted outings
During PN, you must follow the treatment regime set by your doctor and stay at the address recorded in the PN documentation. This does not have to be your permanent residence, but you should agree on the address with the doctor when PN begins.
If you need to move during PN, update the recorded address. The Social Insurance Agency allows an ePN address change through the Insuree’s Electronic Account; its guidance for people on PN lists the available methods.
Vychádzky are permitted outings forming part of the treatment regime. Do not assume you may leave home whenever you feel well enough. Follow the times and conditions authorized by your doctor. Medical appointments and other necessary absences should also be documented where appropriate.
Inspections during PN
The Social Insurance Agency may inspect compliance with the treatment regime throughout PN, including weekends and public holidays. Be prepared to prove your identity and explain a documented permitted absence.
An employer may check whether you are present at the declared address during the employer-paid compensation period. However, the Agency’s ePN guidance for employers distinguishes this address check from supervision of the medical treatment regime, which belongs to the Social Insurance Agency.
Failure to follow the doctor’s regime can affect payment. The Agency states that sickness benefit may be withheld from the date of a violation until PN ends, for no more than 30 days for each violation.
What happens if you become sick during annual leave?
If a doctor recognizes you as temporarily incapable of work during annual leave, PN and annual leave are treated as different absences. Under the Slovak Labour Code, an employer may not designate annual leave for a period of temporary incapacity, and incapacity arising during leave generally interrupts that leave.
Notify the employer immediately and obtain valid medical certification. Do not wait until the planned holiday has ended. The unused leave is handled later under the Labour Code and the employer’s scheduling procedure. LovinSK’s guide to work and rest in Slovakia provides additional context on annual leave.
If you become sick abroad
A foreign doctor’s certificate does not automatically enter Slovakia’s ePN system. Obtain documentation that certifies incapacity for work and is used for sickness cash-benefit purposes in the country where it was issued.
For incapacity certified in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or a country covered by an applicable Slovak social-security agreement, submit the foreign certificate directly to the competent Social Insurance Agency branch. If a doctor in an EU country does not issue such a certificate, contact the responsible institution in that country.
Documents from a country without an applicable agreement can require additional authentication, such as an apostille, or superlegalization. Translation requirements depend on the country and document. Follow the Agency’s detailed page on incapacity certified abroad rather than assuming an ordinary doctor’s note is sufficient.
- Notify your employer promptly.
- Ask for a certificate showing the beginning and expected duration of incapacity.
- Send the required certificate and informal benefit request to the competent Agency branch.
- Document the continuation and end of the foreign-certified incapacity.
Ending PN and returning to work
Your doctor determines when PN ends. In an ePN case, the end is transmitted electronically, so you normally do not submit a termination certificate to the employer or Social Insurance Agency.
Confirm your return date with your employer, especially if you work shifts. The date on which PN ends is still the final day of incapacity; return to work is normally on the following scheduled working day. Do not simply return early without the doctor formally ending PN.
For a paper PN, deliver the termination documents according to the form instructions. Keep copies of foreign or paper records until payments and attendance records have been reconciled.
Frequently asked questions
Does ePN mean I do not need to tell my employer?
No. ePN transfers the official incapacity record, but you should still promptly report that you will be absent and follow your employer’s notification procedure.
Can I stay somewhere other than my permanent home?
Yes. You may use another treatment address if it is correctly recorded. Update the address if you move during PN.
Can I go shopping while on sick leave?
Only if the outing is consistent with the treatment regime and the times authorized by your doctor. PN is not unrestricted time away from home.
Who pays if my PN lasts exactly 14 days?
For PN beginning in 2026, the employer normally provides income compensation for all 14 calendar days. Social Insurance Agency sickness benefit normally starts only on day 15.
