What happens if your Hungarian employees get sick? They should go on sick leave. But how does that work, what rights do you and your employees have, and most importantly, who pays for that? Read on to learn about the most important aspects of sick leave in Hungary.
When can employees go on sick leave?
By “being sick” and “being eligible to sick leave”, the law means any health-related issue that makes the employee not fit to work. This can be an infection, but also a medical procedure, the starting or a flare-up of a chronic disease, or even the result of an accident.
If your employees get sick, they should not come to work. Their performance will be below standard anyway, and there is a chance they can infect colleagues, which will further hurt your business. Depending on your company culture and the nature of the work, you might offer employees to work from home while sick, but only if they feel up to it. Forcing employees to work while sick will only delay their healing, this way reducing productivity further.
Doctor’s note verifies eligibility
Sick leave means that an employee is exempt from work while sick. During this time, they should receive an allowance either from your business or the state. To become eligible, employees need a doctor’s note, which they can acquire from their general practitioner or family doctor (or from the hospital if they are treated there).
Depending on the type of sickness and standard operational procedure at each medical practice, employees should either visit or call their GP on the first day of sickness so the doctor can indicate that they are unable to work in the online database of the National Health Insurance Fund. When your employee is healthy again, they should pick up the doctor’s note, an official document from the doctor’s office, that states the first and last day of the sick leave and submit it to your HR or payroll specialist so their salary can be calculated properly.
How long can an employee remain sick?
The length of a sickness cannot be limited by law. Your employee should return to work only when they are again healthy and fit to work. While they are on sick leave, you are not allowed to terminate the employment relationship.
While your employee is on sick leave, they are entitled to receive sick leave allowance. During the first 15 working days, they receive the allowance from the employer, and after that from the state and the employer together. The allowance can be given for up to 1 year – after that, it makes sense to start looking into other allowance options, although you as an employer should probably start looking for a replacement much sooner.
Who provides the sick leave allowance?
Normally, the first 15 days of sick leave allowance are paid by the employer at 70% of the employee’s absence pay (which is how salary is called in cases when the employee is exempt from work for any reason); however, this period may be proportionately shorter if the employee was not yet working for your Hungarian company at the start of the calendar year, and joined only later.
If the employee is sick for longer, the allowance to be paid is shared between the state and the employer. The share ratio depends on the responsibility of the employer. For example, if the employee got sick related to their work, the allowance must be covered entirely by the employer. If the health issue is not related to the employer, the employer needs to cover 33% of the allowance, which will be 60% of the employee’s absence pay if they are staying at home, or 50% if they must stay in hospital.
If an employee has an accident at the workplace that renders them unable to work, they are entitled to their full absence pay, to be paid by the employer, for as long as they recover (but up to 1 year).
How much is the sick leave allowance?
As stated above, this allowance is calculated based on the absence pay of each employee. However, it has a maximum daily limit, which is double the current minimum wage divided by 30. In 2025, this means a daily limit of HUF 19,387 (ca. EUR 50).
The sick leave allowance is taxable income in Hungary, after which only the 15% personal income should be paid (but not the 18.5% social security contribution). Of course, if the employee is entitled to any tax benefits, they can be applied.
What if the child of an employee gets sick?
When a child, especially a small child is sick (and they cannot attend daycare or school as a result), parents might be required to stay at home with them. In this case, the same applies as if the employee themselves were sick: depending on the severity of the sickness, their position, and the company culture, these parents may work from home (this should be negotiated between you and the employee). If remote work cannot be arranged for, the parent might be required to go on a sick leave together with their child.
Same as the parent, the child will require a doctor’s note to excuse them from attending daycare or school. When the parent asks for the exemption, they should ask the doctor to write a special note for the parent too, which they will need to submit to their employer.
Parental sick leave with children under 12
Parental sick leave is only available to parents of children aged 12 or younger, and only if the parent stays at home with the child or goes with them to the hospital. Above the age of 12, parents can ask for a special permission when there is a serious issue, but normally it is expected that children above 12 can take care of themselves while the parents are at work.
The number of parental sick leave days are limited by law as follows. If the child is sick for longer, the parent might be required to take days from their yearly PTO, or to take unpaid leave.
Age of the child | For parents living together | For single parents |
Below 1 year and nursing | No limit for the mother if the child is in hospital | No limit for the mother if the child is in hospital |
1-3 years old | 84 calendar days / year | 168 calendar days / year |
3-6 years old | 42 calendar days / year | 84 calendar days / year |
6-12 years old | 14 calendar days / year | 28 calendar days / year |
Parental sick leave allowance is always paid by the state, at a rate similar to regular sick leave:
- at 60% if the child is treated at home AND if the parent has been insured for more than 730 days
- at 50% if the child is treated at a hospital AND/OR if the parent has been insured for less than 730 days
How to prepare for sick leaves at your Hungarian company?
When planning your Hungarian operation, you should have enough employees to allow for substitutions during periods when some employees are away from work. If an employee remains on sick leave for a prolonged period, that will be paid for by the state, but you might still be missing their work. In these cases, you might want to consider making additional hires or employing temporary workers either with a fixed-term contract, through simplified employment or through student organizations.
Take advantage of our expertise
Helpers offers expert assistance not only with work permit application procedures, but also with accountancy, payroll administration, and HR compliance. Of course, if you have your payroll services with Helpers, those include sick leave administration as well. Take advantage of our experience, outsource administration, and focus on activities that actually need your genius.