Arrange Your Parental Allowance Comfortably From Home: Procedure and Practical Advice

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You no longer have to arrange your parental allowance in person at the labour, social affairs and family office. Today the state allows parents to arrange this state social benefit electronically from the comfort of home or from any other place with an internet connection. To submit the application electronically, you will also need a qualified electronic signature. In this article we have summarized for you everything you will need to submit an application for parental allowance electronically. You will also find practical advice here that will make your submission successful on the very first attempt.

What Is Parental Allowance and Who Is Entitled to It?

Parental allowance is a state social benefit by which the state contributes to an eligible person towards ensuring proper care for a child up to 3 years of age, or up to 6 years of age if the child has a long-term unfavourable state of health.

Who is eligible to apply for parental allowance?

An eligible person is:

• a parent of the child,
• a natural person to whom the child has been entrusted into care substituting parental care on the basis of a decision of a court or the labour, social affairs and family office,
• the spouse of the child’s parent, if they live with the child’s parent in a common household.

An eligible person is entitled to parental allowance if they meet the following conditions:

• they ensure proper care for the child (personally or through another adult natural or legal person), and
• they have permanent or temporary residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic or are a person under a special regulation.

Whom does the state consider a child in connection with entitlement to parental allowance? A child:

• up to three years of age,
• up to six years of age who has a long-term unfavourable state of health,
• up to six years of age who has been entrusted into care substituting parental care, for a maximum of three years from the date the first decision on entrusting the child into the care of the same eligible person becomes final, or
• up to six years of age, at the latest until the start of the school year in which they begin to attend compulsory pre-primary education.

Important notice:

The entitlement to parental allowance always belongs to only one eligible person determined on the basis of an agreement of the persons who care for the child. This applies even if the court entrusts the minor child into the alternating personal care of both parents or approves the parents’ agreement.

If there are several children in the family, only one entitlement to parental allowance arises, and only to one eligible person determined on the basis of an agreement.

Parental allowance is paid to the eligible person determined by an agreement of the eligible persons. If the court decides to entrust the minor child into the alternating or joint personal care of both parents, the parental allowance is paid to the eligible person according to the written agreement of the parents.

What Do You Need to Submit an Application for Parental Allowance Electronically?

An eligible person claims their entitlement to parental allowance by submitting a written application in person at the relevant labour, social affairs and family office or electronically, whereby the application must be signed with a qualified electronic signature.

Tip:

The relevant labour, social affairs and family office is the office according to the place of permanent residence of the eligible person, or according to the place of temporary residence in the case of foreigners.

Before submitting the application electronically, prepare:

• an identity card with a chip (eID),
• an activated personal security code (BOK),
• a qualified electronic signature (QES),
• a chip card reader,
• a computer with the prescribed software installed,
• the bank account number to which the parental allowance will be paid.

Important notice:

Without a qualified electronic signature, you cannot submit an application for parental allowance. You need to arrange one in advance.

The Procedure for Submitting an Application for Parental Allowance Online

In the following steps we bring you a quick overview of how to successfully submit an electronic application for parental allowance:

• Log in to the Slovensko.sk portal. Use your identity card with a chip and your BOK code.
• Find the electronic service titled “Application for Parental Allowance” in the social affairs section.
• Fill in the electronic form. Before submitting, carefully check all the data and make sure you have filled in all the mandatory fields.
• Attach the required attachments to the application. Upload the scanned documents or the necessary certificates.
• Sign the form with a qualified electronic signature before submitting. Without this step, your application will not be considered submitted or valid.
• Submit the form and save the confirmation of submission. Download it in case you need it in the future.

Practical Advice for a Successful Application

Submitting an application for parental allowance electronically saves you time. Every parent knows how demanding it is to arrange anything at an office with a child – and even without one. With online submission, you are not limited by office days or opening hours. You can complete the entire process quickly and easily from the comfort of home. Even in the evening, once your child has fallen asleep.

Finally, we bring you a few pieces of practical advice that will help you handle the entire process on the first attempt:

• Before submitting the application, don’t forget to arrange a qualified electronic signature. If you already have one, check the validity of the certificates so they have not expired in the meantime.
• Submit the application from the current version of your web browser, ideally from a computer, not from a mobile phone or tablet.
• Regularly monitor your electronic mailbox, where you will receive the response to your online application.

Tip:

You can obtain a qualified electronic signature quickly and easily via the NFQES online platform. You will use it not only when communicating with authorities, but also for various legal acts, in the private sector, and when communicating with business partners.

A qualified electronic signature provides a high level of security, which is why it is often required in official communication. The issuance of qualified certificates is associated with thorough identity verification, which guarantees a high degree of trustworthiness and legal certainty.

How Much Does a QES Cost?

You can obtain a qualified electronic signature from the NFQES.com platform for EUR 18 per year, and for EUR 16 when renewing for another year.