In Albania, maternity leave is paid by social insurance for 365 calendar days, with at least 35 days before the birth and 63 after it. Before the birth and for the first 150 days after it, the income is 80% of the average daily net salary of the last 12 months, then 50%. 12 months of insurance are required (Law no. 7703/1993, Article 27).
We checked the rules in the updated law and on the maternity page of the Social Insurance Institute (ISSH), in Council of Ministers Decision (VKM) no. 77/2015 and in the Labour Code. The leave pay is not paid by the employer: maternity is financed by the social insurance branch that receives 1.4% of payrolls, as we explain in social and health contributions. The employer calculates the benefit and prepares the documents.
How long maternity leave lasts in Albania
The benefit period depends on the number of children and on adoption:
| Case | Benefit period | Before the birth, at least | After the birth, at least |
|---|---|---|---|
| One child | 365 calendar days | 35 days | 63 days |
| Two or more children | 390 calendar days | 60 days | 63 days |
| Adoptive mother, child up to 1 year old | from the day of adoption up to 330 days from the birth, at least 28 days | - | starts after the 63rd day from the birth |
The Labour Code backs this with a prohibition: a pregnant woman does not work for 35 days before the birth and 63 days after it, or 60 days before the birth when she is expecting more than one child (Article 104). After the 63 days, she decides herself whether to return to work or to continue with the social insurance income (Article 105). If she returns, until the child is 1 year old she is entitled, in agreement with the employer, to 2 hours of paid rest a day to feed the child or to 2 hours less work at the same pay.
For sick leave outside the maternity period, see medical certificates (sick leave) (in Albanian).
How much maternity leave pays: 80% and then 50%
For one child, with leave starting 35 days before the birth, the 365 days are split like this:
| Period | Days | Benefit rate |
|---|---|---|
| Before the birth | 35 | 80% of the daily average of the net base of the 12 months |
| The first 150 days after the birth | 150 | 80% |
| The rest, up to 365 days | 180 | 50% |
If the leave starts earlier than 35 days before the birth, the 80% part gets longer and the 50% part shorter, because there are 365 days in total.
The base is the net salary of the last 12 months before the right arises. Under VKM no. 77/2015, the gross salary on which contributions were paid is taken, but no more than the maximum wage, 186,416 lek a month in 2026. The personal income tax (TAP) and the employee’s contributions are deducted from it, and the total for the months is divided by 12. The benefit is calculated in calendar days on the daily average of this base. A bonus on which contributions were paid, such as the 13th-month salary (in Albanian), also raises the base for the month in which it was paid, but not above the ceiling.
The conditions under Article 27 of Law no. 7703/1993 and VKM no. 77/2015:
- The mother has 12 months of insurance for each benefit case.
- A further birth within 24 months of the birth of the previous child is exempt from this condition.
- When the right arises but the mother has not had a salary in all of the last 12 months, the months without contributions are counted at the minimum wage, provided she has at least one month of insurance during the pregnancy.
The childbirth grant: 25,000 lek in 2026
Besides the monthly income, social insurance pays a grant for each child born, equal to 50% of the monthly minimum wage (Article 29). With the minimum wage at 50,000 lek in 2026, the grant is 25,000 lek. It is paid once, to the insured mother or father, provided one of them has contributed for 12 months before the birth. The mother has priority when she is insured. According to ISSH, the application is made on e-Albania with the service “Kërkesë për shpërblim lindje për personat e punësuar” (Application for the childbirth grant for employed persons).
How maternity leave is calculated: an example
Let us assume an employee with a gross salary of 80,000 lek in each of the 12 months before the leave, with one child and leave starting 35 days before the birth. The figures are in lek, with the 2026 rules.
- Monthly net salary: 80,000 - 7,600 (9.5% social insurance) - 1,360 (1.7% health insurance) - 6,500 (tax, 13% on 80,000 - 30,000) = 64,540 lek. The salary calculator gives the figure for any salary.
- Net base of the 12 months: 64,540 x 12 = 774,480 lek, so the monthly average is 64,540 lek.
- 80% for 185 days, 35 before and 150 after the birth: about 51,632 lek a month, for roughly 6 months.
- 50% for the remaining 180 days: about 32,270 lek a month, for roughly another 6 months.
- Childbirth grant: 25,000 lek, once.
Over the 365 days, the employee receives about two thirds of the net pay of a working year, plus the grant. The monthly figures are approximate, because the benefit is calculated in calendar days. For salaries above 186,416 lek gross, the base stops at the ceiling, so the benefit comes out below 80% of the actual net salary.
Leave for fathers
The father has three rights, with different conditions:
| Right | Length | Payment | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave at the birth of the child | 3 days | paid leave | Labour Code, Article 96 |
| Childcare leave, in place of the mother | after the 63rd day from the birth | from social insurance | Law no. 7703/1993, Article 27 |
| Parental leave | at least 4 months, until the child is 6 years old | unpaid | Labour Code, Article 132/1 |
Childcare leave belongs to the insured father or adoptive parent if the mother does not exercise this right or does not meet the conditions. Under VKM no. 77/2015, for the father the base is calculated in the same way as for the mother, provided he has at least 12 months of insurance and has been insured for at least one month from the date of the child’s birth.
Unpaid parental leave is available to every employee with more than one year of uninterrupted work with the same employer. It is individual to each parent and does not pass to the other, except when one parent dies. It may be taken in parts, but not less than one week a year, and the employer is notified in writing at least two weeks in advance.
What the employer does: the documents and the payroll list
For female employees, the maternity benefit is calculated by the employer (Article 85 of Law no. 7703/1993 and VKM no. 77/2015), while social insurance pays it. The steps are:
- Collect the documents. According to ISSH: the electronic maternity medical certificates, the identity document and the original birth certificate of the child; for adoption, the documents that prove it. ISSH Regulation no. 37/2004 also requires, for an employee, the certificate of length of service and of the assessed base from a year earlier.
- Check the insurance condition: 12 months, or a birth within 24 months of the previous one.
- Calculate the benefit at 80% and 50% of the daily average of the net base, as in the example above.
- Submit the application. Applications with the documents are submitted on e-Albania, while the originals are sent by post to the Regional Social Insurance Directorate where the entity operates (Article 84). For an employee, the application is submitted by the entity’s representative.
- Payment: once the social insurance bodies approve the benefit payroll, the funds go once a month into the employee’s bank account (VKM no. 77/2015, Chapter IX).
- The payroll list (monthly payroll declaration) for the month: in the month the leave starts, the salary and contributions are calculated only for the days worked. The General Directorate of Taxes (DPT) explains that for absences justified with a legal document, such as incapacity for work, the minimum reference wage for contributions is taken in proportion to the days worked. The period in which social insurance pays counts as an insurance period (Article 58).
- After the return: the employee returns to her post or to an equivalent one, on terms no less favourable (Article 105). Until the child is 1 year old you cannot ask her to do overtime (in Albanian) (Article 90), nor night work when this harms her health or the child’s, confirmed by a medical certificate (Article 108).
Maternity leave does not add salary costs for the business. You can calculate the cost of a temporary replacement with how much an employee costs in 2026. We cover unused annual leave days in annual leave.
The recommended solution: the payroll list in devBooks
The devBooks human resources and payroll module calculates the payroll list with bonuses, deductions, the different types of payment and the calendar of public holidays, and with the posting schemes you configure it goes into the accounts by itself. devHR keeps the staff’s clock-ins and clock-outs, shifts and leave and passes the data to devBooks. Neither of them submits the maternity application on e-Albania: you or your accountant do that, while social insurance pays the benefit.
Sources
- ISSH: Short-term benefits, maternity income
- Law no. 7703/1993 on social insurance, updated (ISSH)
- VKM no. 77/2015 on contributions and benefits, updated (ISSH)
- ISSH: Regulation no. 37/2004 on short-term benefits
- The Labour Code, updated 2024 (State Labour Inspectorate)
- DPT: “Nga 1 janari 2026, rritet paga minimale dhe maksimale” (From 1 January 2026, the minimum and maximum wage rise)
- DPT: Questions and answers on payroll lists
- Medical certificates: the payment rules (in Albanian)
- Social and health insurance contributions in Albania 2026
- The gross to net salary calculator
To see how devBooks keeps your staff’s payroll list, including in the months of maternity leave, see devBooks pricing or write to us for a demo with your own data.