Sick leave in Hungary is not a single benefit. For most employees, an ordinary illness begins with betegszabadság, an employer-funded period of sick leave. If incapacity continues after that entitlement is exhausted, táppénz, the social-security sickness benefit, may follow. When a parent cannot work because they must care for a sick child, the relevant benefit is usually gyermekápolási táppénz, commonly shortened to GYÁP.
Each system has different eligibility rules, rates, time limits and documents. This guide explains the main 2026 rules, although an individual result depends on the employment relationship, insurance history, medical certification and previous benefit periods.
Sick leave in Hungary at a glance
| Scheme | When it normally applies | Time unit and general limit | Payment in 2026 | Main action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betegszabadság | An employee is unable to work because of their own ordinary illness | Up to 15 working days per calendar year; proportionate if employment begins during the year | 70% of absence pay, funded by the employer | Obtain medical certification and notify the employer |
| Táppénz | Incapacity continues after available betegszabadság, or a case is not covered by employer sick leave | Calendar days; generally no longer than the continuous insurance period and at most one year, subject to prior benefit history | Usually 60% or 50% of the statutory daily basis, capped at gross HUF 21,520 per day | Submit the medical certificate and claim through the employer |
| GYÁP | An insured parent cannot work while caring for a sick child | Calendar days; entitlement depends on the child’s age and is measured between birthdays | Calculated under the táppénz rules | Submit the child-care incapacity certificate and GYÁP application through the employer |
These are general rules, not three interchangeable names for the same absence. Payroll should identify the correct legal category before calculating pay.
Betegszabadság: the first stage of an employee’s own illness
An employee covered by Hungary’s Labour Code is generally entitled to 15 working days of betegszabadság in each calendar year for incapacity caused by their own illness. This is a yearly allowance, not 15 days for every illness.
If employment starts during the year, the allowance is proportionate to the part of the year covered by the employment relationship. Only scheduled working days count. Weekends and public holidays do not use the allowance unless they would otherwise have been working days under the employee’s schedule.
During betegszabadság, the employer pays 70% of the employee’s absence pay for the relevant working days. The payment is taxable and subject to the applicable payroll deductions. Because the calculation is based on absence pay rather than simply 70% of monthly salary, the payroll result may differ from a quick estimate.
A doctor must certify the incapacity. The employee should notify the employer promptly and follow the company’s absence-reporting procedure, but an internal notification alone does not replace medical certification.
Not every insured person receives betegszabadság. For example, self-employed people are not employees entitled to employer-funded sick leave. Some forms of incapacity also move directly into another benefit category. This is why the first payroll question should be: does betegszabadság apply to this person and this cause of incapacity?
Táppénz: social-security sick pay
Táppénz is the Hungarian social-security cash benefit for certified incapacity. For a typical employee with an ordinary illness, it starts after the available betegszabadság days have been used. It may start earlier where the law does not provide employer-paid sick leave for the particular person or situation.
Who can qualify for táppénz?
The core conditions are:
- a current Hungarian insurance relationship;
- liability to pay social-security contributions under that relationship; and
- incapacity for work established and certified by an authorised doctor.
Nationality is not a stand-alone eligibility test. A foreign employee who is insured in Hungary can qualify under the same core rules, while a person working in Hungary but insured under another country’s system may fall under EU coordination rules or a bilateral agreement instead.
Posted workers, cross-border workers and employees working in several countries may require a separate insurance analysis.
How much is Hungary sick pay in 2026?
The percentage depends primarily on continuous insurance history:
- 60% of the statutory daily basis generally applies where the insured person has at least 730 days of continuous insurance;
- 50% generally applies where continuous insurance is shorter than 730 days; and
- 50% applies during inpatient hospital care, regardless of the longer insurance history.
For 2026, the daily amount of táppénz cannot exceed gross HUF 21,520. The cap is linked to twice the 2026 monthly minimum wage of HUF 322,800, divided by 30.
The “daily basis” is a statutory calculation based on eligible contribution-paying income and reference-period rules—not necessarily current monthly salary divided by 30. Changes of employer, limited income history, multiple insurance relationships and foreign insurance periods can affect it. Employers should not promise a net amount before payroll or the authority completes the assessment.
How long can táppénz last?
Táppénz is paid for calendar days, including weekends and public holidays falling within the certified period. It may generally be paid for the duration of incapacity, but:
- it cannot normally exceed the person’s continuous period of insurance immediately before the incapacity began;
- the overall maximum is generally one year; and
- relevant táppénz received during the preceding year can reduce the new available period.
A break of more than 30 days will normally interrupt continuity, although certain periods are disregarded under the detailed rules. This makes the insurance record particularly important for new employees, returning residents and people who recently changed work status.
What an employee should do when they become ill
The practical process is usually straightforward if it begins promptly:
- Tell the employer. Follow the internal procedure and provide the expected duration if known.
- Contact an authorised doctor. Medical incapacity must be formally established. A private consultation does not necessarily produce a certificate valid for Hungarian benefit purposes.
- Send the certificate to the employer. For an employee, the claim for táppénz is generally submitted through the employer, even if the employer does not operate its own social-security payment office.
- Provide additional information quickly. Payroll or the authority may need information about earlier insurance, previous benefits or another employment relationship.
- Confirm the end of incapacity. Return to work only after the medically certified period has ended or been closed.
A claim can generally be made retrospectively for no more than six months, but early submission avoids payroll and evidence problems.
Can an employee work remotely while on sick leave?
Remote work does not create a separate form of sick leave. The central question remains whether the employee is medically incapable of performing their work.
If an employee performs work during part of the first day, táppénz is not payable for the worked part of that day. More broadly, working while recorded as incapacitated can create inconsistencies between time records, medical certification and the benefit claim.
Where the employee is well enough to work but needs a temporary adjustment, the employer and employee can consider lawful options such as remote work, modified duties or ordinary leave. Where the employee is genuinely unable to work, the absence should be recorded and certified as such. Managers should not pressure an employee to remain online during certified incapacity.
Occupational accidents use different rules
An incapacity connected with a recognised occupational accident, commuting accident or occupational disease may qualify for baleseti táppénz rather than ordinary betegszabadság and táppénz.
Recognition is essential: the competent payment body or government office must formally determine that the event is an occupational accident or occupational disease and that it caused the incapacity. If accepted, baleseti táppénz can run from the first day, without a preceding betegszabadság period.
The general rate is 100% of the relevant daily basis, or 90% for a qualifying commuting accident. It can generally be paid for up to one year and may be extended by up to another year on the basis of the medical expert body’s opinion. Employers should document and report potential workplace accidents immediately rather than treating them as ordinary sickness.
GYÁP: when a parent cares for a sick child
Gyermekápolási táppénz, or GYÁP, is child-care sick pay. It is not maternity leave, parental leave, GYED or GYES. It applies when an insured parent is medically certified as unable to work because they are caring for a sick child.
The ordinary route covers an insured parent caring at home for a sick child under 12 in the same household. It may also cover a parent staying with a child under 12 during inpatient treatment, and a breastfeeding mother with a hospitalised child under one. For ages 12 to 18, GYÁP is possible only on a discretionary-equity basis.
The parent must meet the general insurance and contribution conditions for táppénz. The medical certificate must identify both parent and child and use the appropriate incapacity code. The amount is calculated under the same 60%/50% rules and daily cap as ordinary táppénz.
How many GYÁP days are available?
For a child aged one or older, the allowance is tied to the child’s age period: from the birthday to the day before the next birthday. It is not reset on 1 January.
| Child’s age | General entitlement per parent | Entitlement for a single parent |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | No fixed day limit up to the first birthday, while the statutory conditions continue | Same principle |
| 1 to under 3 | 84 calendar days | 168 calendar days |
| 3 to under 6 | 42 calendar days | 84 calendar days |
| 6 to under 12 | 14 calendar days | 28 calendar days |
| 12 to 18 | Only possible through a discretionary-equity decision | Only possible through a discretionary-equity decision |
Any GYÁP days already used for the child in the current birthday-to-birthday period reduce the remaining balance. If more than one child is ill at the same time, only one GYÁP payment can be made to the parent for the same period; overlapping claims cannot multiply the daily benefit.
Parents with joint custody after divorce should check who can use the entitlement and whether the required joint declaration has been submitted. The rules on who counts as a single parent are specific and should not be inferred only from living arrangements.
Documents and submission for GYÁP
The usual file includes:
- the doctor’s certificate confirming incapacity because of care for the sick child; and
- the official GYÁP application.
An employee generally gives these documents to the employer. Self-employed applicants normally file electronically with the competent government office. Claims can generally be made retrospectively for up to six months, but families should submit them as soon as possible.
Sick leave for foreign workers in Hungary
Foreign nationals often assume that residence status or citizenship determines sick-pay rights. In practice, the starting point is which country’s social-security legislation applies and whether the person is currently insured for Hungarian cash sickness benefits.
For someone employed and insured in Hungary, the same betegszabadság, táppénz and GYÁP framework can apply regardless of nationality. A TAJ number helps administer the claim, but entitlement still depends on the underlying insured status and other statutory conditions.
International situations need additional care:
- Insurance completed in another EEA state may be relevant when Hungary assesses continuity, duration or the applicable percentage, provided it is properly evidenced.
- If incapacity occurs in an EU member state, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway or the United Kingdom, the original foreign medical certificate is generally treated as equivalent to a Hungarian certificate; the insured person should attach the original, and a Hungarian translation cannot normally be required.
- For a third country, the result depends on any applicable social-security agreement and the Hungarian procedure for recognising foreign medical evidence.
- A posted worker covered by a valid foreign certificate may remain insured outside Hungary and should not be processed automatically as a Hungarian táppénz case.
Employers should ask about prior and parallel insurance early, but should not make assumptions from the employee’s passport. For complex cases, obtain advice before payroll closes.
Employer and HR checklist
A reliable process should cover both the employee relationship and the social-security claim:
- record the first day and stated reason for absence;
- confirm whether the case is ordinary illness, care of a sick child, quarantine, pregnancy-related incapacity or a possible occupational accident;
- verify whether the person is entitled to betegszabadság and how many working days remain;
- check the work schedule so working days and calendar days are not confused;
- collect the correct medical certificate and claim form;
- review continuous insurance and earlier benefit periods;
- identify cross-border insurance or foreign medical evidence;
- keep time, payroll and benefit records consistent;
- protect health information and limit access to staff who need it; and
- avoid giving the employee an estimated net benefit as if it were a final decision.
Since 1 January 2026, the former paper TB kiskönyv has been replaced by an electronic system for the relevant insurance and benefit-history data. Employers operating a social-security payment office should ensure that authorised staff can use the new process and that onboarding and offboarding checklists no longer rely on the old paper booklet.
Plan before an absence becomes a payroll problem
The key to Hungarian sick leave is classifying the absence correctly at the start. Betegszabadság is the employer-paid first stage for an employee’s own ordinary illness. Táppénz is an insurance benefit with separate percentage, cap and duration rules. GYÁP is a distinct benefit for an insured parent caring for a sick child, with age-based day limits measured between the child’s birthdays.
Westbridge Consulting can help international employers and employees coordinate employment, payroll, social-security and relocation questions in Hungary. We do not award or calculate state benefits, but we can help identify the right process, prepare the case for payroll or specialist review and coordinate with the appropriate Hungarian adviser.
Need help with a Hungarian employment or cross-border social-security case? Contact Westbridge Consulting for an initial assessment.
This article provides general information as at 18 August 2026. It is not legal, tax, payroll or social-security advice. Eligibility and benefit amounts should be confirmed from the individual record by the employer’s payroll provider, the Hungarian State Treasury or a qualified Hungarian adviser before action is taken.