Česká verze
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Main information about the service
An orphan's pension is a pension insurance benefit intended to cover the loss of income resulting from the death of a breadwinner. This financial support is therefore intended to help meet the basic needs and maintain the standard of living of an orphaned child after the loss of his or her parent(s) or the person who cared for the child in lieu of parental care. If the deceased was not a member of the armed forces, the Czech Social Security Administration is responsible for processing the application for an orphan's pension.
read moreDoes this apply to me?
You are the orphan of a deceased parent, or of a person who has taken the place of your parent by virtue of a court decision, provided that the deceased was not a member of the armed forces and that you are also
- receiving an old-age pension, or
- received an invalidity pension, or
- on the date of death, he/she fulfilled the condition of the necessary insurance period for entitlement to an invalidity pension, or
- at the time of death, fulfilled the conditions for entitlement to an old-age pension (i.e. reached the specified age and completed the required insurance period), or
- died as a result of an accident at work (in this case, there is no requirement to have completed the necessary period of insurance).
The issues related to the required insurance period for entitlement to a disability pension are described in detail within the service Disability pension - the application is processed by the Czech Social Security Administration. Similarly, issues related to the required conditions for entitlement to an old-age pension are described in detail within the service "Old-age pension - the application is processed by the Czech Social Security Administration".
The right to an orphan's pension does not pass to a foster parent who takes care of a child for a limited period in return for payment, or to his or her spouse.
Under the new, more lenient conditions for the required period of insurance from 1 February 2018, the entitlement to an orphan's pension will not take into account any substitute periods of insurance up to that date (e.g. being registered as a jobseeker with the Labour Office, caring for a child up to the age of 4). This means that only the period of employment for which income subject to social insurance contributions was paid or the period of voluntary participation in the pension insurance scheme for which the contribution was paid is taken into account.
Orphans who were not entitled to an orphan's pension before 1 February 2018 because they did not have the required insurance period may be entitled to an orphan's pension from 1 February 2018 if the deceased person met the less stringent condition of the required insurance period. In order for your orphan's pension claim to be assessed under this new condition, you must submit a new pension application.
With effect from 1 January 2012, in order to be entitled to an orphan's pension, the deceased person must have completed at least half of the insurance period required for entitlement to a disability pension at the time of death.
With effect from 1 February 2018, for the purpose of determining entitlement to an orphan's pension, the condition of the insurance period required for entitlement to an invalidity pension shall also be deemed to be satisfied if the deceased person had completed
(a) at least one year of insurance prior to the date of death, if he was not over 28 years of age on the date of death; or
(b) at least one year of insurance during the ten years preceding the date of death, if he was over 28 years of age on that date; or
(c) at least two years of insurance during the twenty years preceding the date of death, if the deceased was over 38 years of age on that date (this alternative condition will only be considered if the deceased was over 38 years of age on the date of death and did not satisfy the conditions set out in (b)).
Service outcome
Award of orphan´s pension
Service benefit
A dependent child whose parent has died or whose care has been taken by a person replacing the parent by virtue of a court decision shall receive financial support in the form of an orphan's pension from the date of the death of the parent or the person in question for the entire period of the child's dependency (but not later than the age of 26).
A dependent child is considered to be a child until the end of compulsory schooling, and then until the age of 26 at the latest, if he or she is permanently preparing for a future occupation, or is unable to prepare for a future occupation because of illness or injury, or is unable to work because of illness or injury or a long-term health problem. After leaving compulsory education, a child who is registered with the labour office as a jobseeker and who is not entitled to unemployment benefit or retraining benefit is also considered dependent until the age of 18.
A child who receives a disability pension for a third-degree disability is not considered a dependent child.
However, orphans in receipt of an orphan's pension who are studying full-time are allowed to earn extra, not just during holidays. Students on other types of courses (distance learning, combined courses) can also earn extra, but only if they do not participate in pension insurance, i.e. no social security contributions are deducted from their earnings (i.e. pension insurance).
When to address the service
Back to topYou can apply for an orphan's pension at any time after the death of a parent or a person who has taken over the care of a parent. You will receive a pension from the date of entitlement and any unpaid pension instalments will be paid in a lump sum.
However, the pension can only be paid retrospectively for a maximum of five years from the date of application.
The child's parent, who was receiving a third-degree disability pension, died on 1.2.2014. The adult child applied for an orphan's pension on 25.8.2020. The Czech Social Security Administration grants the pension from the date of death, i.e. 1.2.2014, but pays it back only five years after the date of the pension application, i.e. from 25.8.2015.
How to get the service
What do you need when solving the service electronically
You must be able to log in with a citizen identity or have a data box for a natural person data box set up.
If you live in another EU country and have an electronic identity issued by that country (according to the eIDAS regulation), you can use the IIG (International ID Gateway) to register.
Where and how to solve the service electronically
You submit your application via the CSSS ePortal Pension application online to the territorial social security administration of your choice.
You choose whether you want to apply for orphan's pension and from when. Your identification data and, if you are applying through a representative, the identification data of the representative and the person you are representing will be automatically loaded into the application. You can document periods of insurance and other documents that are not registered with the service by attaching electronic originals or scanned documents. If there is any doubt about the authenticity of the scanned documents, the CSSS or ÚSSZ may require their authorised conversion or the presentation of the original or its officially certified copy in documentary form.
You can save the application you are working on in the CSSZ ePortal at any time, for example, if you need some time to think about it or if you realise that you are missing some documents. Just click on the Finish button and a window will appear asking you to save.
If you need professional help to complete the application, the online pension application includes the service "Book an appointment online with a CSSA staff member" for a date and time of your choice. At the appointed time, you will log in to the CSSZ ePortal (using your identification data) and you will receive online assistance in completing the application. The only equipment required for the online consultation is a microphone and a loudspeaker/headset.
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an electronic acknowledgement of receipt.
Subsequent communication with you (if necessary for the processing of your application) will take place via the CSSS ePortal. If you choose not to use this method of communication, it will be in paper form or via a data box.
e-Government portal
ePodáníCould be solved via e-identity
No
Is the service charged when solving electronically
No
What you’ll need to provide
When applying for an orphan's pension, the following documents must always be submitted in their original form or as officially certified copies
- the applicant's identity card (passport or residence permit for foreigners)
- the death certificate of the deceased person (if the Czech Social Security Administration or the Social Security Administration cannot verify the data in the Population Register Agenda system)
- The child's birth certificate (if the ÚSSZ or CSSA cannot verify the data in the Population Register Agenda system), or a court decision entrusting the child to the care of another person.
- Form with the application of a person living outside the territory of the Czech Republic for payment of a pension to an account held in a foreign bank or in a bank in the Czech Republic.
- Documents proving that the child is not dependent, if the child has already completed compulsory education (these documents are mainly a certificate of study, a certificate of health or a certificate of registration of children under 18 years of age in the employment register).
The confirmation of studies must contain identification data about the student and the school, information about the type of study and the year the student is attending, as well as information about when the studies should be completed in the normal course.
If the deceased was not a pensioner, the following documents relating to the deceased's periods of insurance must also be submitted
- documents relating to studies or training (e.g. school-leaving certificate, list of studies, index, diploma, school certificate)
- documents relating to military service
- documents confirming the upbringing or care of children (e.g. children's birth certificates, decision on adoption or entrusting a child to care), if the information provided by the CSSA or the ÚSSZ cannot be verified in the agenda system of the population register
- documents relating to periods of insurance or substitute periods of insurance which the authority deciding on the benefit does not have in its files.
If the deceased person was insured not only in the Czech Republic, but also in another member state of the European Union or in a state with which the Czech Republic has concluded a bilateral agreement on social security, we recommend that you also enclose documents on the period of employment/insurance abroad, if you have them. It is not necessary to submit a certificate from the relevant foreign pension institution on the period of insurance of the deceased in the given country. The Czech Social Security Administration will request this confirmation from the institution itself.
For a list of countries with which the Czech Republic has concluded a bilateral agreement on social security, please visit the website of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
Where to solve the service
An adult orphan who becomes an orphan after reaching the age of 18 applies for an orphan's pension in person, unless he or she applies online. In the case of a minor orphan, the application must be submitted in person by his or her legal representative or guardian if he or she does not apply online.
The application must be submitted by the parent or the person replacing the parent who was not a member of the armed forces, in person, as indicated above, or on the basis of a power of attorney issued by a representative, at the territorial contact office of the Social Security Administration of your choice or at your contact place of work (district Social Security Administration). The application must be made to an employee of the Social Security Administration on the prescribed form.
In the case of a person who is unable to apply on his or her own behalf because of his or her state of health, his or her family members may apply on the basis of a medical certificate attesting to his or her state of health, provided they give their consent.
The written application is then forwarded to the Czech Social Security Administration, which is responsible for deciding on the right to a pension and the amount of the pension if the deceased was not a member of the armed forces. The time limit for processing the application is 90 days from the date of filing the application. However, this period may be extended by the time it takes to investigate facts that are decisive for the right to a pension, its amount or payment and that the Czech Social Security Administration does not have in its records (e.g. undocumented missing insurance period of the deceased in the Czech Republic, period of employment/insurance of the deceased abroad).
If the Czech Social Security Administration does not have the facts relevant to the entitlement to a pension, its amount or payment, you as the pension claimant may be asked to submit them. You must comply with this request within 8 days of receiving it. You can document or confirm the required facts either in person at the territorial social security administration or at its contact workplace or by sending them by post directly to the address of the Czech Social Security Administration or by sending a data message to the data box of the Czech Social Security Administration or a data message with a recognised electronic signature to the address of its electronic filing office. You can find contact details on the Czech Social Security Administration website.
As soon as the Czech Social Security Administration has all the necessary documents, it will decide on the application for an orphan's pension. If the conditions for entitlement are met, the Czech Social Security Administration will send you a written decision on the granting of an orphan's pension, stating the date from which the pension will be granted and the amount. If the conditions for entitlement are not met, the Czech Social Security Administration will send you a written decision on the rejection of your application for an orphan's pension, stating the reasons for the rejection.
If an orphan's pension is paid to a dependent child on the basis of his or her continuous preparation for future employment, the Czech Social Security Administration continuously checks the duration of the entitlement to the orphan's pension. It is therefore your responsibility as a recipient to prove that you continue to meet the conditions for receiving this pension. This continuous verification begins after the end of compulsory schooling, when it is necessary to provide proof of the child's subsequent studies, i.e. studies at a secondary school, higher vocational school or university. You can send the document directly to the Czech Social Security Administration or submit it to the local social security administration, which will forward it to the Czech Social Security Administration. You are also obliged to present your study certificate at any other time if the Czech Social Security Administration asks you to do so.
If the conditions for receiving an orphan's pension cease to apply, you are obliged to notify the Czech Social Security Administration of this within 8 days. For example, if an orphan's pension is paid to a dependent child on the basis of his or her continuous preparation for a future profession and the orphan prematurely terminates or interrupts his or her studies, he or she is obliged to report this fact.
Is the service charged when solving in person?
Yes
The fee for in person processed service
Postal delivery is charged according to the valid price list of the Czech Post or a foreign postal service. Actions carried out in person are not charged.
Responsible Public Authority
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Ministerstvo práce a sociálních věcí Na Poříčním právu 376/1 Nové Město 12800 Praha 2 |
Datová schránka: sc9aavg E-mail: posta@mpsv.cz Web: https://www.mpsv.cz/ |
Additional information about the service
Back to topCommunication language
All written submissions to the Social Security Administration are submitted in Czech. Written submissions in other languages must be accompanied by an official translation into Czech (translation costs are borne by the applicant). This does not apply to documents written in the official language of a member state of the European Union or in the official language of a state with which the Czech Republic has concluded a bilateral agreement on social security containing a provision on the language of negotiations (the costs of any translation into Czech are borne by the Czech Social Security Administration).
Last checked at 01.01.2024
