Maternity leave: the 22-week structure
Employed women in Cyprus are entitled to 22 weeks of maternity leave under the Maternity Protection Law (26 weeks for a third or later child). Two weeks of that leave are compulsory and must be taken before the week of the expected birth. In total 11 weeks are compulsory and cannot be moved; the rest can be taken earlier at the employee's request. The Social Insurance Services pay a maternity allowance for the leave period. The basic rate is 72% of the insured person's insurable earnings; it rises to 80%, 90% or 100% with one, two or three dependants. You do not receive the allowance for any period in which your employer pays full wages, and it is reduced if your employer pays part of your wages. Dismissal is prohibited from the date you notify your employer in writing of the pregnancy until five months after maternity leave ends, with narrow exceptions (serious misconduct, closure of the entire business, or a fixed-term contract that expires for reasons unrelated to the pregnancy). Source: Cyprus Government guide on non-discrimination due to pregnancy and protection of maternity (2024), checked 2026-10-10.
Maternity benefit calculation
The Social Insurance maternity allowance is calculated from the insured person's insurable earnings. The basic rate is 72%, and Cyprus Social Insurance uses 'insurable earnings' rather than gross salary, subject to an annual ceiling (€68,904 a year for 2026, revised each January). Earnings above the ceiling do not increase the allowance. The allowance is paid by Social Insurance Services and is reduced for any period in which your employer pays wages. Applications are made online through the government maternity benefit portal (maternity-benefit.service.gov.cy) or through the Social Insurance Services or a KEP; check the current procedure and deadlines there before you apply.
Paternity leave: the 2-week entitlement
An employed father is entitled to 2 consecutive weeks of paternity leave. It can be taken from the week of the birth (or adoption of a child up to 12 years old) until 2 weeks after the end of the mother's maternity leave period. There is no minimum length of service. If the mother dies before or during the birth or maternity leave, the father's paternity leave is extended by the weeks of maternity leave that remained. The allowance is paid by Social Insurance Services under the Social Insurance Law, and the employee must give the employer 2 weeks' written notice. Source: Law 216(I)/2022 (cylaw.org), articles 5 to 7, checked 2026-10-10. Confirm the allowance rate and claim procedure with Social Insurance Services (mlsi.gov.cy).
Parental leave
Each employed parent with at least 6 months of continuous service with the same employer is entitled to up to 18 weeks of parental leave per child (23 weeks for a widowed or single parent). The right is individual, except that 9 weeks may be transferred to the other parent, and only from the unpaid part of the leave. It can be taken after maternity or paternity leave until the child's 8th birthday (the 18th for a child with a disability). It can be taken in blocks of at least one day, up to 5 weeks per calendar year, and the employer may postpone it for serious operational reasons after consulting the employee. The employee gives 3 weeks' written notice. An allowance is paid by Social Insurance Services under the Social Insurance Law, so check the eligibility conditions and number of paid weeks with Social Insurance Services before planning. Source: Law 216(I)/2022 as amended by Law 67(I)/2024 (cylaw.org), checked 2026-10-10.
Self-employed maternity benefit
Self-employed mothers in Cyprus can claim the maternity allowance from Social Insurance under the same 22-week framework, provided they have made sufficient Social Insurance contributions and are up to date with them. The allowance is based on insurable earnings, so lower declared earnings give a lower allowance. The Social Insurance contribution for self-employed individuals is 16.6% of insurable earnings (the rate since 2024). There is no employer top-up for self-employed mothers. Check the application route and deadlines with Social Insurance Services.