Care allowance

Main information

A care allowance is a benefit provided to individuals over 1 year of age who are dependent on the care of another person due to a long-term illness or infirmity. The purpose of the care allowance is to help such citizens obtain the necessary assistance to cope with their basic life needs, through one of the following:

• a close person within the family,
• a social service provider,
• a personal carer,
• a facility for children in need of immediate assistance,
• a children's home,
• a special inpatient hospice-type medical facility,
• a combination of the above.

In order to assess entitlement to the allowance, the Labour Office carries out a social investigation to determine the person's ability to live independently in a natural social environment, usually in their home.

The ability to cope with the following basic life needs is assessed:

• mobility,
• orientation,
• communication,
• catering,
• dressing and putting on shoes,
• bodily hygiene,
• physiological needs,
• caring for one’s health,
• personal activities,
• taking care of the home/housework (housework is not assessed for people under the age of 18).

to the extent determined by the degree of dependence. Degrees of dependence are assessed by the number of basic life needs a person is unable to cope with without the assistance of another person.

The person’s health is then assessed by the medical assessors of the district social security administrations.

The regional branch of the Labour Office decides on the allowance.

This applies to you if

You are unable to care for yourself and are dependent on the assistance of another person due to a long-term illness or infirmity that has lasted or will last for more than 1 year. Persons under 1 year of age cannot apply for the allowance.

When to use this service

You can use the service at any time if you are unable to care for yourself due to a long-term illness or infirmity and are dependent on the assistance of another person.

Vyřízení služby - elektronicky

What you need if you are using this service

You need to fill in the Care Allowance Application form together with the annexes. Specimens of the additional documents (annexes) mentioned below are available under the above-mentioned link to the form.

Please attach the following with your application:

• For identification purposes:
  • an identity card;
  • a birth certificate – for children under 15 years of age,
• Please also attach:
  • Notification of the assistance provider
  • Confirmation of 60+ days of hospitalisation (optional – for clients who spend more than 60 days in hospital).

Where and how to solve this service

You may file your application via the Integrated Portal of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

You can find out more about the different options for electronic submissions by clicking on the link ‘Do you want to fill in the form and submit your application?’ Save yourself some time and handle your official affairs electronically from home.

You can fill in the form and the individual annexes separately on the Labour Office website – the online form and annexes separately – and send each one separately. Or you can fill them in as an online form with annexes, where you sequentially fill in the form and the necessary annexes and they will all be sent electronically together.

Vyřízení služby - osobně

What you need if you are using this service

You need to fill in the Care Allowance Application form together with the annexes. Specimens of the additional documents (annexes) mentioned below are available under the above-mentioned link to the form.

Please attach the following with your application:

• For identification purposes:
  • an identity card;
  • a birth certificate – for children under 15 years of age,
• Please also attach:
  • Notification of the assistance provider
  • Confirmation of 60+ days of hospitalisation (optional – for clients who spend more than 60 days in hospital).

Where and how to solve this service

You can file your application at the contact point of the Czech Labour Office relevant for the applicant’s place of permanent residence (residential address). You can find the contact details of the individual contact points on the website of the Labour Office of the Czech Republic in the section Regional branches.

Additional information

What is the benefit of this service

The care allowance can help you overcome a difficult situation in which you need to obtain the necessary assistance to cope with your basic life needs due to a long-term illness or infirmity.

Appeal options

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the care allowance procedure, you can file an appeal against the decision within 15 days of receipt. You can lodge an appeal at the regional branch of the Czech Labour Office that decided on the benefit. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs will then decide on your appeal.