A breath of fresh air for freelancers comes in the form of the new sickness benefit established by the Ministry of Labor. The new benefit brings significant changes for thousands of freelancers who until now had no corresponding provision, despite paying contributions. According to Dnews sources, the new provision will be included in the bill for professional funds and will cover all non-employees, meaning freelancers, self-employed individuals, and those insured under former special funds.
Read: These are the beneficiaries who will receive the 250 euro benefit
Despite the unification of insurance funds under e-EFKA, benefits remained unequal, resulting in professionals from different sectors not having equal rights in case of illness.
How the benefit will be calculated
The new allowance will be paid for all days of incapacity to work, even non-working days, provided the insured person completely refrains from any professional activity. The daily benefit amount will correspond to 50% of the deemed daily wage of the professional’s insurance class, while there will be a 10% increase for each protected member. The maximum limit will reach 70% of the deemed daily wage.
Thus, a professional without children will receive half of the deemed daily wage, while one with two protected members will have a 20% increase.
What changes for the insured
Until today, those insured under the former OAEE received benefits only for workplace accidents, while engineers from the former ETAA/TSMEDE and doctors from TSAU were entitled to benefits only if they worked as employees. Lawyers were covered under special conditions, depending on the duration of incapacity.
With the new regulation, all professionals regardless of sector gain equal sickness benefits, something that until now was not the case.
The Ministry of Labor estimates that the provision will function as a safety net for thousands of self-employed individuals, providing a solution to a longstanding injustice in the insurance system.
