Find out how the Maternity Salary works – Check who is entitled

The amount paid for the maternity salary benefit was created to help mothers who have recently had their children and need help at that time when they are out of the job market.

Payment is variable and will depend on which role the woman fits. For example, for employees with an employment contract and self-employed, the amount will be equal to the full monthly salary. As for individual entrepreneurs with variable income, the value is the average of the last 6 salaries. For individual, voluntary and unemployed contributors, the last 12 contributions must be added in a maximum of 15 months and the result divided by 12 to arrive at the amount of the maternity salary.

Can only women receive this benefit?

Contrary to common wisdom, maternity benefits are not exclusive to girls and men can apply too.

Maternity benefits will be paid to a man who adopts a child to a man who has stopped working to care for the child and, if he is unemployed, a fee will be paid if the adoption takes place during a quality maintenance period.

According to the Social Security Law, the insured person who adopts a child or has legal custody for adoption purposes must receive the maternity benefit for a period of 120 (one hundred and twenty) days.

In the case of adoption or guardianship for the purpose of adoption, any adoption will be for profit. And in a gay relationship between two men, only one person can get help. A man can receive a death benefit from a woman in installments that she did not receive in life. However, parents must have a contribution period and be insured.

It is worth remembering that in 2008 the federal government instituted a program called Empresa Cidadã, which allowed the extension of 15 days of paternity leave beyond the 5 days already provided for by the Constitution.

The Corporate Citizenship Program also extends maternity leave for another 60 days. However, in the case of an adoptive mother, this period may vary according to the child's age, ranging from 1 year to 60 days; from one year to four years – 30 days; from four to eight years – 15 days.

The benefits offered by this program are only available to employees who work for organizations that accept corporate citizens. Only 10% of Brazilian organizations participated in the program in 2018, according to the Federal Revenue Service.

How many contributions are required to qualify for maternity pay?

The payment period during which the individual actually needs to benefit from the service after fulfilling the requirements is called the grace period. Therefore, taxpayers will still not be able to receive these benefits during this period.

There is no grace period for registered workers, janitors and the self-employed to qualify for minimum contributions. There is also no deductible for the unemployed. But you must be on deferment or receiving benefits from the INSS. Individual coverage, elective coverage and special coverage require a minimum of 10 contributions to the INSS. This waiting period prevents fraud, as it prevents women from contributing only to receive benefits after finding out they are pregnant.

How to apply for maternity pay?

The application for maternity aid is made entirely online and does not require going to the INSS. Insured persons eligible for the maternity benefit can request the benefit through the Meu INSS website or through the application or through Central 135.

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However, if the insured person is hired under a signed contract, social assistance requests are forwarded directly to the company, which must manage payments and file claims due. In addition, you can apply for maternity pay in the step by step below:

• Type “My INSS”;
• Click on the “Schedule/Request” option;
• Click on “New Application”;
• Select the desired service;
• Click “Update”;
• Check or change your contact information and click Next;
• Fill in the necessary data to complete the order.