The following persons are entitled to receive sickness benefit:

• an employee;
• a self - employed person, who has made social insurance contributions;
• a spouse of the self-employed person, who has voluntarily joined social insurance scheme (in accordance with the law on The State Social Insurance ).

The benefit is granted in accordance with the law On Maternity and Sickness Insurance.

The income tax is withheld from the sickness benefit in accordance with the law On the Inhabitants Income Tax Article 17, para. 10, point 9.

When applying for the sickness benefit the person must submit:

• application for the benefit;
• medical certificate;
• confirmation from the employer, that during the incapacity for work period the person was not working at his/her workplace (the self-employed person confirms himself, that he/she is not gaining earnings during this incapacity period).

Documents can be submitted to any local office of the SSIA.

That can be done by the applicant himself or by an authorised person. It is possible to mail documents to the SSIA as well.

When applying for the benefit a personal ID document has to be produced.

The person can apply for the sickness benefit within twelve months period from the first day of the incapacity for work.

Sickness benefit is granted and paid from the 11^th day of the incapacity for work in the amount of 80% from the person’s average contribution wage. For the first 10 days of sickness the sick pay is paid provided by the employer.

Sickness benefit for sick child care is granted and paid for the period of incapacity for work from the 1st to the 14th day and from the 15th to the 21st day, also in the cases when the child receives health care at the hospital (amendments in the law effective as of 1 January, 2005).

The average contribution wage is calculated from the income over the six month period (for the self employed – 12 months).

The average insurance contribution wage and the benefit amount is calculated in accordance with the CM Regulations No 270 from 28 July 1998 "Procedure of average insurance contribution wage calculation and the procedure of allocation, calculation and payment of the state social insurance benefits".

Sickness benefit can be received at the post office of the Latvian Post or other payment organisation as well as transferred to the beneficiary’s account at the bank or postal account system (PNS).