Maternity and paternity grant for parents who are not working

Right to maternity allowance

Other payments

The applicant cannot receive maternity and child support payments at the same time:

• Unemployment benefits.

• Rehabilitation pension.

• Accident-day allowance from the Social Insurance Administration.

• Healthcare allowance from the Social Insurance Administration.

• Parental allowance for chronically or severely disabled children.

• Payments for holiday or retirement.

• Payments from other countries for the same births and for the same period. These payments are deducted.

Increased rights to maternity benefit

One parent would have greater rights

One parent

A pregnant parent who has undergone assisted reproduction or a single parent who has adopted a child or has taken a permanent foster child is entitled to 12 months. Documents to be submitted: Confirmation that the parent has undergone assisted reproduction, adopted a child or has taken a permanent foster child. A parent who has given birth is entitled to up to twelve months in cases where the parent is not able to fulfil the obligation to father his child. Documents to be submitted: The conclusion of a paternity case from the District Commissioner or courts.

Dead foreldis

If one parent dies before the child reaches 24 months of age, the rights that the child did not have are transferred to the surviving parent and become the rights that the surviving parent has acquired.

The consequences of disease or an accident

If a parent is unable to take care of his child due to illness or the consequences of an accident during the first 24 months after his birth, he/she may transfer his/her right to maternity benefits that he/she has not used to the other parent. The condition of the parent shall be confirmed by the medical certificate of the specialist physician who takes care of the parent, as well as the condition of the parent in such a way that it is unable to give its consent for the transfer of rights. Documents to be received: A certificate of the specialist physician and confirmation that the parent concerned wishes to transfer his/her rights.

The second parent is not entitled in Iceland

A parent of a child whose other parent does not have the right to parental leave or parental allowance in Iceland or the independent right to parental leave or parental allowance in another country may acquire the right for up to 12 months. If the other parent has the right in another country, the period is deferred. Documents to be received: Confirmation of the right/inability from the state from which the parent might have the right and a birth certificate confirming that the person is the parent of the child.

Detention

If a parent is unable to take care of his child because of a prison sentence during the first 24 months after his birth, he/she may transfer his/her right to maternity allowance, which he/she has not exercised, to the other parent. In the case of primary adoption or permanent foster care, the period is considered to be 24 months after the child entered the home.

Approaching ban

If a parent is subject to a restraining order against his child, the other parent and/or expulsion from a home and is therefore unable to take care of his child during the first 24 months after his birth, the rights of the parent who has not already exercised them are transferred to the other parent. Documents to be received: confirmation by the police or courts that the parent is subject to restraining order/expulsion for the period of time the parent has to take the parental allowance.

Parent without custody carries out limited care for child

If it is foreseen that the custodial parent will not care for his child during the first 24 months after birth or during the time when the child enters the home during primary adoption or permanent foster care, where the parent does not have contact with the child on the basis of a decision of the statutory authority or court, the right of the custodial parent that he has not already exercised may be transferred to the other parent. The same applies if the contact of the custodial parent is severely limited, such as under supervision on the basis of a decision of the statutory authority or court. Documents to be received: confirmation by the District Commissioner that the parent exercises full and unified custody and confirmation that the custodial parent does not have contact on the basis of a decision of the District Commissioner or courts/confirmation of severely limited contact from the District Commissioner or courts. In the case of primary adoption or permanent foster care, the period is 24 months after the child entered the home.

Parents Without Precautions

A parent without custody can exercise his/her right to a parental allowance.

Permission for circumvention

A parent without custody must obtain the consent of the parent who is in charge of the child that it has contact with the child during the period of payment of parental allowance. It is possible to approve contact when applying for parental allowance online.

Recognition of paternity

If parents are not married or registered as cohabitants, the child must be fathered, that is, a paternity recognition must be made and a birth certificate must be issued by Registers Iceland. A paternity recognition can be made by Registers Iceland, the District Commissioner or by a judge in a court case to father a child.

About custody and the right to parental leave

Joint custody

If the parents of a child are married or registered as cohabiting partners at the time of the birth of the child, the parents have joint custody. If the child-bearing parent is not married or registered as cohabiting partners at the time of the birth of the child, the child-bearing parent has sole custody.

Re-allocation of rights

A parent may be entitled to a maternity allowance following a refund if other conditions are met, such as that the right to a maternity allowance has not expired because of the age of the child or the time since the child entered the home during initial adoption or permanent foster care.

Cancellation of rights

• The right to a maternity allowance shall expire from the date the parent leaves the child due to adoption, parenting or foster care. In these cases, the parents of the child are jointly entitled to the payment of a maternity allowance for 2 months after the birth of the child.

• The right to parental allowance is also suspended upon the death of a child. Parents may have the right to grief allowance.