Maternity and paternity grant for students

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

Multiple births

For every child born alive or born dead after 22 weeks of pregnancy, a 3 month joint parental right to maternity benefit is added. The same applies for each child over one who is adopted or permanently fostered at the same time.

Illness of the pregnant parent

If a mother develops a serious illness in connection with the birth, which can be attributed to the birth itself and she has therefore been unable to take care of her child during the time that the maternity allowance was paid, in the opinion of a specialist doctor, her maternity allowance may be extended for up to 2 months.

Data to be received: Medical certificate due to the mother's illness.

Child’s illness or disability

The joint right of parents to parental allowance may be extended for up to 7 months in the event of a serious illness of the child or severe disability requiring closer care of the parent.

Documents to be submitted: Certificate for serious illness or disability of the child.

One parent'r rights are possibly extended

One parent

A pregnant parent who has undergone assisted reproduction or a single parent who has adopted a child or has taken a permanent foetus will be eligible for 12 months. Data to be submitted: Confirmation that the parent has undergone assisted reproduction, adopted a child or has taken a permanent foetus.

A parent who has given birth to a child 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 received: The conclusion of a paternity case from the district commissioner or courts.

Death of a parent

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.

Illness or 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 allowance, which he/she has not exercised, to the other parent.

The condition of the parent shall be confirmed by the medical certificate of the specialist doctor who is responsible for the parent and if the condition of the parent is such that it is unable to give its consent for the transfer of rights.

Documents to be received: A certificate from a specialist physician and confirmation that the parent concerned wishes to transfer his/her rights.

One parent does not have rights in Iceland

A parent of a child whose other parent does not have the right to parental leave or maternity allowance in Iceland or the independent right to parental leave or maternity 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.

Serving a sentence

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.

Restraining order

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 initial 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 term is 24 months after the child entered the home.

Parents without 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.

Rights suspended

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.