If you are foreigner employed in Lithuania under a contract, your employer will pay necessary monthly contributions for social security on your behalf. The main aim of social insurance is to ensure financial support for people who can't work because of illness, pregnancy, old age, disability, and similar situations. 

Sick leave 

If you're employed in Lithuania and fall ill, you may be entitled to sickness benefits (known as ligos išmoka). These benefits help compensate for lost income when you're unable to work due to illness or injury.  

Sickness benefit 

To qualify for sickness benefits, you must be employed in Lithuania and have a sickness social insurance record of at least 3 months within the last 12 months (or 6 months within the last 24 months) before your temporary incapacity for work. 

Your employer pays a benefit of 62.06% to 100% of your average wages for the first 2 days of illness overlapping with the work schedule of an employee (with a minimum of 62.06%). From the 3rd day of illness, SoDra pays 62.06% of your compensated wages. 

The minimum sickness benefit amount in the 3rd quarter of 2024 is €250.11, while the maximum benefit cannot exceed €2666.97. From the calculated sickness benefit amount, income tax (15%) and mandatory health insurance contribution (6%) are deducted. 

You can check the estimated sickness benefit amount here. 

Steps to Take if You Get Sick 

1. Contact Your Doctor: If you fall ill, visit your doctor, who will diagnose your condition and, if necessary, issue an electronic certificate of incapacity for work (known as nedarbingumo pažymėjimas). 

2. Inform Your Employer: Notify your employer (or employers if you have more than one job) about your illness and inability to work. 

3. Employer’s Responsibility: Your employer will: 

• Calculate and pay the sickness benefit from their own funds for the first 2 days of your sick leave
• Submit a filled NP-SD notification to SoDra

4. Apply for Sickness Benefits from SoDra: Submit an application to SoDra if you wish to receive sickness benefits. You only need to submit a new application if your personal data, such as your account number, changes. Once your application is on file, benefits will be granted automatically each time you fall ill. 

5. Follow Conduct Rules: Comply with the rules of established conduct for your type of incapacity for work. 

6. Return to Work: Once you recover, return to work. If your treatment needs to continue, your doctor will issue a new certificate of incapacity for work. 

Unemployment benefit 

If you are a foreigner working in Lithuania and become unemployed, you may be entitled to unemployment insurance benefits. It depends on your residence status (temporary or permanent) and the grounds on which it was issued.  

For example, if you are a Blue Card holder or your Temporary Residence Permit is based on family reunification, you may still qualify for benefits. However, if your TRP was issued based on employment in Lithuania, losing your job will result in the annulment of your TRP. In this case, you will not be able to stay in Lithuania or register with the Employment Service. For specific advice and assistance, it’s best to consult directly with the relevant authorities or seek legal counsel. 

To be eligible for unemployment benefits in Lithuania, you must meet the following conditions: 

• Have Insurance Record: You must have been insured with unemployment social insurance and registered as unemployed at the Employment Service. Additionally, you should not have been offered a suitable job or active labor market policy measures by the Employment Service
• Insurance Duration: Before becoming unemployed, you must have an unemployment insurance record of at least 12 months in the last 30 months before becoming unemployed

If you don't have enough insurance record in Lithuania but have worked in another EU or EEA country, the UK, Switzerland, Ukraine, or Belarus, you can provide a document from that country confirming your unemployment insurance periods (for EU, EEA, and Switzerland, it's the PD U1 form). This will allow Lithuania to  take your foreign insurance periods into account. 

The average monthly unemployment benefit is determined based on your actual income over the last 30 months, starting from two months before you became unemployed ( including months with no income). 

In the third quarter of 2024, the maximum unemployment benefit for jobseekers is €1250.11.  The unemployment benefit is paid for 9 months.  

You can calculate your estimated unemployment benefit amount here. 

You can apply when registering as unemployed at Employment Service, online or in person at SoDra branch.   

Help for People with Disabilities

A person with a disability is someone who has been assessed with a level of disability, 55% or lower work capacity, or a special needs level. People with disabilities can receive state support. The two main financial benefits for people with disabilities are pensions:

Social Assistance Pension – provided when a person does not receive other higher benefits than the social assistance disability pension. It can be received by:

• Children with disabilities
• Persons who have lost 45% or more of work capacity (under the age of 24)
• Parents, guardians, or caretakers who have cared for a disabled person at home for at least 15 years and lost 60% or more of their work capacity or reached pension age
• Mothers who raised five or more children and lost 60% or more of their work capacity or reached pension age

Social Insurance Disability Pension – may be provided to those who, due to health reasons, cannot work full-time. The person must have a 55% work capacity level.

The work capacity level is determined by the Disability and Working Capacity Assessment Office, which evaluates the person's health condition. It's important that individuals receiving these pensions have work experience to prove they have worked for a certain period.

For pensions, you must apply to Sodra. A person with a disability can only receive one pension. If you are foreigner and want to apply for these allowances, you must hold a permanent residence permit, be a citizen of an EU or European Free Trade Association country with a residence permit in Lithuania and have lived there for at least 3 months, or have been granted asylum or temporary protection in Lithuania. Alternatively, citizens of Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, or South Korea, or their family members with temporary residence permits, can qualify if they've lived in Lithuania for at least 3 months.