Sick leave in Bulgaria — a 2026 guide

How the two-tier system works

A "болничен лист" (sick note) certifies temporary incapacity for work due to illness, accident or the need to care for a sick family member. Payment is split — a design that often catches people out on their first sick leave:

Insurance length and entitlement

To claim cash sick-pay from the NSSI you need at least 6 months of insurance length as an insured person for general illness and maternity (Art. 40(1) SIC). Several nuances:

• The 6 months need not be continuous — the sum of all insured periods counts.
• For workers under 18, no insurance length is required.
• For occupational injury or disease no insurance length is required either.
• Self-insured persons qualify if they have opted in to general illness and maternity insurance (the additional contribution).

If you do not have the 6 months, the employer is still obliged to pay the first 2 working days at 70% (Art. 40(5) SIC) — that obligation does not depend on insurance length.

How the benefit amount is calculated

For the period paid by the NSSI, the base is the average daily insurance income for the last 24 calendar months before the month in which incapacity starts. The NSSI then applies 80% (general illness) or 90% (occupational injury).

Worked example: BGN 2,400 gross

Types of sick leave

• General illness — 70% (employer) / 80% (NSSI).
• Occupational injury or disease — 90% from day 1 from NSSI; no insurance length required.
• Care of a sick family member — up to 10 days a year for someone over 18; 60 days for a child under 18.
• Quarantine or sanitary measures — for the period of the order.
• Pregnancy and childbirth (from day 45 before delivery) — moves into maternity benefit (Art. 48 SIC).
• Childcare under 3 while the mother is ill or vaccine-intolerant.

Procedure and deadlines

After receiving a sick note from your GP (or LKK / TELK), you must:

1. Notify the employer by the end of the first day of absence (by phone or in writing).
2. Deliver the sick note (electronic or paper) to the employer as soon as possible — usually within 2 working days of returning or after the note is closed.
3. The employer completes NSSI Form 9 and submits the documents to the NSSI within 10 working days.
4. The NSSI pays the benefit to the bank account on file, typically within 15 working days.

A sick note longer than 14 days requires LKK; over 6 months requires TELK.

Protection from dismissal during sick leave

While you are on temporary incapacity leave, Art. 333(1)(4) LC gives you special protection from dismissal. The employer cannot dismiss you under most grounds without prior permission from ИА ГИТ — and that permission is the exception, not the rule.

Protection applies to terminations under: Art. 328(1)(2) redundancy; (3) reduced work; (5) lack of skills; (11) new role requirements; and Art. 330(2)(6) disciplinary.

Protection does not apply to closure of the whole enterprise (Art. 328(1)(1) LC) — dismissal in that case is possible even during sick leave.

An order served in breach of Art. 333 is unlawful and can be challenged within 2 months (Art. 358 LC). See our dismissal guide for details.

Common problems and what to do

Employer does not submit the sick note to NSSI

You can file a report with ИА ГИТ or the NSSI. The 10-day deadline does not extinguish the obligation, and the NSSI can compel the employer to submit. Reports to ИА ГИТ are free and can be filed online.

The NSSI amount is less than expected

This is usually due to lower insurance income in some of the last 24 months (months without insurance, unpaid leave, a previous lower-paying employer). You can request a calculation breakdown from the NSSI and verify it.

Your GP refuses to issue a sick note

Sick notes are issued on medical judgment. If you disagree, you can request a second opinion or an LKK review. Note that sick leave for caring for a family member requires personal presence at the bedside.

Frequently asked questions