IVF Leave Benefit for self-occupied persons

Overview

Prospective parents who are self-occupied and undergo IVF treatment cycles shall be eligible for IVF Leave Benefit for every IVF cycle. This Benefit shall be issued by the Department of Social Security following a submission of a formal application by eligible prospective parents.

Eligible prospective parents must apply for the IVF Leave Benefit for self-occupied persons through an online application as shall be explained further on. Applications for this benefit will be considered retroactively from January 2025.

What you’ll get

The IVF Leave Benefit for prospective self-occupied parents shall be paid for a maximum period of:

Sixty (60) hours or one-and-a-half weeks to the prospective mother or equivalent parent who is self-occupied; and
Forty (40) hours or one week to the prospective father / spouse/ partner who is self-occupied.

The benefit rate is equivalent or proportional to the National Minimum Wage as on the date of application.

The IVF Leave Benefit for Self-occupied prospective parents is paid for every certified IVF treatment cycle which may potentially lead to a pregnancy.

Eligibility

General Criteria:

Prospective parent/s making the claim must be registered as self-occupied person/s for a period not less than six (6) months before the IVF cycle treatment.
In case of same sex prospective parents, the IVF Leave Benefit is apportioned according to the parents’ details on the application (Applicant – sixty (60) hours; Spouse/Partner – forty (40) hours).
Claim must be submitted not later than six (6) months from date of certified IVF cycle and not before date of certified IVF cycle.
There should be certified medical evidence of an IVF cycle treatment.
There should be evidence of twenty (20) Class 2 – Self-occupied contributions paid in the last two (2) calendar years up to the date of certified IVF cycle.
IVF treatment cycle should be dated on or after 1^st January 2025.

Other scenarios

IVF Leave Benefit may also be paid to part-time self-occupied eligible prospective parents, if the part-time self-occupation is not simultaneous with a full-time employment or self-occupation.

Documentation required

General documentation:

Applicants have to provide a copy of the official receipts of at least twenty (20) Class 2 Social Security Contributions paid in the last two (2) calendar years before the date of certified IVF treatment.
Applicants who are third country nationals and/or European Social Charter and/or refugees, who are ordinary residents in Malta, must provide a copy of a valid Residence Permit.
A copy of the IVF treatment cycle certificate issued and endorsed by a medical expert in IVF must be submitted with the application.
In case of an applicant who is a Third Country National married to European Union citizen, the applicant must provide a copy of the official marriage certificate.
In case of a Third Country National who is cohabitating with a Maltese or a European Union citizen, the applicant must provide a registered Cohabitation certificate by the Public Registry of Malta. Otherwise, they are not eligible to the IVF Leave Benefit. In case of cohabitating Maltese or European Union Nationals working in Malta, the Cohabitation certificate is not required.