Pregnancy, maternity, parental allowance, funeral, destroyed property - during numerous planned and unplanned events in the life of Serbian citizens, they have the legal right to call on the state for help.
The idea of this text is not - how to benefit from the state, but simply how to collect the legally prescribed right that the citizens of Serbia, who pay numerous property taxes, also retired i health insurance insurance, they realize automatically.
Some rights are guaranteed by the very fact that someone has a Serbian passport or simply by an unfortunate event.
A guide for parents - how to get help
For a family expecting a child, the list of expenses is too long, and anyone who asks "so what is there to buy" means that they don't have a child.
"We only spent a few thousand euros on a bathtub, tetra diapers and the necessary cosmetics and medicines, vitamins for those first month", Dejana Ilić from Belgrade tells "Vreme".
"And we thought we would get by easily, because we borrowed everything - the crib, the stroller, all the toys, the swings, almost everything, great miracles. My brother, who had a child two years earlier, gave us a full cart of things, but the expenses for the baby are still high."
That's why it is very important that new parents, even before their child is born, carefully comb through what they are entitled to, because money from the state will not arrive at their home address, but they will have to make an effort and submit certain documentation for them.
Pregnancy and maternity leave - how much will my salary be??
It is also important that women know immediately that they have the right to maternity leave, if they are employed, but also if they are not.
Few people will earn more on maternity leave than before, but it is important that the beneficiaries have the information that the state reimburses the employer, that is, them, their full salary. Thus, unlike the rule from about a decade ago, women who go on sick leave before pregnancy, and if it is before the ninth month, will not have to make ends meet. Because, at that time, they received only 60 percent of their salary.
However, she cannot only go on sick leave, but the gynecologist opens this right for her, according to the Health Insurance Act.
When they take sick leave for the first 30 days, they will be covered by 100 percent of their salary, and the condition for them to receive full salary after that is that they have a year of service. The salary will be calculated by subtracting the average for the last year, and if she did not work for the whole year, the minimum salary in Serbia is calculated for the missing months.
During her pregnancy, Dejana worked in a company and was properly registered, so she had no problem getting her full salary. However, just before she got pregnant, she received a promotion and a higher salary, but she was not paid the full amount - until she returned to work because the average of her previous salaries, which were lower, was calculated all the time.
Pregnant women across the country they complained en masse that their salaries are delayed during sick leave. The reason is that the costs of a pregnant woman's salary after the 31st day of sick leave are no longer paid by the company where she works, but by the state. However, the company must send the calculation of the pregnant woman's earnings to the Republic Fund for Health Insurance, and the Fund determines the amount of earnings. The decision is then delivered to the company, which pays the pregnant woman's salary, and the Fund refunds the amount to the employer.
Maternity is less complicated, and it is calculated that women giving birth in Serbia have the right to 100 percent of their earnings for the next 12 months, but only if they had related income a year before that. stated is in the Law on Health Insurance.
An additional condition is that they have worked for 18 months before the maternity leave was opened. The sum of salaries also includes bonuses, overtime compensation or incentives, which is very important for many women who thus receive significantly higher amounts.
Those women who do not have an employment contract are in trouble. We are talking about women employed on the basis of temporary and occasional jobs, work contracts, author's contracts, unemployed, owners of agricultural holdings and agricultural insurance holders. Their earnings are calculated by dividing the average earnings in the previous 18 months by 1,5.
Businesswomen are not even entitled to contributions for the duration of maternity leave, but will have to pay the amount for taxes and contributions themselves, or else they will not be eligible for maternity leave. They do not even have the right to maternity leave, which can last up to two years if they have a third child.
Parental allowance
As soon as the child is born, you need to apply for money from the state. This is a one-time aid that all parents in Serbia receive after the birth of a child. stands in the Law on Financial Assistance to Families with Children.
For the birth of the first child, the mother has the right to state aid in the amount of 500.000 dinars, which is paid once, and receives 7.500 dinars for the purchase of equipment.
For the second child, the state approves assistance of 600.000 donar, which is paid in 24 installments, and for the third child, 2.280.000 dinars are received, which is paid in 120 monthly installments of 19.000 dinars each.
For example, in Belgrade, funds are allocated for the birth of the first, second and third child, as well as for the birth of twins.
For the first and second child, the mother is entitled to 10.000 dinars, and for the birth of the third child, the mother receives 30.000 dinars. If twins are born, you get 25.000 dinars per child, or 50.000 dinars for both children. For unemployed women giving birth, the city of Belgrade provided a one-time grant of 25.000 dinars, regardless of the number of previously born children, while socially vulnerable families receive another 10.000 dinars.
In most cases, it is possible to apply for both benefits at the maternity hospital, but if one of them fails to do so, it is necessary to contact the local government. The application for parental allowance is submitted when the child's birth is registered at the maternity hospital, the website says E-administration.
Dejana gave birth in the state hospital in Novi Sad and had no problem paying for all this.
Funeral allowance
Those who have paid the expenses of the deceased pensioner have the right to compensation for funeral expenses. The amount of compensation in 2025 amounts to 76.369 dinars and is paid by the Republic Fund for Pension and Disability Insurance.
Along with the request, the Fund must also attach a death certificate, funeral expenses invoices, a photocopy of the applicant's identity card, as well as a check from the pension of the deceased pensioner.
However, this amount is often not enough to cover the entire cost of the funeral. Thus, according to the calculation of funeral services in Belgrade, the basic and average costs of a funeral, funeral equipment and a new burial place amount to about 130.000 dinars, and to that should be added the accompanying equipment, which, depending on the price range, can double this amount. However, if the family already has a burial place, the costs are lower, and everything costs less in smaller places.
If you get blue or the apartment is burning down
If you leave the stove on or forget to turn off the faucet, and you find yourself in a destroyed part of the apartment - you can't complain to anyone, unless you have special insurance, but they will also have a hard time compensating you for your own negligence.
However, if a natural disaster occurs, which includes floods, earthquakes, fires, you can ask for money from the state, but several conditions must be met. The first is that the Government of Serbia has established that an natural disaster has occurred, and then a commission is formed to determine the damage and, based on the principle of solidarity, pay compensation to everyone for what was destroyed, which is also a legal obligation of the state.
Houses that are not legalized have the same right to compensation, as those objects that are legal, but the one who has the papers will receive a larger amount. In order to exercise this right, it is necessary to contact your local self-government and submit a request. It's the same for cars.
When a tree falls on your car
Damage caused by, for example, a car that was damaged by a tree falling on it should be distinguished from natural disasters. Those who have comprehensive insurance will be able to be charged in this way, but if the car is damaged by a tree from private property - the owner of the yard or plot should compensate for the damage.
If, on the other hand, a tree fell from an area maintained by a local self-government company, you should contact them for compensation. In Belgrade, for example, that is what Zelenilo does.
Igor Marković from Belgrade told "Vreme" that he received compensation from Zelenil relatively quickly, but that he had to provide them with an assessment of the damage from an authorized service.
What Igor did not know at first, and it is very important in order to get the money, is that it is necessary that, when they see that their car is destroyed, the citizens immediately report the damage. It is necessary to call the Belgrade Service Center at 11011 or write to [email protected] where you will get precise instructions. For compensation, it is also necessary to have a record of the resulting damage.
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