Registration of Maternity Benefits for Sole Proprietors

Running your own business and expecting a new addition to the family is both a huge joy and considerable stress. A lot of questions immediately pop into your head: how to manage everything, how not to lose income, and can a female sole proprietor even count on any help from the state?

Forget the myths that entrepreneurs are not entitled to anything! They most certainly are. Let’s calmly figure out together with the “BuhalteriO” team how the registration of maternity benefits for sole proprietors will work in 2025, so you can focus on what’s most important.

Three Main Conditions for a Sole Proprietor to Receive Maternity Benefits

What does the state look at before calculating your payment? It’s simple, the logic is solid. Imagine that paying the Unified Social Contribution (USC) is your personal social insurance. For it to work when you need it, you must meet three simple conditions:

• You regularly pay the USC. Regular contributions “for yourself” are the foundation of your right to benefits.
• You have no debts. Even a penny of debt on the USC can be a formal reason for rejection. It’s better to check in advance.
• You are officially registered as a sole proprietor. Your status must be active, which is easy to check in the Unified State Register.

If you have everything in order here, you can be sure: you will receive the benefits, as you have fulfilled your obligations as an insured person.

Registration of Maternity Benefits: Your Step-by-Step Action Plan

The whole process may seem complicated at first glance, but if you break it down into steps, everything becomes much clearer. We have prepared a simple action plan for you so you won’t forget anything.

Here is what the documentary registration of maternity benefits looks like in practice:

1. Your e-sick leave is the start. At the 30th week of pregnancy, your gynecologist creates an electronic medical conclusion, and the sick leave automatically appears in the system. This is the very document that launches the entire process.
2. Open a special account. Important: money from the Pension Fund cannot be received into a regular business account. You need to go to any convenient bank and ask to open an account specifically for social benefits.
3. Submit a “reference” declaration. For the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) to have the data to calculate the amount, you need to show your income. To do this, you submit your regular tax declaration to the tax office for the period from the beginning of the year to the month you go on maternity leave, marked as “Reference”.
4. Fill out the application-calculation form. This is the most crucial step. In your personal account on the PFU portal, you create an electronic application, enter the details of your sick leave, your account, and the calculated amount.
5. Wait for the money. The Pension Fund usually reviews the application within 3 to 10 working days. As soon as the decision is positive, the funds will be transferred to your special account.
6. Report the receipt. After the money has arrived, you have one month to send a notification through the same PFU portal that the funds have been paid out.

If you follow this plan step by step, the registration of maternity benefits for a sole proprietor will go smoothly and without surprises, saving you time and nerves.

Documents for Registering Maternity Benefits: Your Complete Checklist

To submit an application to the Pension Fund, you will need a small package of documents. It is best to prepare everything in advance so that you can calmly upload all the files in your electronic cabinet later, over a cup of tea.

Here are the documents you will need to register for maternity benefits:

• A scanned copy of the extract or statement from the Unified State Register (USR) (confirmation that you are a sole proprietor).
• A scanned copy of the “reference” declaration and, importantly, receipt No. 2 confirming that the tax office has accepted it.
• A certificate from the bank with the details of your new special account.
• A certificate from the tax office confirming no USC debt (or simply scanned copies of payment receipts for the last 12 months).

Having collected this small package, you will be fully prepared and can quickly submit your application without being distracted by searching for papers at a crucial moment.

Calculation of Maternity Benefits for a Sole Proprietor: A Simple Example

And now for the most interesting part: what amount can you expect? It directly depends on the income from which you paid the USC for the last 12 months. The logic is simple: the larger the contributions, the larger the payment.

Let’s look at a real-life example: Suppose you have been paying USC based on the minimum wage for the entire year. According to forecasts, in 2025 it will be UAH 8,000 (please note that the exact figure will be known after the state budget is approved).

• First, we find the average daily income: UAH 8,000 divided by 30.44 (the average number of days in a month) = UAH 262.81.
• Now we multiply this amount by the number of maternity leave days (standardly 126 days): UAH 262.81 * 126 days = UAH 33,114.06.

This is the minimum amount you will receive. If you have shown a higher income and paid a larger USC, then the amount of maternity benefits will be significantly more pleasant.

Don’t want to deal with paperwork? We can help!

As you can see, registering maternity benefits for a sole proprietor in 2025 is a completely achievable task. The main thing is to know the algorithm and be attentive to details. But we at “BuhalteriO” perfectly understand that during such a special period of life, you want to think about more pleasant things than certificates and applications.

Contact us for a consultation, and let’s walk this path together—easily and without stress