Sick pay in Bulgaria 2026: how it is calculated
How sick pay is calculated in Bulgaria, step by step: employer 70% for two days, then НОИ 80%. Formula, worked example and calculator for 2026.
You are ill, you cannot work, and you are wondering how much money you will receive while you are on sick leave (болничен). Most people do not know the exact formula and worry that they will lose a large part of their salary. Here is a clear answer with real numbers.
❓How is sick pay calculated?
Source: КСО, Art. 40(5)
Who pays sick pay: employer vs НОИ
Sick pay does not come from a single place. The first two days are paid by the employer, and the rest by the State Social Security (ДОО) through НОИ. The two parts are calculated differently.
| Employer | НОИ (ДОО) | |
|---|---|---|
| Which days | Day 1 and day 2 | From day 3 onwards |
| Rate | 70% | 80% |
| Calculation base | Average daily gross pay for the current month | Average daily insured income for 18 months |
| Payment | With the monthly salary | By bank transfer from НОИ |
| Condition | You need 6 months of insurance record | You need 6 months of insurance record |
Social Insurance Code (КСО)
Art. 40(5)
Official Bulgarian text
„Осигурителят изплаща на осигуреното лице за първите два работни дни от временната неработоспособност 70 на сто от среднодневното брутно възнаграждение за месеца, в който е настъпила временната неработоспособност, но не по-малко от 70 на сто от среднодневното уговорено възнаграждение.“
The formula, step by step
Let us break the formula down into simple steps. You do not need an accounting degree to understand it.
How to calculate your sick pay
Find your average daily income
Add up your gross salaries for the last 18 months and divide by the working days in that period. If you do not have 18 months of record, the months you do have are used.
Calculate the employer's part (day 1-2)
Gross salary for the month / working days in the month x 70% x 2 days. This is the amount from the employer.
Calculate the НОИ part (from day 3)
Average daily insured income (18 months) x 80% x the remaining days of sick leave.
Add the two amounts together
Total = the employer's part + the НОИ part. This is your gross benefit (before tax).
Ask Pravko and get an answer with citations from the law.
A worked example: 10 days of sick leave
Let us take a concrete example. Ivan works under an employment contract with a gross salary of 2,000 BGN a month. He goes on sick leave for 10 working days.
2,000 BGN
Ivan's gross salary
With 22 working days in the month, his average daily gross pay is approximately 90.91 BGN. We assume that his average daily insured income for the last 18 months is similar.
Calculation of Ivan's sick pay
Day 1-2: Employer (90.91 x 70% x 2)
127.27 BGN
Day 3-10: НОИ (90.91 x 80% x 8)
581.83 BGN
Total
709,10 лв
The amounts are gross (before tax). The net amount is about 10% lower (personal income tax, ДДФЛ). Insurance contributions are not deducted from sick pay.
Ivan will receive about 709.10 BGN gross in total for 10 days of sick leave. If he had been working, he would have received about 909.10 BGN gross for the same period. The difference is about 200 BGN.
When you will get the money
The money from the employer and the money from НОИ arrive at different times. Here is what to expect.
Payment deadlines
The employer's part
Paid with the monthly salary. If your sick leave is in March, you will receive this amount with your March salary.
The employer submits the data to НОИ
The employer is obliged to submit the sick leave certificate and the supporting documents to НОИ by the 15th of the following month.
НОИ processes and pays
НОИ pays the benefit within 10 working days of receiving the correct data from the employer.
10 working days
after НОИ receives the data from the employer
If you do not receive the money on time, check the status of the payment with НОИ online.
Want to check where your payment is? See our guide Checking sick pay payments with НОИ.
Common mistakes and important details
Caution
Here are some other important things that many people miss:
Information
Information
Important
Caution
Sick pay calculator
Do not want to calculate by hand? Use our free sick pay calculator. Enter your gross salary and the number of days on sick leave, and get an instant breakdown of the amounts from the employer and from НОИ.
Free
Sick pay calculator 2026
Open the sick pay calculator and find out in seconds how much you will get.
It is also useful to know the minimum wage for 2026, because it affects the minimum amount of the benefit. And if you need to check your employment record, see how to get an electronic employment record book.
⚠️ Important
Pravko provides legal information, but it does not replace advice from a lawyer. For important legal matters, consult a licensed lawyer.
