How is maternity leave pay calculated in Malta in 2026?
Maternity leave in Malta is governed by the Employment and Industrial Relations Act and the Social Security Act. An employed woman is entitled to a total of 18 weeks of maternity leave around childbirth. The leave is paid in two distinct parts. For the first 14 weeks, your employer pays your full basic weekly wage — exactly what you would normally earn. For the final 4 weeks, the leave is paid by the State (Malta's Department of Social Security) as a flat-rate Maternity Leave Benefit. For 2026 that State rate is €213.54 per week, and it is the same fixed amount for every eligible employee regardless of salary. This means only the employer-paid portion scales with your wage; the 4-week State portion is always €4 × €213.54 = €854.16. To receive the State benefit you must actually take more than 14 weeks of leave (in practice, the full 18 weeks), and the benefit is claimed after the 18th week. The figures here are gross maternity pay before income tax and Social Security Contributions are deducted from the employer-paid portion in the normal way. Worked example: with a gross weekly wage of €400.00, the employer pays 14 × €400.00 = €5,600.00, the State pays 4 × €213.54 = €854.16, and your total maternity pay over the 18 weeks is €5,600.00 + €854.16 = €6,454.16. That works out to an average of €358.56 per week across the full 18 weeks. Note that self-occupied and self-employed women follow a different Maternity Benefit track, which is outside the scope of this employer-based calculator.
Official source: Department of Social Security (DSS) Malta · Data updated: 2026-06-02