The Slovak Social Insurance Agency (Sociálna poisťovňa) has announced a major overhaul of its electronic services. As part of the European Recovery and Resilience Plan, the agency is implementing 36 specific improvements covering six key life situations. The main goal of the reform is to reduce bureaucracy, digitize the application process for benefits, and transition to proactive payment calculations without unnecessary paperwork.
Despite this large-scale shift to online services, citizens still have the option to submit documents through traditional channels—by mail or in person at branch offices.
Maternity and Pregnancy Benefits: No Separate Applications Required
The most significant change is the automation of pregnancy and maternity benefits (tehotenské and materské). In most cases, women will no longer need to submit separate applications.
As soon as a gynecologist enters pregnancy data into the eZdravie electronic system, the Social Insurance Agency automatically receives this information, assesses eligibility for benefits, and awards them. To ensure a full transition of healthcare facilities to the new standards, the legislation provides for a transition period until January 31, 2027 (similar to the ePN electronic sick leave system).
Simplified Retirement Process and Elimination of Bank Certificates
These sweeping changes also affect future retirees:
Online applications: You can apply for a pension through the updated “Electronic Insured Person Account” (Elektronický účet poistenca — EUP), where some of the data regarding insurance history and participation in the second pillar will already be filled in automatically.
No more bank statements required: The previous requirement to visit a bank in person to confirm account details has been eliminated—Sociálna poisťovňa and banks will exchange this data directly.
Extraterritoriality: If a person prefers to visit in person, they can now apply for a pension at any branch of Sociálna poisťovňa throughout Slovakia, regardless of their official place of registration (residence).
Reducing the Burden on Businesses
In total, the EUP portal—which is already used by over 612,000 people—offers 25 electronic applications (eŽiadosti) for all key types of benefits: sick leave, care for a sick family member (ošetrovné), unemployment benefits, and all types of pensions. A personal inbox, online calculators for retirement age, and estimates of benefit amounts have also been introduced.
A number of simplifications have also been introduced for employers and self-employed individuals (SZČO):
Initial registration of a company and its first employee is now fully electronic.
Contributions and arrears can be paid directly through the payment gateway on the portal or via the mobile app.
The requirement for employers to verify employee information every time sick leave benefits are paid has been eliminated—this will now be done only in exceptional cases.
