Social benefits for families with children in Moldova: parents can receive five types of allowances, most of which granted automatically

Families with children can benefit from five types of allowances: maternity, one-time birth, child care, child-raising and paternity allowances. Most payments are provided automatically, without submitting applications, based on data transmitted electronically to the National Social Insurance House (CNAS).

Contacted by MOLDPRES, Alina Pascari, head of the territorial subdivision of the General Directorate for the Determination of Allowances for Families with Children at CNAS, has said that maternity allowance can be received by women who have worked officially, as well as by wives dependent on an insured husband. The condition is that the expectant mother is registered with medical institutions of Moldova.

"The allowance is paid starting from the 30th week of pregnancy and covers: 126 calendar days for a normal pregnancy and birth, 140 days if the birth is complicated or if twins are born, and 182 days, starting from the 24th week, for pregnancies with three or more children," Alina Pascari said.

Since January 1, 2026, the one-time birth allowance for each child has increased to 21,886 lei. This allowance is granted to the mother upon getting the child’s birth certificate.

Another type of allowance is the child care allowance, usually granted to the mother. If she does not meet the conditions, the father can receive it. The child care allowance is paid for each child from the day of birth until the child turns two years old, at a rate of 1,000 lei per month.

There is also the child-raising allowance, which is granted to one of the parents on the condition that they have at least three years of contribution history. If the parent does not yet have three years of contributions, they can receive the allowance if they have worked at least nine months in the last two years before the child’s birth.

"If both parents are insured, the allowance is calculated based on the income of the parent with the higher salary. The monthly amount is 30 per cent of the parent’s average monthly salary, calculated over the last 12 months before birth, and it is paid from the end of maternity leave until the child turns three years old. The child-raising allowance until the child reaches three years of age can also be requested by an insured grandparent," explained Alina Pascari.

Parents can choose how to receive the child-raising allowance. They may opt to receive it for one year, which gives 90 per cent of the average monthly salary, or for two years, with 60 per cent in the first year and 30 per cent in the second.

"This option can be changed only once, after the first payment is received. The modification can be done online on the website cnas.gov.md – Electronic Services – e-Request for Allowances – Submit request for changing the option, or by submitting a request to the local CTAS office according to the place of residence," Pascari added.

Fathers can also benefit from the paternity allowance if certain conditions are met.

"They must be insured and have either at least three years of contribution history, or at least nine months in the last two years before the child’s birth. In addition, they must request paternity leave from all workplaces within the first 12 months after the child’s birth," Pascari noted.

For most allowances for families with children, no application is required.

"Maternity allowance is calculated automatically by CNAS based on the medical certificate transmitted electronically by the medical institution. Similarly, the one-time birth allowance, child care allowance, and child-raising allowance are granted automatically once the parent registers the child’s birth and gets the birth certificate. The birth data are transmitted electronically to CNAS, and the allowances are determined without the parent submitting any application," explained Alina Pascari.

Maternity allowance is established within 15 calendar days from the receipt of information from the medical institution via the medical certificate. If the information is incomplete, the period may be extended up to 45 days. For the one-time birth allowance, child care allowance, and child-raising allowance, the decision is made within 30 calendar days from the moment information about the child’s birth is received from the State Population Register.

Parents have two options for receiving the money. They can open a social bank card and receive funds anywhere in the world, or collect the money from any post office of Moldova. If the money is not collected for three consecutive months from the post office, payments for family allowances are stopped.