Under a new benefits regulation being prepared by Greece’s Ministry of Labor, self-employed professionals and farmers will soon gain access to sickness benefits—an entitlement previously unavailable to most.
The measure will be included in an upcoming bill establishing a unified benefits framework for all insured members of the e-EFKA fund, expected to be passed and implemented in early 2026.
Currently, among the self-employed, only lawyers registered in Athens, Thessaloniki, and Piraeus are eligible for this support. The new regulation will broaden access to all self-employed workers, including those formerly insured under the Social Insurance Organization for the Self-Employed (OAEE) and the Unified Fund for the Independently Employed (ETAA) (such as engineers, doctors, and provincial lawyers), as well as farmers.
At the same time, the workplace-injury allowance—until now available only to OAEE-insured professionals—will also be extended to all.
The sickness benefit will be capped at 70% of the notional daily wage of the 8th insurance class for salaried workers, amounting to a maximum of 23.40 euros per day.
To qualify, beneficiaries must have completed at least five months of insurance either in the previous calendar year or within the 15 months preceding the reported illness. Benefits will not be paid if insurance contributions are outstanding. The duration of payments will be set at 90 days for ordinary illness and 120 days for workplace accidents.
Another key change is the start date of the benefit: payments will begin on the 31st day of illness, instead of the 11th day (or the 4th day in cases of hospitalization) as currently applies to lawyers.
The benefit amount will be calculated using a set formula and will include a 10% supplement for dependent family members (up to four). Nonetheless, the total daily payment cannot exceed 70% of the notional daily wage of the 8th insurance class—23.40 euros per day, based on the 2025 rate of 33.40 euros.
