EsSalud maternity and breastfeeding benefit in Peru: who gets it, how much, and how to claim it

First, the days: 98 of rest, 30 more in two cases

The maternity benefit (subsidio por maternidad) pays for the days you do not work during your prenatal and postnatal rest. How many days is set by Law 26644, as amended by Law 30367:

«Precísase que es derecho de la trabajadora gestante gozar de 49 días de descanso prenatal y 49 días de descanso postnatal.»

(A pregnant worker is entitled to 49 days of prenatal rest and 49 days of postnatal rest.)

That is 98 days in total. The same law lets you defer all or part of the prenatal rest and add it to the postnatal rest. You must tell your employer «con una antelación no menor de dos meses a la fecha probable de parto» (at least two months before the expected due date). EsSalud adds that you can defer the start of your rest with your treating doctor’s authorisation.

Law 29992 adds days in two cases:

«El descanso postnatal se extiende por treinta (30) días naturales adicionales en los casos de nacimiento múltiple o nacimiento de niños con discapacidad.»

(Postnatal rest is extended by 30 additional calendar days for a multiple birth or the birth of a child with a disability.)

For disability, a certificate from an authorised health professional is needed. EsSalud’s official page confirms the benefit covers those 98 days and can be extended by 30 more days in those two cases.

Who is entitled to the benefit

Law 26790, Article 12(b), says:

«Tienen derecho a subsidios por maternidad y lactancia, las afiliadas regulares en actividad que cumplan con los requisitos establecidos en el primer párrafo del artículo 10.»

(Active regular members who meet the requirements in the first paragraph of Article 10 are entitled to maternity and breastfeeding benefits.)

That first paragraph of Article 10 asks for «tres meses de aportación consecutivos o con cuatro no consecutivos dentro de los seis meses calendario anteriores al mes en que se inició la contingencia» (three consecutive months of contributions, or four non-consecutive, within the six calendar months before the month the event began) and, in addition, that the employer «haya declarado y pagado o se encuentre en fraccionamiento vigente las aportaciones de los doce meses anteriores a los seis meses previos al mes de inicio de la atención, según corresponda» (has declared and paid, or is on a current payment plan for, the contributions of the twelve months before the six months prior to the month care began, as applicable). That second condition depends on your employer, and the EsSalud conditions page below does not repeat it; if you are refused the benefit for lack of contributions but you were working, ask whether your employer declared and paid. EsSalud applies the part about your own contributions like this on its conditions page:

• You must have an employment relationship at the start of and throughout the benefit period.
• Three consecutive months of contributions, or four non-consecutive ones, within the six calendar months before the month your maternity rest starts.
• You must have had an employment relationship in the month the pregnancy began.

One point worth knowing: since Law 31469 (2022), the same Article 10 says that if the member is pregnant, «el derecho a la cobertura se otorgará de forma inmediata desde la afiliación» (coverage is granted immediately from affiliation). The law does not say whether this reaches the cash benefit or only healthcare, and EsSalud’s page still asks for the minimum contributions. If you joined while pregnant and are refused the benefit for lack of contributions, ask for the answer in writing.

How much you get: the formula

It is not a fixed amount. Law 26790, as amended by Law 28791, says:

«La determinación del subsidio por maternidad se establece de acuerdo al promedio diario de las remuneraciones de los 12 últimos meses. Si el total de los meses de afiliación es menor a 12, el promedio se determinará en función a los que tenga el afiliado.»

(The maternity benefit is based on the average daily pay of the last 12 months. If the member has fewer than 12 months of affiliation, the average uses the months they have.)

In practice: your pay over the last 12 months is added up, a daily average is worked out, and that amount is paid for each day of rest the benefit covers. If you have been a member for less than a year, the average uses the months you have.

Who pays you and when

If you are on payroll, you do not go to EsSalud. According to EsSalud’s official page, the employer «es quien paga a la asegurada titular el subsidio en la misma forma y oportunidad en que percibe su remuneración, luego solicita su reembolso a EsSalud» (pays the benefit to the insured worker the same way and at the same time as her salary, then claims reimbursement from EsSalud).

The rule that your employer pays and claims it back is for regular and dependent agricultural insured workers. In other cases you may have to file yourself: check EsSalud’s page for yours, because the texts we quote do not include that list. According to the requirements page, EsSalud pays in two instalments: the first at the end of the first 49 days, the second when the benefit period ends. Once the payment is available, you have 20 business days to collect it. If you miss that window, you must ask for it to be reinstated through Plataforma Viva or at an EsSalud benefits office (Oficina de Seguros y Prestaciones Económicas, OSPE).

Watch for a common mistake: if your employer reports leave days as days worked in the electronic payroll, EsSalud flags the claim and gives seven days to correct it. If it is not corrected, EsSalud pays only the days reported correctly.

What to file and by when

EsSalud asks for Form No. 1040, completed and signed, your ID document and the CITT (Certificado de Incapacidad Temporal para el Trabajo) covering the 98 days.

The deadline to claim the maternity benefit is 6 months from the end of the maximum postpartum period, or from the end date of the leave shown on the CITT. The law sets the same limit:

«El derecho a subsidio prescribe a los seis meses contados desde la fecha en que dejó el período de incapacidad o el período máximo postparto.»

(The right to a benefit lapses six months after the incapacity period or the maximum postpartum period ends.)

You lose the benefit if you lose your employment relationship or do paid work during the benefit period.

The breastfeeding benefit is something else

Law 26790 says «el subsidio por lactancia se otorga conforme a la normatividad vigente» (the breastfeeding benefit is granted under the rules in force), without setting an amount in the law. According to EsSalud, it is a one-off payment to the mother of a live-born child of a regular or agricultural insured member. In a multiple birth, it is paid per child.

To get it, the insured member must have coverage and be working when the baby is born, with three consecutive or four non-consecutive months of contributions in the six calendar months before the month of the birth. The baby must be registered with Reniec. The deadline to claim it is 98 days plus 6 months from the birth, plus 30 days for a multiple birth.

Do not confuse it with the daily breastfeeding hour at work: your employer grants that, and it is explained in paternity leave and breastfeeding break.

What this page does not cover

• The amount of the breastfeeding benefit: EsSalud publishes it on its gob.pe page, but we did not find the norm or resolution that sets it.
• Voluntary (potestativo) members and private health providers (EPS): the law refers these to the regulation, which we did not review here.
• Protection against dismissal during pregnancy: see pregnancy and breastfeeding dismissal.
• What to do if your employer never registered you with EsSalud: see EsSalud affiliation and contributions. If the problem is that you are not being paid what you are owed, see how to file a complaint with Sunafil.