Rural Maternity Pay: who is entitled, how to apply and more 

Rural Maternity Pay was created to guarantee the right to maternity leave for mothers who work in rural areas.

And, best of all, both mothers and those who become mothers through adoption, or who are still in the process of formalizing their adoption, are entitled.

But, how much will be paid? For how long? Is it possible to apply after 1 year of birth? 

All of these questions will be answered throughout the content below, so if you're looking for answers, you've just found them!

Who is entitled to Rural Maternity Pay?

Before anything else, it is important to understand who is entitled to Rural Maternity Pay.

This is because this benefit differs from the common Maternity Salary, and the difference is especially due to the professional activity carried out by the beneficiary.

So, before anything else, it is important that the applicant works with one of the activities specified by the benefit rules.

These activities must be related to rural areas, such as field work, animal care, management of farms, ranches, among others.

It is important that the applicant proves at least 10 months of activity in the rural area.

In addition to the work activity criteria, it is crucial to have at least 10 months of contributions to social security (INSS).

Finally, it is essential to be about to become a mother, or even to have already become one, by the following means:

• Pregnancy;
• Adoption;
• Legal guardianship for adoption purposes.

If the woman has undergone a non-criminal abortion process, she is also entitled to the benefit.

How does the application process work?

The request for Rural Maternity Pay can be made in two main ways, and these depend on the employment contract regime.

Therefore, if the woman does not have a registered employment record and makes contributions to the INSS individually, the request must be made directly through the Meu INSS app.

For women with a formal employment record, the salary must be paid by the employer during the maternity leave period.

Speaking about the INSS application, the opening can be done very easily through the Meu INSS website or app.

To do this, log in to one of the channels and click on “New Request” to submit the benefit request.

Send the information and documents requested by the system, and complete the Rural Maternity Pay application process.

Once this is done, you can follow the progress of the process through the website or app, in the “My requests” tab.

It is worth mentioning that the process is 100% online, and there is no need to go to an INSS unit.

See how to receive Rural Maternity Salary

After the application process, it may take up to 45 (forty-five) calendar days until you start receiving Rural Maternity Pay.

Therefore, place your order in advance if you intend to receive it shortly before delivery, or even shortly after birth.

After this period, payment will be made in 4 monthly installments in the amount of 1 (one) current national minimum wage.

Each installment is deposited into the account provided at the time of the request, or if no account is provided, payment will be made into a Caixa Social Savings Account.

In this way, the account is automatically opened in the name of the mother, the beneficiary of the benefit.

My child was born more than 1 year ago: can I apply?

One of the main doubts of those who become aware of the existence of Rural Maternity Salary is precisely the deadline for requesting the benefit.

This is because many believe that it is only possible to request it shortly before or immediately after the birth or adoption process.

However, this is not true, since the deadline to apply for Rural Maternity Pay is up to 5 (five) years.

Therefore, if your child is already over 1 year old, it is perfectly possible to submit the application.

In this case, you will be entitled to leave for 4 months, and will receive the benefit for the traditional period of 120 days.

So, now that you know how it works, access the Meu INSS website or app to apply for your benefit!