Check your yibao enrollment status before getting pregnant — even unemployed spouses can claim maternity medical expenses

11. Check your yibao enrollment status before getting pregnant — even unemployed spouses can claim maternity medical expenses

Cost: Zero cost. Just call the social insurance or medical insurance hotline once.

In plain terms: If your employer pays into yibao, both maternity medical costs and maternity leave benefits come out of that fund. Even if your spouse isn’t employed, they can also claim maternity medical expenses. You must confirm beforehand whether you’ve met the minimum enrollment period and whether you need to register in advance for childbirth outside your local area — these details cannot be fixed later.

Benefit: Article 54 of the Social Insurance Law states that employers who pay yibao premiums provide their employees with full maternity benefits. Unemployed spouses of these employees are also entitled to maternity medical coverage under national regulations, with funds drawn from the yibao pool. These benefits fall into two categories: maternity medical expenses (costs directly related to childbirth) and maternity allowances (payments received during maternity leave). Article 56 further specifies three scenarios qualifying for allowances: childbirth, family planning procedures, and other legally defined situations. Allowances are calculated based on the employer’s prior year’s average monthly payroll, not individual employee wages.

Evidence grade: A

Notes: Two critical points require advance verification since retroactive adjustments are impossible. First, confirm you’ve satisfied the minimum continuous enrollment period required by local regulations; otherwise eligibility is denied. Second, if planning childbirth outside your enrollment area, verify whether pre-registration is mandatory — failure to do so may force you to pay upfront and file manual claims later, or even forfeit coverage entirely. Detailed calculations for maternity leave duration and allowances are outlined in Section 18.2.

Sources: Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (2010). Social Insurance Law of China (Articles 54, 56). Reprinted from Guangdong Provincial Taxation Bureau, China)