Many people think that state help in Slovakia is only payments for the unemployed or families in trouble. But a working person can also receive up to 150 euros from the state every month — to compensate for travel costs to work. The problem is one thing: you need to know about it in advance, because an application submitted even one day late means zero euros.
This is about príspevok na dochádzku za prácou (commuting allowance for work) — a payment from the employment center, which compensates part of the transport costs between the place of residence and the workplace stated in the employment contract. The rules are written in § 53 of the Employment Services Act (Zákon č. 5/2004 Z. z.). If you are currently looking for a job or recently started a new one, this may concern you — check our section about work and employment.
Who can get the help
The main condition: before starting work, you had to be registered at the employment center (úrad práce, sociálnych vecí a rodiny — employment, social affairs, and family office) as a job seeker for at least three months and leave the register exactly because you found a job. The distance from your residence to work must be more than 4 km.
From September 1, 2025, the group of recipients was expanded. Now people who directly before employment received pomoc v hmotnej núdzi (material need assistance) or lived in a household that received it also have the right to payment. According to the ministry's explanations, this should reduce transport costs in the first half year after starting work and help people stay in place.
There is one nuance with the type of contract: the help is provided only for a standard employment contract (pracovný pomer — employment relationship) or similar relations, for example, civil service. Work under dohody (agreements outside employment relationships) does not give the right to payment.
How much they pay: depends on kilometers
The maximum amount is 150 euros per month. In 2024, the ceiling was 200 euros, but from September 1, 2025, it was lowered after the cancellation of remote zones over 150 km. The exact amount depends on the one-way distance and the number of days you actually traveled to work during the month:
- over 4 km up to 10 km — 30 euros
- over 10 km up to 20 km — 40 euros
- over 20 km up to 30 km — 60 euros
- over 30 km up to 40 km — 75 euros
- over 40 km up to 50 km — 80 euros
- over 50 km up to 60 km — 95 euros
- over 60 km up to 80 km — 105 euros
- over 80 km up to 100 km — 125 euros
- over 100 km up to 150 km — 150 euros
So daily trips from a village to the nearest city or between cities are exactly the case when the payment noticeably eases the budget.
How and when to submit an application
Here lies the main catch, because of which people lose money. The application must be submitted in writing within one month from the day of starting work (more precisely — from removal from the job seekers register). If you miss the deadline, the right to help does not arise at all, and no explanations will help.
You can submit the application in three ways: personally at your employment center, by mail, or electronically through the slovensko.sk portal. The application must include confirmation of employment and the place of work. The help is paid based on a written agreement between the employee and the employment center.
Then the regular routine begins: every month you must prove that the employment relationship still continues. After fulfilling this condition, the employment center transfers the money no later than 30 days.
How long they pay
The standard period is a maximum of six calendar months. For so-called znevýhodnený uchádzač o zamestnanie (job seekers with limited opportunities in the labor market), the period doubles to 12 months. This category includes graduates under 26 years old, people over 50 years old, long-term unemployed (more than 12 months without work), and persons with disabilities.
If during the period of receiving help you continuously move to a new job, payments are not interrupted — the law explicitly allows this. But you can only submit an application again one year after the end of the previous payment period.
What to do now
If you just got a job after a period registered at the employment center, do not delay: calculate the distance to work, estimate your amount using the table, and submit the application before the month passes. As the payment rules review shows, missing the deadline is the most common reason for refusal. Half a year at 150 euros is up to 900 euros that the state is ready to return to you for commuting. It would be strange to refuse them out of ignorance.
