When an illness or accident keeps an IGSS-affiliated worker from working, IGSS places the worker on suspensión (temporary suspension from work) and pays cash benefits during that period through its Illness, Maternity and Accidents program (EMA), according to the program’s page. This guide covers who qualifies, what to do if a private doctor treated you, and what Guatemala’s Labor Code says about pay and dismissal during the leave.

Quick summary: For illness, IGSS pays two-thirds of the daily base salary from day 4 of the leave; for an accident, from day 2; maximum Q150.00 a day. You need an active job and, for illness, 4 months of contributions in the last 6 (3 months for accidents, per the program page). A private doctor’s leave can be legalized at your assigned IGSS unit with form SPS-458. During the leave your employer cannot dismiss you without just cause (Labor Code art. 69).

Checked on 24 September 2026 against IGSS’s pages and the Labor Code.

Who qualifies and how much IGSS pays

RiskPaid fromRequirements according to IGSS
IllnessDay 4 of the leaveActive employment on the date of the risk and 4 months or periods of contributions within the 6 calendar months before the month the leave starts
AccidentDay 2 of the leaveActive employment on the date of the risk and 3 months or periods of contributions within the 6 months before the month of the accident

In both cases the amount is two-thirds of the daily base salary reported in the social security payroll, with a maximum of Q150.00 a day (IGSS FAQ). For accidents, IGSS’s requirements sheet for private-doctor leave (Acuerdo de Gerencia 32/2007) asks only for an active employment relationship on the date of the accident, which differs from the 3-month rule on the program page.

IGSS’s online Consulta de Subsidio por Suspensión (igssgt.org/subsidio/) shows the status of your payment with your DPI or affiliation number and date of birth. According to IGSS, once you are told the payment date, you collect it at the nearest branch of the bank you are given, with your DPI. The Spanish guide pago por suspensión del IGSS has the full details.

Pregnancy and childbirth leave follows different rules: see IGSS maternity benefits. IGSS’s sheet classifies pregnancy complications under the illness program.

If a private doctor treated you

IGSS does recognize leave issued by private doctors, private hospitals or national hospitals through its legalization of leave issued by a private doctor. According to its FAQ and requirements sheet, you file at your assigned IGSS unit with:

  • form SPS-458, fully completed, with the exact address where you will rest;
  • the original medical certificate with the medical stamp (timbre médico), stating the diagnosis, start date and leave dates; for a national hospital, a report on letterhead signed and stamped by the treating doctor with approval from the department head;
  • copies of the tests supporting the diagnosis;
  • DPI and affiliation card;
  • an employment certificate showing the active employment and the months reported before the leave.

Deadline: if the leave lasts more than 10 days, you have 10 business days from the start of the illness or accident to file (Acuerdo 985 of the IGSS board, cited on the IGSS sheet). If you were treated abroad, the certificate must be translated into Spanish, legalized by the Guatemalan consulate and certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with extensions at most every 15 days.

What the Labor Code says

Illness suspends the contract. Article 66(b) lists illnesses, occupational risks, pre- and post-natal rest and similar social risks that cause verified temporary incapacity among the causes of partial individual suspension of the employment contract.

Who pays. Article 67 separates two cases:

  • If you are covered by IGSS for that risk, the employer must pay only the contributions that IGSS regulations require. IGSS pays the subsidy.
  • If you are not covered (and no other rule sets the employer’s liability), the employer must give you leave until you recover and pay half salary: one month after more than two and less than six months of continuous work; two months after six to less than nine; three months after nine or more.

The same article lets the employer hire an interim replacement during the suspension and let that person go, without liability, when you return.

Dismissal. Article 69 says the employer cannot end the contract without just cause while the suspension lasts; with just cause it can do so at any time. The worker can resign during the suspension by giving the legal notice. If you are dismissed during a suspension, see filing a labor complaint with the Ministry of Labor.

What this page does not tell you

  • The maximum length of a leave: the IGSS pages we read do not publish one.
  • The internal forms between IGSS and the employer for reporting the leave: the pages we read do not describe them.
  • Rules specific to workplace accidents (employer notice, the one-time “prestación ulterior” for permanent incapacity): IGSS describes the prestación ulterior in its accident FAQ; we do not cover it here.

Sources

  • IGSS, EMA program, illness and accidents pages, and its FAQ on illness and accident subsidies and private-doctor leave (read 24 September 2026).
  • IGSS, requirements sheet for legalizing leave issued by a private doctor, Acuerdo de Gerencia 32/2007.
  • Codigo de Trabajo, Decreto 1441, articles 66, 67 and 69 (ONSEC compendium published by the Ministry of Culture and Sports).