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

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

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.

全国人大常委会 (2010). 中华人民共和国社会保险法（第五十四、五十六条）. https://guangdong.chinatax.gov.cn/gdsw/qysw_gkwj/2020-02/12/content_8e8c485d0db34b989531f3ba57cec5a9.shtml（国家税务总局广东省税务局转载）

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.