Kela pays child benefit for children under 17 years of age who live in Finland.
Can you receive child benefit?
You can receive child benefit if you meet the following requirements:
your child is under 17 years of age
you are the child’s parent, guardian or another person responsible for the care of the child
you live permanently in Finland with your child.
Child benefit is paid from the beginning of the month following the birth of the child. Child benefit is paid until the end of the month in which the child turns 17 years old.
If the parents do not live together, they can decide which one of them will receive the child benefit. If they cannot come to an agreement, Kela will pay the child benefit to the parent that the child is living with and who has the principal responsibility for the care and upbringing of the child.
If the child moves in with the other parent, the payment of child benefit will continue unchanged unless the parents apply for a change to the payment.
Adoptive parents are entitled to child benefit in the same way as biological parents. Child benefit can be granted once the child has received a personal identity code. Child benefit is paid starting from the date when the child is placed in your care.
When you form a stepfamily, you are no longer entitled to the single-parent supplement to child benefit, but the amount of child benefit may increase through the child benefit paid for the other children in the stepfamily. If, for example, the family consists of a mother with two children and a father with one child and all child benefits are paid to the same person, child benefit is paid for three children.
How much is the child benefit?
The amount of the child benefit increases with the number of children. This includes children who are under 17 years old and eligible for the child benefit. The increased amount is available only if all child benefits are granted to the same person.
For one child
EUR 94,88 per month
For the second child
EUR 104,84 per month
For the third child
EUR 133,79 per month
For the fourth child
EUR 173,24 per month
For the fifth and each additional child
EUR 192,69 per month
Kela pays an increase to child benefit for children under 3 years of age. The increase is 26 euros per month.
The child benefit is tax-free income.
Example
There are four children in a family, two of them under three years of age. The amounts of child benefit paid for the children are as follows: EUR 94.88 + EUR 104.84 + EUR 133.79 + EUR 173.24 = EUR 506.75. In addition, a supplemental amount of EUR 26 is paid for each of the two children who are under three. The total amount of child benefit paid to the family comes out as follows: EUR 506.75 + EUR 26 + EUR 26 = EUR 558.75 per month.
You can apply for a single-parent supplement to the child benefit if you are not married or cohabiting or if you are legally separated from your spouse. The single-parent supplement is payable even if the parents have shared custody of the child. It can be granted from the beginning of the month following the month when you moved out.
You will receive a single-parent supplement for each child for which you receive child benefit.
The single-parent supplement is EUR 73.30 per month.
In the Åland Island the child benefit is financed by the Åland Government. The amounts are slightly higher than on the mainland.
For the first child
EUR 110 per month
For the second child
EUR 143 per month
For the third child
EUR 185 per month
For the fourth child
EUR 214 per month
For the fifth and each additional child
EUR 259 per month
In the Åland Islands, the single-parent supplement is EUR 80 per month for each child who lives with you and is entitled to a child benefit.
You can claim the single-parent supplement if you are not married or living together or if you are legally separated from your spouse. The supplement is available also if the parents have joint custody of their child. It is granted from the beginning of the month following the change in family circumstances.
Applications for child benefit usually do not require any supporting documents. If you need to submit a supporting document, send it along with your application.
Send the application and any supporting documents by mail to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
A decision letter will be mailed to your home address once your application has been decided. The decision letter will tell you how much you will get and when your benefit will be paid.
The decision will be issued in Finnish. If you need help with reading the decision, please contact our customer service.
If you speak Finnish, you can send your application in the OmaKela e-service instead of mailing it. In that case, you can also view the decision in OmaKela.
Apply for child benefit in the OmaKela e-service (in Finnish and Swedish)
Apply for child benefit and the single-parent supplement within 6 months of the date from which you wish to receive it.
If you have applied for child benefit for a child who is about to be born, you will receive a decision on the child benefit after the child has been born. The decision will be issued within one month of the birth.
Report changes that affect the child benefit
Use the OmaKela e-service (in Finnish or Swedish) to report any changes in your circumstances affecting the payment of child benefit so that we will pay you the correct amount and you will not have to pay it back later. If you wish to cancel the child benefit, you can do so in the OmaKela e-service under Ilmoita muutoksista (Report changes). Please submit a new application for child benefit if you are applying for child benefit for a new child or applying for the single-parent supplement.
Starting or ending a cohabiting relationship and getting married or divorced will have an effect on whether you are entitled to the single-parent supplement to your child benefit. You must apply for or cancel the single-parent supplement yourself.
If you wish to change the recipient of the child benefit from one parent to the other, the person applying for the benefit must fill in an application for child benefit.
If your family or child permanently moves abroad or to the Åland Islands, cancel the child benefit from the date of the move. However, you can still receive child benefit during a temporary residence abroad, for example during a student exchange.
If your child is applying for a study grant or disability pension, cancel the child benefit. Child benefit cannot be paid simultaneously with a study grant or disability pension.
If you wish to change the recipient of the child benefit to a child aged 15 or over, Kela can pay the child benefit directly to the child at the child’s own request in certain situations. An example of a situation where a child can be the recipient of child benefit is when the child lives independently for study reasons. Please contact our customer service to discuss the matter.
You can apply for social assistance if your income, assets and benefits are not enough to cover your necessary living expenses, such as food and housing.
