If your wage income is EUR 20,000 per year, the parental allowance is
EUR 42,49 per working day
On parental leave
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You can start your parental leave after the child has been born. Kela pays a parental allowance during the parental leave.
Daily allowances for parents is a collective term for the following benefits:
- pregnancy allowance and special pregnancy allowance
- parental allowance and partial parental allowance
- paternity allowance (if the estimated due date of the baby was before 4 September 2022)
Can I get parental allowance?
Parental allowance is paid to a parent who is the guardian of the child or to a person to whom parental allowance days have been turned over.
You can get parental allowance if
- you are caring for a child under 2 years of age or
you are caring for an adopted child who has been placed in your care less than 2 years ago and - you have to stay off work or
you are unemployed, a student or a pensioner.
Family structure does not affect your right to parental allowance. A parent may be the biological or adoptive parent of a child.
If you have acknowledged parenthood of the child at the maternity and child health clinic before the child was born or at the child welfare officer’s office after the child was born, you can be granted parental allowance for a maximum of 4 months from the birth of the child even if parenthood has not yet been confirmed by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
You can get parental allowance if you live in Finland permanently or work in Finland. If you are not a citizen of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, you also need a residence permit.
If you move to Finland from another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom and your country of departure pays you parental allowance, your country of departure will usually continue to pay your parental allowance until the end of the payment period. You cannot get parental allowance from Finland for the same period of time.
After the payment of your parental allowance from the other country has ended, you can receive parental allowance from Finland if there are more parental allowance days in Finland than in your country of departure.
An example of moving to Finland on parental leave
Anna and Erik have moved to Finland from Sweden, and they have a 4-month-old child. Anna has received parental allowance from Sweden for a total of 100 days and Erik for 30 days. There are more parental allowance days in Finland, so Anna and Erik can get parental allowance from Finland as well.
In Finland, both parents would have the right to receive parental allowance for 160 days. The parental allowance they already got from Sweden is deducted from their parental allowance days in Finland. Anna can receive parental allowance from Finland for 160 – 100 = 60 days. Erik can receive parental allowance for 160 – 30 = 130 days.
They can get parental allowance from Finland after the benefit payments from Sweden have ended.
How much will your parental allowance be?
The age of your child affects the number of days for which you can receive parental allowance. If you move to Finland with a child under the age of 1, you and the child’s other parent can receive parental allowance for up to 320 days in total. Parental allowance days are divided equally between the parents, which means that each parent can receive parental allowance for 160 days. A parent can turn over a maximum of 63 parental allowance days to another person.
If you move to Finland with a child after the child has reached the age of 1, you and the child’s other parent can receive parental allowance for a maximum of 160 working days in total. Parental allowance days are divided equally between the parents, which means that each parent can receive parental allowance for 80 working days. A parent can turn over a maximum of 32 parental allowance days to another person. In addition, the parents of families with multiple births get half of the extension days for multiple-birth families.
Your income affects how much your parental allowance is per day. The amount of your daily allowance is usually calculated on the basis of the annual income you have earned in Finland.
Parental allowance days used by yourself
If the other parent of your child is not entitled to parental allowance from Finland or the child does not have another parent, you can use all 320 days of parental allowance yourself. You can also use any additional days that you are entitled to if your baby is born prematurely or if you have twins or more. You can turn over a maximum of 126 days of the 320-day entitlement to another person.
If the other parent has already received parental allowance from Finland and they for instance move outside Finland, you can use any parental allowance days that are left over from their entitlement. In total, you will then have 160 parental allowance days of your own, and in addition to your own days, you can use up to as many days as are left over from the other parent.
If the other parent is paid a foreign benefit corresponding to the Finnish parental allowance, you can get pregnancy allowance or parental allowance from Finland for the same period of time. However, you should contact the authority, institution or other organisation paying the foreign benefit to check whether the Finnish benefit affects the benefit they are paying.
Child living abroad
You can get parental allowance for a child living abroad if you live in Finland permanently or work in Finland. The child may have been born abroad or moved abroad later after being born.
Kela gets information on parentage and guardianship from the population data system. If your child is not registered in the Finnish population data system (i.e. if your child does not have a Finnish personal identity code), send Kela a copy of a document showing that you are the child’s parent and legal guardian.
If you move abroad, let us know that you are leaving Finland. The length of your stay outside Finland and the country you go to affect whether you can receive benefits. We consider each customer’s situation on a case-by-case basis.
Moving to an EU or EEA country or Switzerland
You can get parental allowance from Kela if you are living abroad temporarily. Based on your information, Kela will assess whether you are living abroad temporarily or permanently. You can get parental allowance even if your parental leave starts during your stay abroad. If you work abroad, however, you cannot receive the allowance from Kela.
If you live abroad permanently, Kela will usually not pay you parental allowance. Kela can still continue to pay your current parental allowance until the end of the payment period if you move abroad permanently during your parental leave. Kela can do so if you have worked before the payment of your parental allowance started or if you have received a daily allowance immediately after you stopped working, and that daily allowance was affected by your work. Such daily allowances include pregnancy allowance and sickness allowance. If you have not worked or received a daily allowance before the payment of your parental allowance started and you move abroad permanently, the payment of the benefit will end.
Moving to a country other than an EU or EEA country or Switzerland
You can only get parental allowance from Kela if your stay abroad lasts 6 months or less. You can get parental allowance even if your parental leave starts during your stay abroad.
In general, parental allowance will not be paid if you move abroad for more than 6 months. However, you can receive parental allowance for a stay longer than 6 months if you are, for example:
- a posted employee
- an aid worker
- a student or researcher
- a family member of any of the above.
You can get more information about the payment of benefits by calling Kela at 020 634 0200.
For what period can I get parental allowance?
Parental allowance for one child is paid for a total of 320 working days.
If a child has two parents, each parent can get parental allowance for 160 working days. You can give up and turn over a maximum of 63 working days of your quota of 160 parental allowance days to another person who is caring for the child.
Giving up parental allowance days
You can get parental allowance flexibly during times you choose. You can get parental allowance even for short periods or for individual days. You can use the days of parental allowance within 2 years. The last possible day to get parental allowance is the day when the child turns 2 years old or the day when 2 years have passed since your adopted child was placed in your care.
Ella and Ari share their parental allowance days equally. Ella first takes 130 working days of parental leave and then returns to work while Ari stays home taking care of their baby. When Ari’s parental leave ends, Ella, as she has agreed with her employer, takes her remaining 30 days of parental leave in the form of individual days weekly before the child turns two. She does a four-day work week and stays home on parental leave one day a week to take care of the child. The remaining four days a week the child attends municipal early childhood education.
Working part-time while receiving partial parental allowance
If you work part-time you can apply for partial parental allowance. When you take one day of partial parental leave, the number of your parental allowance days will decrease by half a day.
If you take care of a child part of the day and work part-time at the same time, you can apply for partial parental allowance. Your daily working time must be no more than 5 hours per day.
If you work for longer than that, you are not entitled to parental allowance. The maximum of five hours daily working time applies to you if
- you are an employee
- you are self-employed
- you have more than one part-time job either as an employee or as self-employed.
If you are employed and you want to receive partial parental allowance, you must have concluded an agreement on part-time work with your employer.
When you take one day of partial parental leave, the number of your parental allowance days will decrease by half a day. For example, if you are on partial parental allowance for 10 working days, your days of parental allowance will decrease by 5 days.
Parents can also get partial parental allowance for the same period of time. If both parents take partial parental leave, this does not count against the 18 days you can take at the same time. The days that the parents take at the same time will, however, affect the days you take together with the other parent if one parent takes a day of leave with full parental allowance and the other parent takes a day of leave with partial parental allowance.
The amount of partial parental allowance is half the amount of full parental allowance.
Example of partial parental allowance
Venla has a baby with her partner Susanna, and they want to take care of the baby in turns. They have concluded an agreement with their employers to work part-time and they will also take days of partial parental leave. Venla is the birthing parent and Susanna has acknowledged parenthood of the child.
After the pregnancy leave, Venla is on parental leave all day on Mondays. She can apply for parental allowance for each Monday. She works up to 5 hours in the mornings from Tuesday to Thursday and is on partial parental leave in the afternoons, taking care of the child. She can apply for partial parental allowance for these days. On Fridays, Venla works all day, so she cannot receive parental allowance. Susanna works up to 5 hours in the afternoons from Tuesday to Thursday and is on partial parental leave in the mornings, taking care of the child. She can apply for partial parental allowance for these days. On Fridays, Susanna is on parental leave all day, which means that she can apply for parental allowance. On Mondays, she works all day, so she cannot receive parental allowance.
Example of a situation where you cannot get partial parental allowance
Sisu always works all day on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. On other days, he takes care of the baby at home. He is paid a salary for the days he is working. For the days when Sisu is not working, he can apply for full parental allowance. Sisu cannot apply for partial parental allowance, because it can only be granted if your daily working time does not exceed 5 hours, regardless of how many days a week you work.
The 18 days that can be taken at the same time
You can get pregnancy allowance or parental allowance at the same time as another person who is caring for the child for a maximum of 18 working days. You can both be paid parental allowance at the same time if
- both receive parental allowance
- one receives pregnancy allowance and the other receives parental allowance
- one receives parental allowance and the other receives partial parental allowance.
Days taken at the same time can be taken as consecutive or separate days. If both parents get partial parental allowance, this does not count against the days they can take at the same time.
Talk to your employer about your parental leave arrangements
If you are in paid employment, talk to your employer about your parental leave arrangements. Your employer may have the right to restrict your periods of parental leave. You can take parental leave as soon as you have agreed on it with your employer, even if you have not yet received a decision from Kela on your application.
Different family types and common situations
If you give birth to or adopt more than one child at the same time, you will receive additional parental allowance for 84 working days for the second and each additional child. For example, for twins, parental allowance is paid for 404 (320 + 84) working days and for triplets 488 (320 + 84 + 84) working days.
Parental allowance days are divided equally between both parents also in multiple-birth families. In the case of twins, both parents get parental allowance for 202 working days and in the case of triplets for 244 working days.
Days that can be taken out at the same time
In multiple-birth families, parents can get parental allowance at the same time for a longer period than in single-child families, if they care for the children together. In addition to the usual 18 working days, the parents can take 90 working days at the same time as pregnancy allowance or parental allowance days for the second and each additional child. For example, parents of twins can get parental allowance at the same time for up to 108 working days (18 + 90) and parents of triplets for 198 working days (18 + 90 + 90).
Giving up parental allowance days for the benefit of someone else
You can turn over all the parental allowance days that you are entitled to on the basis of the birth or adoption of more than one child at the same time. In practice, a parent of twins, for example, can turn over a maximum of 105 working days (63 + 42) for instance to the other parent or to their partner, while a parent of triplets can turn over 147 working days (63 + 42 + 42).
You can use all 320 days of parental allowance yourself, and also any additional days that you are entitled to if your baby is born prematurely or if you have twins or more. Of these 320 days, you can turn a maximum of 126 parental allowance days over to another person.
A child has only one parent who is entitled to parental allowance if
- the other parent has not been confirmed
- the other parent is not the child’s legal guardian
- the other parent is not insured under the Finnish Health Insurance Act
- the other parent is, due to a long-term illness or injury, unable to take care of the child.
If your baby is born more than 30 working days before the expected due date, you can get parental allowance for an extended period. The number of additional days is based on how many working days earlier than 30 working days before the expected due date the baby was born. Each parent can use half of these additional days of parental allowance or turn over some or all of the additional days to someone else.
For example, if the baby is born 42 working days before the expected due date, the parents will get parental allowance for a total of 12 more working days. The days are divided equally between both parents, so they both get 6 additional working days of parental allowance.
If there is only one parent eligible for parental allowance, that parent is entitled to use all the additional days.
If you have to participate in the hospital care of the child, you can apply for special care allowance. Parental allowance and special care allowance cannot be granted for the same time, but you can cancel days of parental allowance and use them later. If you postpone your parental leave, you must also agree on this with your employer.
Working during parental leave
Parental allowance is not paid for days when you are working full time. You can, however, work on Sundays or midweek holidays because parental allowance is only paid for weekdays (Mon–Sat). You can also apply for partial parental allowance if you work for a maximum of 5 hours a day and you have agreed on part-time work with your employer.
Working means any gainful employment as well as such activities as
- working from home
- being on call or standby
- working in a company owned by yourself or a member of your family
- farming or forestry work
- independent scientific work and holding an office of trust, if it is connected with your employment or you are paid a fee for it.
However, you are not considered to be working if you hold a position as an elected municipal official according to the Local Government Act. You are, however, considered to be working if you act in that position as a member of a municipal decision-making body. Read more in the Local Government Act (finlex.fi).
You are also not considered to be working if you are an informal caregiver or a family caregiver under the Family Care Act (perhehoitolaki, in Finnish on finlex.fi). This does not, however, apply to professional family care or to acting as a support family.
If you go to work while you are on parental leave, you should cancel your application for parental allowance in OmaKela. Working days for which parental allowance is not paid do not count against the number of days of parental allowance available. The days that you have cancelled will be available to you later.
Studying during parental leave
You can get parental allowance even though you are studying while being on parental leave, as long as you are able to take care of your child while studying. You can receive student financial aid and parental allowance at the same time, and the student financial aid does not affect the amount of parental allowance.
If you study full-time, i.e. you do not care for your child at the same time as you are studying, you should notify Kela of your studies in OmaKela. If you are able to take care of your child while you are studying, you do not have to notify Kela of your studies.
A new child may be born in the family when there are still parental allowance days for an older child that have not been used up. A parent cannot get parental allowance for two different children at the same time. You can choose for which child you apply for the benefit.
One parent may receive parental allowance for an older child at the same time as the other parent receives parental allowance days for a younger child.
How much is the parental allowance?
The amount of the parental allowance is based on your annual income. Daily allowances which are paid for the same child are based on the same annual income. For example, if you have received pregnancy allowance first, the amount of parental allowance is calculated on the same annual income as the pregnancy allowance. If you apply for parental allowance for different periods, the amount of the daily allowance will remain the same even if your income has changed in the meantime.
You must pay tax for the parental allowance.
Examples of amounts of parental allowance
Parental allowance is paid for working days.
Wage income EUR 30,000 per year
EUR 63,74 per working day
Wage income EUR 40,000 per year
EUR 84,98 per working day
Wage income EUR 50,000 per year
EUR 104,44 per working day
If you have no income or your income does not exceed EUR 13,712 per year, you may receive the minimum rate of allowance.
If the estimated due date of your baby is before your previous child turns 3 years old, you can get pregnancy allowance and parental allowance on the basis of the same annual or earned income that was used to calculate the allowances for your previous child.
This rule can always be applied when the estimated due date of a new baby is before the previous child turns 3.
Example of daily allowance when a new baby is born before the previous child is 3 years old
The first child in Kerttu’s family was born in 2021, the second one in 2023 and the third one in 2025. The family’s daily allowances for all three children can be calculated based on the same income as for the first-born child.
Similarly, adoptive parents can get parental allowance on the same basis as for a previous biological child or a previously adopted child, if another child is placed in the care of the adoptive parents before 3 years have passed since the birth of their previous child or since a previously adopted child was placed in their care.
The annual earnings are adjusted by a wage coefficient when the annual income used as the basis for the previous daily allowance is used to calculate the new daily allowance. This may result in a slight change in the amount of the allowance, even if the annual income used to calculate the allowance remains the same.
You do not have to notify Kela that you want your daily allowance to be calculated on the basis of your previous income. We will automatically calculate whether it will be more favourable for you to receive daily allowances for parents based on the new annual income or on the same income as for your previous child.
Increased parental allowance
If your annual income exceeds EUR 10,664, you can receive parental allowance at an increased rate. If you have received pregnancy allowance before the parental allowance, the increased amount of the parental allowance will equal the amount of the pregnancy allowance.
You will receive parental allowance at an increased rate for the first 16 working days. The maximum increased allowance corresponds to 90 per cent of your annual earnings.
Kela also pays the increased allowance to persons who are using parental allowance days that have been turned over to them by another parent.
Calculation formula
Annual income EUR / year | Calculation formula for the allowance (EUR per working day) |
maximum 13,712 | 31,99 e |
| 13,713 – 43,740 | 0.7 x annual income : 300 |
43,741 – 67,296 | 102.06 + 0.40 x (annual income - 43,740) : 300 |
over 67,296 | 133.47 + 0.25 x (annual income - 67,296) : 300 |
| Annual income EUR / year | Calculation formula for the allowance (EUR per working day) |
|---|---|
| maximum 10,664 | minimum rate of allowance |
| 10,665 – 67,296 | 0.9 x annual income : 300 |
| over 67,296 | 201.89 + 0.325 x (annual income - 67,296) : 300 |
Estimate the amount of the parental allowance using a calculator
Estimate how the dividing of parental leaves affects the family’s total incomes
How to apply for parental allowance
You can apply for parental allowance either on a form or in the OmaKela e-service. OmaKela is currently only available in Finnish and Swedish. Kela’s forms are also available in English.
Apply in OmaKela
- Apply for parental allowance in OmaKela. Each person applying for parental allowance must submit their own application. You can claim pregnancy allowance on the same form.
The application allows you to- apply for parental allowance and partial parental allowance
- apply for parental allowance days turned over to you
- turn over parental allowance days to someone else who is caring for the child.
- If you adopt a child, submit a certificate SV 94 (pdf) (available in Finnish or Swedish). You can take a picture of the certificate and send it in OmaKela.
- State in your application if your employer pays you a salary during your parental leave. We will pay the parental allowance for that period to your employer. Your employer must submit a separate application to Kela. We will not process your application until your employer has submitted their application.
- Visit the OmaKela e-service to see if your application has been decided, how much you will get and when your benefits will be paid. You can also see possible reminders concerning, for instance, any documents missing from your application. You will also get a decision by post if you have not given up paper mail.
Apply on a form
- Fill in and print out the form Application - Parental benefits SV 15e (pdf).
Enclose additional documents in support of the application as necessary. The application form includes information on which supporting documents you need.
Send the application and any supporting documents by mail. The address is Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
Visit OmaKela to see if your application has been decided, how much you will get and when your benefit will be paid. You will also see reminders of, for instance, supporting documents missing from your application. The decision notice will also be sent to your home address unless you have opted out of paper mail.
The decision notice is only in Finnish or Swedish. If you need help with something, you can call one of our English language customer service numbers.
Things to remember when you apply for parental allowance
The birthing parent can claim parental allowance before the child is born, at the same time as the pregnancy allowance. It is also possible to file a separate application for parental allowance.
The other parent, the spouse of a parent or some other legal guardian of the child can claim parental allowance after the child is born.
If you are applying for parental allowance for days that the child’s other parent has turned over to you, you can file the application immediately when the child’s other parent has turned the days over to you. You will not be able to see days that have been turned over to you in OmaKela until you have applied for parental allowance for those days.
If you take the parental leave in several parts, you can claim parental allowance for each part separately or all at once.
Claim parental allowance within 2 months of the start of each period of parental leave at the latest.
Paid parental leave
Check with your employer if you will be paid a salary during your parental leave. You will need this information when you apply for parental allowance.
If your employer pays a salary during your parental leave, the employer must submit a separate application for the parental allowance. Kela does not issue a decision on parental allowance until we have received applications from both you and your employer.
In general, an employer cannot submit an application until they have paid the salary for the parental leave. You can take leave, as you have agreed with your employer. You do not have to wait for a decision on parental allowance before you go on parental leave.
Annual leave
You cannot receive parental allowance for a period when you are on paid annual leave or another form of paid leave in an employment relationship. If you take annual leave while on parental leave, you should discontinue your parental leave and start a new parental allowance period after your annual leave. One parent may be on paid annual leave at the same time as the other parent is on parental leave.
When is parental allowance paid out?
Parental allowance is paid in arrears for 25 working days at a time or less. You can check the exact payment date in OmaKela once you have received a decision on parental allowance.
Report changes that affect your parental allowance
The parental allowance can be affected by such changes as starting work during the parental leave. When you report the changes, the benefit is paid at the correct rate and you also do not lose any benefit due to you. Read more about reporting changes.
If you do not report changes, you may be paid benefits you are not entitled to. In that case, the benefit will be recovered from you later. Read more about the recovery of overpaid benefits.
After the end of parental leave
After the end of parental allowance, you can receive child home care allowance if you have a child under 3 years of age who does not have a place in municipal early childhood education. A family can be granted child home care allowance for instance in a situation where one parent has used all of their personal parental allowance days before the child starts day care while the other parent intends to use their personal parental allowance days at a later stage.
You can get private day care allowance if your child attends private early childhood education or is in the care of a paid childminder.
You can apply for flexible care allowance if you work no more than 30 hours a week and you care for a child under 3 the rest of the time.
What else is going on in your life?
Does your child need more care than usual?
The child can be awarded disability allowance, if the child needs regular treatment and rehabilitation due to illness or disability.
Does your child have a severe illness or disability, because of which you cannot work?
If you have to stay off work due to the child’s severe illness or disability, you can apply for special care allowance to compensate for the loss of earnings.
Do you need help with your housing costs?
Housing allowance can compensate for reduced incomes and help with the housing costs. Read about the types of costs for which you can get housing allowance.
When money is tight
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.