Maternity package or cash benefit

You can get the maternity grant if you are permanently resident in Finland or work here. For instance Finns who are resident abroad on a permanent basis or asylum seekers are not entitled to the maternity grant.

You may be entitled to maternity grant even of you work abroad, if you live permanently in Finland.  
In some cases, you may be entitled to maternity grant even if you do not live permanently in Finland. Check your entitlement to the grant if

• you have come to Finland from another EU or EEA country or Switzerland to work here
• you are a family member of an employee from an EU or EEA country or Switzerland and you are temporarily living in Finland.

If you move abroad permanently, you usually cannot be granted maternity grant. If you move abroad temporarily, you may be entitled to maternity grant. When you move abroad, notify Kela about the move. We will assess your situation as a whole, and on the basis of this we will determine whether the move is considered temporary or permanent.

You can also get the maternity grant if you are, for instance, a posted worker, a student or a civil servant. In such cases the stay abroad can last for more than 6 months. A family member may also be entitled to the maternity grant.

Maternity packages cannot be sent to addresses outside Finland. If you live outside Finland and you wish to receive the maternity package, you can authorise someone else to pick up your package from a Matkahuolto office in order for them to send it to you. Please note that you will have to make all necessary arrangements and pay all costs yourself.

Multiple-birth families get additional maternity grants. If you give birth to 2 or more children at the same time, you will get the standard maternity grant multiplied by two for your second child, the standard maternity grant multiplied by three for your third child, etc. So, for instance for twins you get a total of 3 maternity grants and for triplets 6 maternity grants.

You can choose how you wish to take out each maternity grant: in cash or as a maternity package, in whatever combination you want. For example, if you have twins, you can choose to have two maternity packages and one cash payment.

The number of maternity grants also increases in the same way when you adopt several children at the same time.

You can apply for maternity grant after 154 days of pregnancy (about 5 months) if you have received a certificate of pregnancy from a doctor or a maternity and child welfare clinic. You should apply for the maternity grant no later than two months before the expected date of birth of the child.

If you are adopting a child, you can apply for maternity grant already when a specific child has been identified for placement in your custody. You must apply for maternity grant within 2 months from the date on which the child was placed in your custody.

You need a certificate of pregnancy from a doctor or a maternity and child welfare clinic showing that you have had a medical examination before the end of the 4th month of pregnancy and that your pregnancy has lasted 154 days. The certificate of pregnancy is not needed if you have already submitted it with an application for pregnancy allowance.

If you are adopting a child, submit the form Todistus lapsen nimeämisestä adoptoimista varten tai adoptiolapsen hoitoon ottamisesta SV 94 (pdf).

The maternity package will be sent to you via Matkahuolto within about two weeks of the award decision.

You will receive a notice of arrival by text message or by e-mail, according to your choice. If you have not received any notice of arrival within about three weeks of receiving the decision or if the package is for some reason returned to the sender, please call our customer service number.

The pick-up location of the maternity package is determined based on your postal code and cannot be changed.

If you choose to receive the maternity grant in cash, the money will be paid into your bank account.