You can already apply for partial care allowance for autumn 2024

Kela pays partial care allowance to parents of children in the 1st or 2nd year of school if the parent works a maximum of 30 hours per week due to child care. You can apply for partial care allowance when you have agreed on shorter working hours with your employer.

Many families have now received information about the school that their child who is starting school will be going to, and so they are already planning for the autumn. Partial care allowance is available from Kela for the care of a child in the 1st or 2nd year of school, if the parent works a maximum of 30 hours per week due to child care.

Kela pays benefits to parents of a child who is starting school

Kela pays partial care allowance to parents of children who are in the 1st or 2nd year of school. Partial care allowance can be paid starting from 1 August in the year when the child starts school. For children who are within the scope of extended compulsory education, it can also be paid for the preschool year and the third year of primary school.

The partial care allowance is EUR 108.15 per month. It is taxable income. Partial care allowance is only paid to the same parent for one child at a time even if there are several children eligible for the benefit in the family.

Both parents can be paid partial care allowance concurrently if they look after the child at different times. Partial care allowance can also be paid to a non-custodial parent (i.e. a parent who does not live in the same household as the child).

Agree on shorter working hours with your employer

A precondition for the granting of partial care allowance is that you have agreed with your employer on shorter working hours of a maximum of 30 hours per week due to child care. The parent may have agreed with the employer on partial care leave, but this is not necessary. If you plan to take partial care leave, you must agree on this with your employer at least 2 months before the leave starts.

Partial care allowance can be paid at the same time as, for instance, private day care allowance, or if the child attends municipal early childhood education.

Partial care allowance is not granted in the following situations:

• You fall ill and are on sick leave for at least 4 weeks.
• You become incapable of work.
• You receive partial sickness allowance.
• You receive child home care allowance and care for your child yourself.
• You are paid daily allowances for parents at the same time.
• You receive flexible care allowance. However, the other parent can at the same time receive flexible care allowance for another child.
• You have registered as an unemployed jobseeker.

Read more about partial care allowance on our website