Partial care allowance

Can I get partial care allowance?

You can get partial care allowance if you meet the following requirements:

you are the child’s parent or other guardian
you are employed in the private or public sector or are self-employed and insured under the self-employed persons’ (YEL) or farmers’ (MYEL) pension scheme, and will remain so the entire time for which you are applying for partial care allowance.
you work shorter days while caring for your child
you work 1–30 hours a week
your child is in the 1st or 2nd year of school.

All the hours you work as an employee or self-employed person count as your working hours. You must work each week for which you are applying for partial care allowance.

Partial care allowance can also be claimed by a non-custodial parent who looks after their child.

Partial child care leave is granted by the employer. You must therefore enter into an agreement on this with your employer before you can take the leave. You must notify your employer at least 2 months before you plan to take the leave.

Partial care allowance is paid for one child at a time

You can get partial care allowance for only one child at a time. This also applies to parents of multiple-birth families. However, the parents can apply for partial care allowance for two children as long as they apply for two different children.

You can get partial care allowance for a child at the same time as the child's other parent, if you look after the child at different times. Parents can look after their child on separate days, or one parent can look after the child in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

How receiving other benefits affects the partial care allowance

Partial care allowance can be paid at the same time as for example a private day care allowance paid for other children in the family.

You cannot get partial care allowance in the following situations:

You receive pregnancy or parental allowance for the same period of time.
You receive child home care allowance and care for your child yourself.
You receive flexible care allowance. However, the other parent can receive flexible care allowance for another child.
You fall ill and are on sick leave for at least 4 weeks. The entitlement to partial care allowance ends if you become unfit for work.
You receive partial sickness allowance.
You have registered as unemployed and are looking for full-time work.
You are on job alternation leave.

How much partial care allowance can I get?

The amount of the partial care allowance is

EUR 108.15 per month

You must pay tax on the partial care allowance.

For what time can I get partial care allowance?

Care allowance can be paid starting from 1 August in the year when the child starts school. You can receive partial care allowance until the child's second year of school ends (31 July). If the child is enrolled in extended compulsory education, the entitlement to care allowance begins already in preschool and ends when the child finishes the third year of primary education.

Partial care allowance is not paid for a shorter period than one month. The allowance period does not have to start from the beginning of the month.

How to apply for partial care allowance

You can apply for partial care 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 partial care allowance in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish).

If the child's other parent also applies for partial care allowance, the parents must file separate applications.
Take photographs of the supporting documents and send them in OmaKela. From the application you can check which documents you should enclose with the 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.

Log in to the OmaKela e-service to apply for partial care allowance

Apply on a form

Fill in and print out the form Partial care allowance WH 9e (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 partial care allowance

When to apply

You can apply for partial care allowance as soon as you have an agreement with your employer about taking a partial care leave. Partial care allowance is available retroactively for six months from the date of the application.

Supporting documentation needed for the application

You must provide with your application a certificate from your employer showing your weekly hours of work, the reason for the shorter hours and the employer's contact details. You can use the OmaKela e-service to send the certificate.

If you use a paper application form, your employer can provide the necessary information on the last page of the form.

Your employer can also send the certificate to Kela via the e-service for employers.

When is partial care allowance paid?

Partial care allowance is paid

on the last banking day of the month

If you receive a decision on your application after the 10th day of the month, the allowance will not be paid until the last banking day of the following month. The decision shows the first payment date of the allowance.

Report changes that affect the partial care allowance

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.

Tell Kela if

your working hours change
your contract of employment ends
your insurance under the YEL or MYEL Act ends
you move abroad
you move to another municipality.

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.

Do not forget to check how any changes in your circumstances will affect other benefits that you receive from Kela.

Do you still have questions?

Call Kela’s customer service.

020 634 2550

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.