How to claim paternity allowance – due date before 4 September 2022

1. Claim paternity allowance online. Please note that the e-service is available in Finnish and Swedish only.
2. The start and end dates for the paternity allowance must be indicated on the claim. 
   
   You can use the calculator for working days (in Finnish) to determine the end date of your paternity leave or the number of paternity leave days during a specific period. Select the start date of your paternity leave and the number of paternity leave days or the end date of your paternity leave.
3. The amount of the paternity allowance depends on your income. Please note the following:

   • The allowance is determined on the basis of an annual income. Kela usually receives information on wages and salaries from the national incomes register, so this information need not be reported to Kela separately.

   • If you are paid a salary during the paternity leave, declare that on the claim. The paternity allowance is paid to your employer for the period during which you are paid a salary. In this case the employer has to file a claim of their own.

   • If the expected due date of your child comes before the second-youngest child is 3 years old, and you claim the immediately preceding allowance based on the second-youngest child, you need not state that in the claim.

4. If you take the paternity leave in several periods, you can claim paternity allowance separately for each period. The paternity allowance for later periods of paternity leave is calculated on the basis of the same income as for your first period of paternity allowance, although your income may have changed after that. At the same time, you can claim other benefits such as the parental allowance and the child benefit.
5. Visit our e-service to see if your application has been decided, how much you will get and when you will be paid. You can also see any possible reminders concerning, for instance, documents missing from your application. A written decision on your application will be sent to you by post.

Alternatively, you can fill in and print out the application form Parental benefits for fathers (SV 29ae, PDF). Mail your application along with the supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

LGBT parents can claim the benefit equivalent to the paternity allowance online or by filing the application Parental benefits for fathers (SV 29ae, PDF).

When to claim

Claim paternity allowance after your child is born and you know when you wish to take a paternity leave. Find out if your employer will pay you a salary during the paternity leave. You will need this information when claiming paternity allowance. You can also claim paternity allowance retroactively within 2 months of when the child reaches the age of 2 years or when 2 years have passed since the adopted child came into your care. Further information about tax withholding on the paternity allowance when paternity allowance is claimed retroactively for a period other than the current year.

If, after the parental allowance period, you claim paternity allowance for a child for whom your family is paid a child care allowance, you should file the claim for paternity allowance well in advance of the paternity leave because it is necessary to check whether it is possible to pay the child care allowance simultaneously with the paternity allowance. By filing the claim well in advance, you can ensure that the child care allowance will not be overpaid.

Don't forget

Be sure to notify your employer at least 2 months before taking a paternity leave. If you will be taking 12 or fewer working days off, the pre-notification period is just one month. Ask your employer how to provide this information. You should find out if your employer will pay you a salary during the paternity leave.

If the amount of your paternity allowance is calculated on the basis of your annual income, you will at the earliest receive the decision during the month that precedes the month when the paternity allowance is first paid. i.e. when the information on the annual income is available.

If you are paid a salary during the paternity leave, Kela cannot give a decision on your claim until your employer has filed a claim for the paternity allowance for the period when you are being paid a salary. It is possible that your employer cannot provide this information in advance until it has paid you a salary during your paternity leave. Your employer can claim the paternity allowance by reporting your salary during your paternity leave via the online service for employers or on the Y 17e (PDF) form. The employer can also apply for benefits via the national incomes register, if the company’s salary system has a readiness for this. The employer also needs to have given consent for receiving an electronic decision.

If you start work or full-time study, notify Kela immediately. That way you will not be overpaid paternity allowance and will not have to pay it back.

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