The amount of care allowance is
EUR 192.28 per month for each eligible child.
Private day care allowance
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Can I get private day care allowance?
You can get private day care allowance if
- you are the parent of a child, the parent's spouse or partner, or a legal guardian of the child.
- your child is under school age and either attends private early childhood education or is in the care of a paid childminder.
The earliest private day care allowance can be paid is the beginning of the month in which your child turns 9 months old.
A non-custodial parent (i.e. a parent whose child does not live with them for a majority of the time) can apply for private day care allowance if the child lives with them for part of the time and the parents have agreed on it.
Kela pays the allowance directly to the private childminder or the provider of early childhood education. You need to pay the part of the day care fee not covered by the private day care allowance.
The provider of early childhood education or paid childminder can be
- a private day care centre or family day care provider who has filed a notification with the municipality in accordance with the Act on Early Childhood Education and Care.
- a person with whom the family has made a contract of employment and whom the municipality has approved as childminder.
The childminder can also be a relative of the child. However, private day care allowance is not paid if the childminder lives in the same household as the child.
You can hire a day care provider and receive private day care allowance for a child under school age child or home care allowance for a child under 3 years of age. In that case, you are the day care provider's employer.
The family can hire a day care provider together with one or several other families. In such a day care pool, one day care provider looks after the children usually by turns in each child's home. Each family can receive private day care allowance for a child under school age.
The amount of the allowance is affected, for instance, by the time of day care. The municipality (locality) may also pay a municipal supplement to the allowance. The families agree themselves on the wage payment to the day care provider.
Kela pays the private day care allowance directly to the provider (separately for each child). Each family has to sign a contract of employment with the day care provider and handle their share of the statutory contributions.
Parents employing a day care provider
When you hire a day care provider under an employment contract, you must, as the employer, withhold taxes on the wage according to the day care provider's tax card. In addition you must pay social security contributions and statutory insurance contributions, including unemployment insurance contribution, earnings-related pension contribution, workers' compensation and group life assurance premium. Pay the contributions for the whole wage, also for the share corresponding to the allowance paid by Kela.
When a private household acts as employer it must also arrange occupational health care for the employee.
All employers must report wage and salary payments to the national incomes register (vero.fi).
You cannot get private day care allowance if
- your child attends municipal early childhood education or a place in municipal early childhood education has been reserved for the child
- your child attends a private day care centre and the private day care centre uses service vouchers
- you get a daily allowance for parents for your child (however, private day care allowance can be paid for the family's other children during the period of daily allowance).
- your child is staying abroad for longer than 3 months.
How much private day care allowance can I get?
The private day care allowance consists of a care allowance and a care supplement. Your municipality of residence may also pay a municipal supplement to the care allowance.
Care supplement is paid for all children under school age who are in private child care. However, the family's income cannot exceed a certain income limit.
The amount of the care supplement is affected by family size and gross income, that is to say income before taxes. Up to four persons are included in the family size: 2 adults and up to 2 children under school age. Children for whom daily allowances for parents are paid and children who attend school are not included in the number of people in the family If you are the only parent in your family, only your income will affect the care supplement. If you live together with your spouse or partner, your spouse’s or partner’s income will also be included in the total family income even if your spouse or partner is not the guardian of your children.
The following are also included in the total family income:
- the income of any children for whom home care allowance or private day care allowance is paid
- partial and flexible care allowance.
The care allowance and the municipal supplement do not count as income.
You get the full care supplement if your family's monthly income does not exceed an income limit determined by family size. If that income limit is exceeded, the care supplement is reduced. There is also a maximum income limit after which no care supplement is paid.
Family size (number of people) | Gross income, max. amount that entitles to full care supplement (EUR/month) | Reduction (%) | Gross income, amount at which care supplement is no longer paid (EUR/month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1,160 | 11,5 % | EUR 3,471.70 per month |
| 3 | 1.430 | 9,4 % | EUR 4,258.14 per month |
| 4 or more | 1,700 | 7,9 % | EUR 5,065.13 per month. |
Child who attends preschool or a preschool trial or who is subject to extended compulsory education
Preschool education is provided from 1 August to 31 May. During that period, the family is paid care allowance at a lower rate of EUR 70.75 per month and half of the usual amount of care supplement. After the period of preschool education, in June and July, the full amount of the care allowance is paid for the child if the child still attends private early childhood education.
If the child only attends preschool and does not attend early childhood education, no private day care allowance is paid at all.
If your child attends comprehensive school and is subject to extended compulsory education, the care allowance is paid on the same basis as for children who attend preschool.
The amount of municipal supplement and the eligibility criteria for it vary depending on the municipality. Not all municipalities pay a municipal supplement.
Some municipalities that pay a municipal supplement have an agreement with Kela that the supplement will be paid by Kela in connection with the private day care allowance. You can use a calculator to find out if you will receive a municipal supplement from Kela and how much supplement you will get. If Kela pays your municipal supplement, you do not need to apply for it separately, as Kela will pay it automatically in connection with your private day care allowance.
If the calculator shows that you will not receive a municipal supplement from Kela, check with your municipality of residence to find out if the municipality pays a municipal supplement. If the municipality pays a municipal supplement, you must submit an application for municipal supplement to the municipality.
Use a calculator to estimate the amount of private day care allowance
When is the private day care allowance paid out?
If you receive a decision on your application after the 10th day of the month, the allowance will be paid on the last banking day of the following month. Your decision notice shows the first payment date of the allowance.
For what time can I get private day care allowance?
Private day care allowance is not paid for periods shorter than one month. The one-month minimum requirement is met even if the parents take turns applying for private day care allowance, as long as the periods for which the allowance is paid total at least one month without interruptions.
The allowance period does not have to start from the beginning of the month. The payment can also end midway through a calendar month, in which case the allowance for part of the month will be paid on the last day of the month.
How to apply for private day care allowance
Use the OmaKela e-service to apply for private day care allowance. OmaKela is available in Finnish and Swedish.
In your application, enter the amount of the day care fee before the private day care allowance has been deducted from it. Enter the fee separately for each child.Parents can choose for each child whether to apply for child home care allowance or private day care allowance.
We recommend that the same parent or guardian applies for all child care allowances. That way we can look at each family’s situation as a whole and pay the correct amount of benefit.
Take photographs of the supporting documents and send them in OmaKela. Check the application to see which supporting documents you need to submit.
Visit the OmaKela e-service to see if your application has been decided, how much allowance you will get and when it will be paid. You will also see possible reminders concerning, for instance, any documents missing from your application. Kela will also send you a decision notice by post unless you have chosen not to receive paper mail.
If you cannot submit the application in the OmaKela e-service, complete and print out the application form for private day care care allowance WH1e (pdf). Send the application and any supporting documents by mail. The address is Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
Things to remember when you apply for private day care allowance
It is recommended that you apply for the allowance immediately when you have made a contract with the day care provider. However, apply for the allowance at the latest within 6 months of the start of the private day care arrangement.
You need to submit at least the information form for providers of early childhood education. The provider of early childhood education can submit the information in the e-service for day care providers or on the form WH 2e, Information form - Private day care allowance - Day care provider (PDF). If you have entered into a contract of employment directly with a private childminder, you should request that your local municipal authorities enter their approval of the childminder on the form. You do not have to send the contract of employment to Kela.
Check the application to see which other supporting documents are needed.
Kela obtains salary information from the national incomes register. We use this data when processing the application. We may ask for additional information, if necessary.
Every year Kela reviews if there have been any changes to your family’s income that affect the care supplement. When it is time for the annual review, you will get a letter from Kela. You must reply to this letter. If you have chosen not to receive paper mail, you will get the letter as a message in OmaKela instead.
After the annual review has been completed, you will receive a new decision notice on your private day care allowance. If your income has decreased, the care supplement can be increased retrospectively for a maximum of 6 months.
Report changes in your circumstances
Remember to report all changes in your circumstances that affect the private day care allowance to Kela so that the allowance can be paid correctly.
If you wish to report changes or stop the payment of the allowance, you can do so in OmaKela (available in Finnish and Swedish) under Ilmoita muutoksista. You can also contact Kela by phone.
If you receive child home care allowance or private day care allowance you must immediately report the following changes to Kela:
- Your child is granted a place in municipal early childhood education (child home care allowance and private day care allowance are not paid if the child attends municipal early childhood education).
- The circumstances of your child’s care change (e.g. time or place of day care, day care fee or day care provider).
- Your child starts preschool.
- Your family moves to another municipality.
- Your family or your child leaves Finland to stay abroad for more than 3 months.
If you are paid care supplement to the child home care allowance or private day care allowance, you must also report the following:
- if there is a change in your family's income
- if you and your unmarried partner start living together or you break up.
Family size and the income of all family members affect the amount of the care supplement.
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.
Starting or ending a relationship
Have your benefits reviewed if you move in with your partner, get married or separate.
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.