If you have a child, you can apply for maternity grant from Kela. You can choose between a maternity package and a cash benefit.
Eligibility for maternity grant
You can apply for maternity grant if you are pregnant and
have undergone a medical examination by a doctor or at a maternity and child welfare clinic before the end of the fourth month of pregnancy and
have a certificate from the doctor or the maternity and child welfare clinic showing that the pregnancy has lasted at least 154 days (about 5 months).
You can also apply for maternity grant when you are adopting a child and the provider of adoption services has identified a specific child for placement in your custody.
You can get the maternity grant if you are permanently resident in Finland. If you have moved from another EU or EEA country or from Switzerland to Finland in order to work here or if you are a family member of a person who has moved to Finland in order to work here, you may also be entitled to the maternity grant.
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.
Apply for the maternity grant no later than 2 months before the expected due date
If you are adopting a child, you must apply for maternity grant within 2 months from the date on which the child was placed in your custody.
Maternity package or cash benefit
You can choose between a maternity package and a cash benefit.
The maternity package contains baby clothes as well as care products and materials. The contents of the maternity package change annually, but the range of items usually remains largely the same.
A new edition is introduced when stocks of the previous edition run out. The maternity package is not commercially available.
The maternity grant as a cash benefit amounts to
EUR 170
The cash benefit corresponds to the value of the maternity package. The maternity grant is free from tax.
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.
How to apply for maternity grant
You can apply for maternity grant 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.
If you live in the Åland Islands, apply for maternity grant from the municipal social services (kst.ax).
Apply in OmaKela
Apply for maternity grant in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish).
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. 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 maternity grant
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. 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.
Things to remember when you apply for maternity grant
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.
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.
Report changes in your circumstances
Remember to report any changes in your circumstances to Kela so that the benefit can be paid correctly. You can report changes via our e-service OmaKela or by phone.
