Child support and child maintenance allowance in Finland

Child support is an amount of money paid by one parent to participate in his/her child’s maintenance. In international situations, the legislation of the country where the child lives is applied for the purposes of child support. If a child living in Finland does not get maintenance from either parent, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) may pay child maintenance allowance.

The child’s right to receive maintenance from his/her parents ends when he/she reaches the age of 18. Parents are also responsible for the child’s education-related expenses after the child has turned 18 if this is considered reasonable. 

Child support is an amount of money paid periodically by the non-resident parent to participate in the maintenance costs of his/her child. A parent can be required to pay child support for a child if he/she does not otherwise provide for the child’s maintenance, the child does not permanently live with him/her or the child lives alternately with him/her and the other parent or other guardian.

The amount of child support is calculated based on the child’s individual maintenance needs. The amount of child support and the method of payment are confirmed either by agreement between the parents assisted by the municipal social welfare office or in a court order. Read more on the website of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

If one of the parents lives in another Nordic country

The parent paying child support is liable to pay child support regardless of what country the child lives in. Liability to pay maintenance does not end, therefore, even if the child and the parent liable for maintenance live in different countries.

Unpaid child support is recovered from the parent liable for maintenance, even if he/she lives abroad. The central authority in Finland in cross-border maintenance matters is the Ministry of Justice.

If the parent liable for maintenance does not pay child support, the parent who lives with the child can apply for child maintenance allowance in accordance with the rules of his/her country of residence.

Child maintenance allowance helps to safeguard the child’s maintenance in situations where the child does not receive maintenance from both parents. There is a right to maintenance if the parent liable for maintenance does not pay the confirmed child support. There is also a right to maintenance if child support has not been confirmed to be paid due to the parent liable being unable to provide maintenance or if, due the parent liable being unable to provide maintenance, the confirmed amount of child support is lower than the amount of child maintenance allowance. Kela is responsible for enforcement of child maintenance allowance.

Payment of Kela child maintenance allowance requires that the child is permanently resident in Finland.

How do you apply for child maintenance allowance?

Child maintenance allowance can be applied for by the child’s parent or other person caring for the child. If the child has reached the age of 15 and is living on his/her own, the child can claim the allowance him/herself.

How much allowance can you get?

Child maintenance allowance is paid either in full or at a reduced rate.

Child maintenance allowance is paid in full if child support has been confirmed to be at least as much as full child maintenance allowance and the parent liable is not paying the child support.

If the amount of child support has been confirmed to be lower than the full amount of child maintenance allowance due to the financial situation of the parent liable for maintenance, the amount of the allowance paid is the difference between full child maintenance allowance and the amount of child support.

Where child maintenance allowance is paid on the basis of neglected payment of child support and the confirmed amount of child support is lower than the full amount of child maintenance allowance for a reason other than the inability to pay of the parent liable, the amount of the allowance paid is only the confirmed amount of child support.

If the paternity of a child born outside of wedlock has not been confirmed and the child does not have two parents liable for maintenance, if an adoptive parent has adopted a child alone or if child support could not be confirmed at the same time as confirmation of parentage, the child maintenance allowance is paid in full.

How long is child maintenance allowance paid for?

Child maintenance allowance is payable up to the time when the child reaches the age of 18. Payment may end earlier if maintenance liability ends or if the other liability criteria are no longer met.

If one of the parents lives in or moves to another Nordic country

The child is entitled to maintenance from both his/her parents, meaning that liability to pay maintenance does not end even if the parent liable for maintenance moves to another Nordic country.

If a parent liable for maintenance who lives abroad does not pay the confirmed child support, Kela may grant child maintenance allowance and recover the unpaid child support from the parent liable for maintenance living abroad.

If child maintenance allowance has already been granted and the parent liable for maintenance has moved to another Nordic country, this does not affect payment of child maintenance allowance in Finland if the child is still permanently resident in Finland.

If the child moves to another Nordic country

Payment of child maintenance allowance in Finland is conditional on the child being permanently resident in Finland.

Child maintenance allowance can be paid temporarily, for a maximum of 6 months, for a child staying in another country if despite the stay in the other country the child is still considered to be permanently resident in Finland. The six-month time limit is not absolute if the child’s stay in another Nordic country is on a one-off and temporary basis. Child maintenance allowance can be paid if he/she is still permanently resident in Finland.

If a child moves permanently to another Nordic country, the right to child maintenance allowance ends with the move away from Finland.