Parental benefits in Finland
If the family lives permanently in Finland or the parent is entitled to benefits on the basis of employment, Kela may pay various parental benefits. This page presents the benefits related to parental leave in chronological order: first maternity grant, then pregnancy allowance, and then parental allowance. You can find information on exceptions concerning Åland on the page Parental allowance in Åland.
Information on Kela benefits for childcare after parental leave can be found on the page Support for childcare in Finland. Useful information for parents can also be found on the websites Child benefit in Finland and Child support and child maintenance allowance in Finland.
Maternity grant
Once you have been pregnant for at least 5 months (154 days), you can apply for maternity grant. The maternity grant can either be paid as a cash benefit or a maternity package containing baby clothes and child care products. If you choose to receive the maternity grant in cash, you do not have to pay tax on it. The cash benefit is €170 in mainland Finland and €224 in the Åland Islands.
If you live in mainland Finland, apply for the grant from Kela. If you live in Åland, apply for the grant through Kommunernas socialtjänst.
Read more about maternity grant on the websites of either Kela or Kommunernas socialtjänst. You can read about other matters related to pregnancy and childbirth on the pages Pregnancy and childbirth in Finland and Pregnancy and childbirth in Åland.
Parental allowances when the estimated due date of the baby is on or after 4 September 2022
When your child is born, you can apply to Kela for parental allowances. These include maternity allowance, paternity allowance, parental allowance and also special maternity allowance, which is paid if you have to stop working because of risks at work. To get allowances, you must be covered by health insurance in Finland for 180 days immediately before the child’s birth. If you have been insured in another Nordic country or an EU or EEA country, that can also be counted.
Parental allowances
When your child is born, you can apply to Kela for parental allowances. These include pregnancy allowance, parental allowance and also special pregnancy allowance, which is paid if you have to stop working because of risks at work. Parental allowances are only paid if you are off work. Partial parental allowance is an exception to this - you can get it if you work part-time.
You can get parental allowance if you live in Finland permanently or if you work in Finland. If you are not a citizen of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, you will also need a residence permit. If you move to Finland from another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK and receive parental allowance from your country of origin, the country of origin will usually pay the allowance until it runs out. You cannot get parental allowance in Finland for the same period. After the other country’s parental allowance ends, you can get allowance from Finland if there are more parental allowance days in Finland than in your country of origin.
Pregnancy allowance and special pregnancy allowance
You can go on pregnancy leave 14-30 working days or around 2-5 weeks before the estimated due date. You can choose yourself when to start your pregnancy leave. Pregnancy allowance is paid to the parent giving birth for 40 working days. If your work involves certain risk factors, you can apply for special pregnancy allowance earlier. Read more on Kela’s website.
Parental allowance
Parental allowance for one child is paid for a maximum of 320 working days. Parental allowance is divided equally between the parents, i.e. they will both be entitled to 160 working days. Parents can get part of their parental or pregnancy allowance at the same time. Parental allowance must be used by the time the child turns two. Parents can work part-time and get partial parental allowance. Read more on Kela’s website.
Moving and benefits for families with children
If you move from one Nordic country to another during your parental allowance period, check with either Kela or the other country’s institution that granted you the benefit how your move will affect your parental allowance.
If you move permanently from Finland to another Nordic country while you are getting parental allowances and you no longer work in Finland, Finland nonetheless pays the allowances until the end of the period.
In certain cases, Finnish parental benefits may be granted temporarily to persons residing abroad.
Always let Kela know if you move.
If you move to Finland and you have started to receive parental benefits from another Nordic country, your previous home country will nonetheless pay the allowances to the end. Ask the authority granting the benefit for more information or read more about parental benefits in the country concerned.
If you are expecting a child and you move to Finland before the other Nordic country has started paying parental benefits, you can apply for parental benefits from Kela in Finland. You may be entitled to benefit if you are considered to have moved to Finland permanently or if you work in Finland.
One parent is entitled to parental leave in Finland even if the other parent is getting parental benefit from another Nordic country. Then the parent can get all 320 days of parental allowance from Finland on condition that the parent does not work in another country.
If you move, inform Kela and the corresponding authority in your country of departure.
More information
Please fill in our contact form if you have any questions or if you have encountered an obstacle in another Nordic country.
NB! If you have questions regarding the processing of a specific case or application, or other personal matters, please contact the relevant authority directly.