How to report changes that will affect your child care allowances
If you receive child home care allowance or private day care allowance you must report the following changes to Kela:
- if the child is enrolled 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.
- if the child day care details change (e.g. time or place of day care, day care fee or day care provider)
- if the child is enrolled in preschool or a free preschool trial for children under 5
- if your family moves to another municipality or the Åland Islands
- if your family or your child leaves Finland to stay abroad for more than three months
If you are paid the care supplement (part of child home care and private care allowance), you must also report the following:
- you start living together with someone or end such an arrangement
- there is a change in your family's income
Family size and the income of all family members affect the amount of the care supplement.
If you receive flexible or partial care allowance you must report the following changes to Kela:
- your working hours change
- your contract of employment ends
- your insurance under the YEL or MYEL Act ends
- you move abroad or to the Åland Islands.
Report the changes in the OmaKela e-service. Please note that our e-service is only available in Finnish and Swedish. Log in to OmaKela using your online banking credentials or a mobile ID. You can also contact Kela by phone.
What changes need not be reported?
- Birth of another child. Information about births is provided to Kela by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The child home care allowance and the private day care allowance are adjusted automatically when the mother applies for pregnancy allowance for the newborn child.
- Family moves within the same municipality. Kela receives this information from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
Annual review of care supplement
Kela reviews the amount of the care supplement annually. Fill in the form included with the letter informing you of the annual review (Notification of change – Child care allowance, WH 12e) and mail it to Kela. Alternatively you can complete and save the form in PDF format. Send it as a message via the OmaKela e-service.
After the review Kela issues a decision on the new care supplement. The care supplement is increased retrospectively for a maximum of 6 months from the notification of the change.
Frequently asked questions
- How to report a new account number
- Change of address
- Change of personal details
- New tax card to Kela