Child maintenance allowance

If the parents separate, they shall agree on the child's maintenance. If the child does not receive maintenance from the parent with maintenance responsibilities, you may get child maintenance allowance from Kela

on condition that the parents have signed a child maintenance agreement confirmed by the municipal social welfare office or they have a court decision on child support. These are not needed if the child was born out of wedlock and the paternity has not been confirmed or if you have adopted the child as a single parent.

You may receive child maintenance allowance from Kela if

  • the parent liable for maintenance has not paid the confirmed child support*.
  • the amount of confirmed child support is lower than the child maintenance allowance due to the financial situation of the parent liable for maintenance.
  • no child support has been confirmed to be paid due to the financial situation of the parent liable for maintenance.
  • you have adopted the child as a single parent.
  • the paternity of a child born out of wedlock has not been confirmed.

* If the parent liable for maintenance has not paid child support, Kela will recover it from them in arrears.

Kela will not pay child maintenance allowance if

  • you do not have a child support agreement confirmed by the municipal social welfare office or a court decision. (An agreement or a decision are not needed if the child was born out of wedlock and the paternity has not been confirmed, or if you have adopted the child as a single parent.)
  • the child is living with the parent liable for maintenance.
  • the child has a steady income of at least €750 per month over a period of 6 months, or €1,071,43 per month if living on their own.
  • the parent liable for maintenance has died.

Child support for conscripts' children

Kela pays the same amount as the child support as conscript's allowance to a child eligible for child support if the conscript is obliged by virtue of a court decision or written agreement confirmed by the municipal social welfare office to pay monthly child support to a minor and is unable to pay it during his military service.

Conscript's allowance can be claimed by the child's custodian. The conscript himself may also claim the amount of child support paid as conscript's allowance if he is the child's custodian. Please enclose a copy of the child support agreement or the court decision with the claim if the child does not receive child support. If the conscript has any earnings during the period of service, please enclose an account of the earnings with the claim. Further information about the conscript's allowance.

Updated 12/19/12