How to claim maternity grant

  1. You can claim maternity grant online (available in Finnish and Swedish only). Log on to the eServices using your online banking codes. Alternatively, you can complete and print out the application Parental benefits for mothers (SV 9e) and post it to any Kela office.
  2. Enclose with the application a certificate showing that the pregnancy has lasted 154 days and that you have had a medical examination before the end of the fourth month of pregnancy. You will get a pregnancy certificate from your doctor or the antenatal clinic.
  3. Adoptive parents must also enclose a certificate showing that the child has been identified to be placed with the adoptive family (SV94).
  4. Residents of the Åland Islands apply for maternity grant from their own municipality.
  5. Kela will send you the maternity package by post. If you have opted for the maternity grant in cash, it will be paid into your bank account.

Application period

The grant must be claimed no later than 2 months before the estimated date of delivery. You can check in eServices (available in Finnish and swedish only) whether your application has been granted and when the benefit will be paid.

Updated 12/12/12