Recovery of child support debt
If the person liable for maintenance has not paid child support and Kela pays child maintenance allowance for the child as a result, the unpaid child support payments will be transferred to Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre for recovery. The child support payments that Kela recovers are called child support debt.
If you have child support debt, Kela will send you a letter with information about your child support debt and the amount of any child support that may fall due and instructions for payment.
If you cannot pay the entire debt at once, you can propose a payment plan
If you cannot pay the entire amount of child support debt at once, you can propose a payment plan.
You can submit your proposed payment plan by sending a message in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish). Select Liikamaksu- ja takaisinperintäasiat (Overpayment and recovery) as the subject (aihe) of your message and Elatusapuvelan maksusuunnitelma (Payment plan for child support debt) as the specification (tarkenne).
If you cannot use OmaKela, you can call Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre at 020 634 4940. You can also mail a paper copy of your proposed payment plan by post to Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre, PL 31, 00056 KELA.
The instalments you propose for your payment plan must cover both upcoming child support payments and a payment toward the debt. Kela will decide whether the payment plan you have proposed can be accepted.
Check the details of your recovery matters in the OmaKela e-service
You can use the OmaKela e-service to check how much is being recovered from you and the due date and payment details. You can also check the details of your debt repayment and the status of the recovery process.
Unpaid debt will go to collections
If you do not pay the amounts we are recovering from you by their due dates or if you do not agree on a payment plan with us, we will have to refer your debt to collection through an enforcement order. You will not receive any separate notice about this.
Pay your child support debt directly to Kela as instructed
Any child support payments you make directly to the child or to the other parent during the recovery process will not reduce the amount of your child support debt.
The amount of child maintenance allowance and child support are linked to the cost-of-living index, which is reviewed annually. You must make sure to pay the correct amount of child support. We will not separately inform you of how much child support you have to pay in each year. However, if you visit the OmaKela e-service after the middle of December, you can see the amount you will have to pay in the following year.
You can apply to be exempted from payment in certain circumstances
If your child support debt is being recovered by Kela and you cannot pay it due to temporary financial difficulties, you can apply to be exempted from paying the share of child support debt that is owed to the state. If Kela grants you the exemption, Kela will not recover its own share of your child support debt from you, but you will still have to pay the share that is owed to the child. Kela can grant you the exemption for past calendar months in which you have outstanding payments of child support.
You can apply for the exemption if you have a low income and you are unable to pay due to circumstances beyond your control.
You can apply for the exemption only for months that have already passed, not for future payments.
In order to qualify for an exemption from paying child support debt, your inability to pay must be due to circumstances beyond your control. The reason for your inability to pay can be for instance
- unemployment
- inability to work
- full-time study
- parental leave
- absence from work due to caring for a sick child and the resulting right to special care allowance
- participation in rehabilitation
- serving a prison sentence
- performing compulsory military or non-military service
- receiving an old-age pension.
The reason for your inability to pay must have been in force throughout the month for which you apply for an exemption from payment. If you have long-term financial difficulties and cannot make the child support payments, it may be necessary to change the confirmed amount of child support. If you have any questions about the amount of child support, please contact a Child Welfare Office in your wellbeing services county.
You can apply to be exempted from paying your child support debt if your income is small and you are unable to pay due to circumstances beyond your control.
You can be exempted from payment in 2025 if your income before taxes is EUR 1,338.86 per month or less. The income limit is increased by EUR 334.72 for each child under 18 in your care, with the exception of children for whom child maintenance allowance has been granted. Your partner’s children do not affect the income limit. In 2024, the income limit is EUR 1,324.57 per month and the increase to the income limit EUR 331.15 for each child.
Income that will be taken into account
All earned income and capital income as well as social security benefits count as income in connection with the exemption from payment. Income is taken into account at its gross amount (before taxes) for the calendar month in which it is paid. Income that will be taken into account:
- salary, wages and fringe benefits
- capital income
- social security benefits (such as unemployment allowance minus the child increase, child benefit and general housing allowance, which is counted as income for the parent liable for maintenance if this parent is living in same household as the recipient of the housing allowance)
- insurable earned income under the Self-Employed Persons' Pensions Act (YEL) or the Farmers' Pensions Act (MYEL).
What is the duration of the payment exemption?
We can grant you an exemption from paying your child support debt for at least one calendar month and up to one year.
You can apply for the exemption only for months that have already passed, not for future payments. You can apply for the exemption for the current month at the earliest on the first day of the following month.
Kela can grant you an exemption from payment that predates the date of application by more than one year for a particularly compelling reason. Forgetting or not knowing the application deadline are not particularly compelling reasons.
How to apply for an exemption from paying child support debt
You can apply for an exemption from paying child support debt in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) or by sending us a completed form by post. Your only option is to apply with the form if you are applying for a payment exemption retroactively for a period of over one year or if your application concerns a period of time for which Kela has already once processed your application.
If you apply for the exemption with the form, save the application form Exemption from payment of child support debt LC 1e (PDF) to your device and fill it in after saving it. Print out the completed form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre, Kela, PL 31, 00056 KELA.
You can also apply for the exemption by calling Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre at 020 634 4940.
Kela gets information on your earned income and benefits paid to you from the Incomes Register. We use this information when we process your application. Kela may ask you for further information.
Once Kela has processed your application and issued a decision, you can view it in OmaKela. You will also get a copy of the decision by post unless you have opted out of paper mail.
Frequently asked questions about the repayment of child support debt
You can repay your child support debt at a faster rate than agreed in the payment plan. You do not need to tell Kela about it separately. However, you have to make sure you pay at least the amount agreed in your payment plan each month.
When you make extra payments, you should use the same payment details as when making the agreed instalment payments. You can look up the payment details in the OmaKela e-service.
Kela cannot postpone the recovery of child support debt in any circumstances.
If you cannot pay the whole amount by the due date, you can propose a payment plan to Kela.
Once you have paid off your debt, you can request a certificate stating that you have paid off your debt from Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre by sending a message in the OmaKela e-service. Select Liikamaksu- ja takaisinperintäasiat (Overpayment and recovery) for this. You can also ask us to send the certificate directly to the credit information companies.