Amount of the child home care allowance
The child home care allowance consists of a care allowance and a care supplement. Your home municipality (locality) may also pay a municipal supplement to your child care allowance.
Each year, Kela adjusts the child home care allowance with the index, which may change the amount of the allowance. The adjustment is made automatically. You do not have to do anything.
Care allowance
The care allowance is not affected by the family's income. Care allowance is paid separately for every child eligible for the allowance. The amount of the care allowance is
- €377.68 per month for one child under 3 years of age
- €113.07 per month for each additional child under 3 years of age
- €72.66 per month for each child over 3 years of age, but under school age.
If the sibling of a child under 3 years of age who is entitled to child home care allowance only attends pre-primary education, the care allowance for the sibling is paid at the full rate (€72.66 per month). No care allowance is paid if the sibling, in addition to pre-primary education, also attends early childhood education arranged by the municipality.
Care supplement
The care supplement depends on the size and gross income of the family. The maximum amount of the care supplement is €202.12 per month. It is paid for one child only. You can use an online calculator (in Finnish and Swedish only) to see the amount of benefit you are eligible for.
You get the full care supplement if your family's monthly income does not exceed an income limit determined by family size. Family size includes up to 4 people: 2 adults and up to 2 children under school age. A child for whom daily allowance for parents is paid or a child who attends school is not included in the number of people in the family.
The following also count as family income:
- the income of children for whom you are applying for child home care allowance or private day care allowance
- partial and flexible care allowance.
The care allowance and the municipal supplement do not count as income.
If you exceed the income limit, the care supplement is reduced by a specific percentage. If your family’s income exceeds the maximum limit, no care supplement is paid at all.
| Family size (number of people) | Gross income, full care supplement is paid | Reduction (%) | Income limit (gross) to receive no care supplement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | €1,160 per month | 11.5% | €2 917.53 per month |
| 3 | €1,430 per month | 9.4% | €3 580.16 per month |
| 4 or more | €1,700 per month | 7.9% | €4 258.42 per month |
Municipal supplement
The amount of and eligibility criteria for the municipal supplement vary depending on the municipality. All municipalities do not pay a municipal supplement. Kela pays the municipal supplement in connection with the child home care allowance, if Kela and the municipality have agreed on such a procedure. Contact your local authorities for further information about the municipal supplement. If the municipal supplement is paid by Kela, you can use an online calculator to estimate its amount.
Payment of the child home care allowance
Child home care allowance is paid to the parent or other legal guardian who mainly looks after the child. However, if the child is looked after by someone else, for example a grandparent, the allowance is paid to the applicant, i.e. the child’s parent or other guardian.
The allowance is paid monthly in arrears on the last business day of the month. The decision shows the first payment date of the allowance. The decision is sent to your home address and it can also be checked via the OmaKela e-service. Please note that our e-service is only available in Finnish and Swedish. Kela sends the data on child care allowances paid out to the national incomes register within five days of the date of payment.
Child home care allowance is not paid for periods shorter than one month. The allowance period does not have to start from the beginning of the month. The payment can also end midway through a calendar month, in which case the allowance for part of the month will be paid on the last day of the month.
The one-month minimum requirement can be fulfilled for example by adding up the periods for which child care allowances are paid to the mother or the father.
Payment of the child home care allowance ends, for instance, in the following situations:
- the family no longer has a child under 3 years of age
- the child begins to attend municipal early childhood education.
- the child starts school. Payment of the allowance for a child starting school will end by 31 July.
- the family moves abroad or the child is staying abroad. Learn more about the payment of family benefits to recipients outside Finland.