How other benefits affect the child home care allowance

Other benefits available from Kela may affect the amount of the child home care allowance (care allowance and care supplement). Use an online calculator to see how other benefits affect the child home care allowance.

Any family benefits from foreign sources may also affect the allowance.

How daily allowances for parents affect the care allowance

Child home care allowance cannot be granted for a child for whom daily allowances for parents is paid. Parents may be paid care allowance and daily allowances for parents at the same time if the care allowance paid for other children in the family who are under school age is larger than the amount of the daily allowance for parents. In that case, the child home care allowance consists of the difference between the two amounts.

In practice this is the case only if the daily allowance for parents is small and if the parents have several children under school age who do not attend municipal early childhood education or day care subsidised by means of the private day care allowance.

Depending on income, the care supplement can, however, be paid at the same with daily allowance for parents.

Child care allowance is not paid for periods shorter than one 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.

How paternity allowance affects the care allowance

Paternity allowance is only available to families with an estimated due date before 4 September 2022 or who took in an adoptive child before 31 July 2022.

Paternity allowance paid during the maternity or parental allowance period (maximum of 18 days) does not affect the care allowance. However, child home care allowance allowance cannot be paid while the father receives paternity allowance for the same child following a period of parental allowance.

Parents may be paid child care allowance and paternity allowance at the same time if they are paid child care allowance for other children under school age, and the total amount of such allowances is more than the amount of the paternity allowance. In practice this is the case only if the paternity allowance is small and if the parents have several children under school age who are not in municipal day care or day care subsidised by means of the private day care allowance. Use an online calculator to estimate if you can receive the allowances at the same time.

A father who is responsible for the care of a child but is not married or living together with the child’s mother is entitled to a paternity allowance. The father does not have to be living with the child, but he must be caring for him or her during his paternity leave. If a non-resident father receives paternity allowance after the period of parental allowance, the child’s mother will not receive child home care allowance for this period for the same child.

Effect of student financial aid on child home care allowance and vice versa

Financial aid for students does not affect the child home care allowance, but the child home care allowance counts as income for purposes of monitoring the income of financial aid recipients. The income limit for student financial aid depends on the number of months for which you take out financial aid.

How child home care allowance affects unemployment benefits

If you receive an unemployment benefit, the child home care allowance paid to you or your spouse/partner is deducted from the unemployment benefit. However, child home care allowance is not deducted from the unemployment benefit if one of the parents receives child home care allowance and the other is fully unemployed. When you apply for child home care allowance, Kela determines how it will affect any unemployment benefits you may receive. If you or your spouse or partner receive earnings-related unemployment allowance, you should contact your unemployment fund to find out how exactly the child home care allowance will affect the unemployment allowance.

Child home care allowance and private day care allowance at the same time

Families with more than one child can be paid child home care allowance and private day care allowance at the same time, provided that they are paid for different children. Both allowances at the same time are not available for one and the same child. Use an online calculator (in Finnish) to see which benefits you can get for your child and how much they are.

How other benefits affect the care supplement

Care supplement can be paid in the normal manner if the family's total gross income does not constitute a hindrance for payment of the supplement. The amount of the care supplement is affected by, for instance,

• daily allowance for parents
• sickness allowance
• unemployment allowance.

In the case of daily allowances for parents, only the difference between the daily allowance for parents and the care allowance counts as income.