Maternity allowance
The maternity leave begins before the expected date of birth for your child. You can take a maternity leave 30-50 working days or about 5-8 weeks before the expected due date. You can choose when to start the leave.
Maternity allowance during the maternity leave
When your maternity leave starts you will begin to get maternity allowance from Kela. It is paid for a total of 105 working days, or about 4 months. Working days are Monday to Saturday, with the exception of official holidays.
When to start the maternity leave?
You can use the calculator linked below to check the start and end dates of your maternity leave. You will need this information when claiming maternity allowance.
Link to the calculatorInform your employer of your maternity leave at least 2 months before the leave starts. Find out if your employer will pay you a salary during the maternity leave. You will need this information when claiming maternity allowance. Apply for the maternity leave at the latest two months before the expected date of birth for your child. If you are paid a salary during the maternity leave, Kela pays the allowance to your employer.
Entitlement to the maternity allowance
You become entitled to the maternity allowance once you are 154 days into your pregnancy. You must have been covered by the Finnish social security system for at least 180 days immediately before the expected date of birth of your child. This residence requirement can also include time during which you have had health insurance coverage in another EU/EEA country or in Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Israel. If you move to Finland from another country, see the section Moving to Finland for more information.
If your child is born prematurely, you will get maternity allowance from the first working day following the birth of your child. Maternity allowance is usually paid for about 4 months. But the parental allowance, which is paid after the end of the maternity allowance period, is paid for longer than normal.
If a pregnancy is terminated, the mother is entitled to maternity allowance if the pregnancy lasted over 154 days (22 weeks of pregnancy).
After the maternity leave
After the maternity leave you can take a parental leave and get parental allowance. Alternatively, the father can take the parental leave, or you can divide it between yourselves.
After the parental leave you can take a child care leave and get child home care allowance. You can also return to work on a part-time basis and get flexible care allowance.