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Maternity allowance

The parental allowance system is being reformed - are you on the right page?

The information on this page applies to your family if:

the estimated due date of your baby is before 4 September 2022
you are adopting and the child will be placed in your care on or before 30 July 2022.

Click here for further information on parental allowances when the estimated due date of the baby is on or after 4 September 2022.

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 calculator

Inform 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).

Different types of families

Adoptive families

Multiple-birth families

The maternity allowance is not increased even if more than one child is born in the family at the same time. If the babies are born prematurely before the maternity leave begins, payment of the maternity allowance starts the day following the birth.

In the case of multiple-birth pregnancies, the mother usually goes on maternity leave earlier than mothers expecting only one baby.

Even if the pregnancy has been problem-free, a mother expecting twins or triplets usually goes on sick leave before her maternity leave begins. If you have to take sick leave during pregnancy, consult your terms of employment to see if the sick leave will be paid or unpaid. If it is unpaid, you can claim sickness allowance from Kela.

LGBT families

Stepfamilies

Single-parent families

Other situations during maternity allowance

Mother's illness

If you become ill and are unable to look after your child, the maternity allowance can, under certain circumstances, be paid to the father in the form of a parental allowance. The father can get parental allowance after a waiting period, which usually consists of the day on which you became ill and the following 9 working days. If paid to the father, the parental allowance does not reduce the mother's parental allowance entitlement following the maternity allowance. The father's parental allowance is based on his own income.

Study and work during the maternity leave

You can work during your maternity leave and receive a maternity allowance from Kela. The maternity allowance is paid at a minimum rate (EUR 29.05 per day) for the days on which you work. Working on Sundays or other holidays does not affect your maternity allowance, because it is only paid for working days (Mon-Sat).

Working means any gainful employment as well as such activities as

telecommuting from home or being on call or standby
working in a company owned by yourself or a member of your family
farming or forestry work
independent scientific work and holding an office of trust (one which is related to one's principal employment or comes with monetary compensation).
working as an informal or family caregiver

If you are a full-time student and get maternity allowance, it is paid to you at a minimum rate (EUR 29.05 per day) on top of any student financial aid you may receive. If you do not get financial aid and are not in paid employment, the maternity allowance is paid at its full rate.

If you start work or become a student, notify Kela immediately. This will ensure that you are paid maternity allowance correctly and that you will not need to pay any of it back. Access Kela's e-service to report the days on which you work, or call the customer assistance number for families with children. You need not tell Kela your salary information or about working on Sundays or other holidays.

If you are paid maternity allowance earlier than normal, you cannot work (except on Sundays or other holidays, because maternity allowance is not paid on those days), or study on a full-time basis.

Working during a paid maternity leave

If you work during the maternity leave and your employer continues to pay you a salary, the allowance to which you are entitled is paid at a minimum rate (EUR 29.05 per day) for the days on which you work. If you work for another employer, the allowance is paid at the minimum rate to the employer that pays you a salary during the maternity leave.

You may also have two employers who both pay you a salary during the maternity leave. If you perform work for one of them, the maternity allowance is paid at the minimum rate to the employer that you have not worked for.

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.