Financial support for families

Most of these benefits are applied for from Kela. Further information on Kela is available on the InfoFinland page Important authorities.

A prerequisite for most types of financial support is that you are covered by Finnish social security or that you have a Municipality of residence in Finland. Your child’s citizenship does not affect your entitlement to benefits. However, the parents’ residence permit may affect the financial benefits that the family can obtain.

You may have the right to receive benefits from your native country.

If you are covered by Finnish social security while you are staying abroad, you may receive some of the same benefits which you would be entitled to in Finland. Child benefit, maternity grant and daily allowance for parents, for example, are also paid abroad. For instance, if the mother moves to another EU/EEA member state or Switzerland for less than a year in the middle of her parental leave, she may continue to receive parental allowance. Notify Kela in every case if you are moving abroad permanently or will reside abroad for more than three months. More information is available on Kela’s website.