Do these first

• Single parent: check in OmaKela that you receive the single-parent supplement to child benefit, 73.30 € a month for each child. If you do not, apply for it from Kela.
• Child support is not paid: apply for child maintenance allowance as soon as the payment is one month late. It can only be backdated by 3 months.
• Your income has fallen: ask your municipality to review your early childhood education fee. For a low-income family the fee can be 0 €.
• You cannot cover rent or food: apply to Kela for housing allowance and social assistance. If you run out of food today, see food aid and emergency help.
• You cannot cope at home any more: ask your wellbeing services county for home help for families with children. The numbers are at the end of the page under Numbers by wellbeing services county.

Child benefit and other Kela benefits

Child benefit

Child benefit is paid for every child under 17 until the end of the month in which the child turns 17. It is tax-free and paid on the 26th of each month. The amount depends on how many children there are in the family. Child benefit will not rise in 2027.

• 1st child: 94.88 € a month
• 2nd child: 104.84 € a month
• 3rd child: 133.79 € a month
• 4th child: 173.24 € a month
• 5th and each further child: 192.69 € a month
• For a child under 3, an extra 26 € a month is paid until the end of the month in which the child turns 3.
• Single-parent supplement: 73.30 € a month for each child you receive child benefit for.

If the parents live at different addresses, child benefit is paid to the parent the child lives with unless the parents agree otherwise. Kela's English-language service for families is 020 634 2550, weekdays 9–16.

Disability allowance for children

If your child needs more care, guidance or rehabilitation than usual for at least six months because of an illness or disability, apply for disability allowance for children. The parents' income does not affect it. From 1 January 2027 it can be paid until the child turns 18; the current upper age limit is 16. The amounts in 2027 are 112.99 €, 263.67 € or 511.27 € a month. More on the disability allowance and special care allowance is in the family caregiver's guide.

When child support is not paid: maintenance allowance

Kela pays child maintenance allowance when the child does not receive child support from the other parent. The full allowance is 197.71 € a month for each child in 2026, and it rises on 1 January 2027 in line with the cost-of-living index. It is tax-free and paid on the 10th of each month until the child turns 18.

When you can get maintenance allowance

• The other parent has not paid child support by the due date, and at least one month's support is unpaid. Kela then pays the full allowance and collects the child support from the parent who has not paid.
• Child support has been set lower than the maintenance allowance because the other parent cannot afford more. Kela pays the difference.
• Under the maintenance agreement or decision, the other parent does not have to pay any child support at all because they cannot afford it.
• No other parent has been legally established for the child, or you adopted the child on your own.

Apply for maintenance allowance in OmaKela or with a paper form. If child support has not been paid, attach the original maintenance agreement or decision. The allowance can be backdated by up to 3 months, so apply as soon as a payment is missed.

Child home care allowance and early childhood education fees

Child home care allowance

If you look after a child under 3 at home and do not use municipal early childhood education, you can get child home care allowance from Kela. It can be paid once the child is over six months old and parental allowance is no longer paid for the child. The amounts stay the same in 2027.

• Care allowance: 377.68 € a month for one child under 3.
• Sibling supplement: 113.07 € a month for each other child under 3, and 72.66 € a month for each other child under school age.
• Care supplement: up to 202.12 € a month depending on family income. A family of three gets the full care supplement if its gross income is at most 1,430.05 € a month. No care supplement is paid when income is 3,580.16 € or more.
• Municipal supplement: some municipalities pay an extra supplement on top of the allowance. Ask your municipality.

Child home care allowance is taxable and paid on the last banking day of the month. If you work shorter hours, you can get flexible care allowance for a child under 3 (269.24 € or 179.49 € a month depending on your hours) or partial care allowance for a child in year 1 or 2 at school (108.15 € a month).

The early childhood education fee can be 0 €

The fee for municipal early childhood education depends on family size and gross income. From 1 August 2026, the full-time fee for the youngest child is at most 335 € a month. For the second child the fee is at most 40 %, and for each further child 20 %, of the youngest child's fee. Fees under 32 € are not charged.

The fee is 10.7 % of the part of the family's gross income that exceeds the income limit below. If your income is under the limit, no fee is charged. For example, a single parent with one child and a gross income of 3,000 € a month pays nothing for early childhood education.

• 2 people: income limit 4,369 € a month
• 3 people: 5,635 €
• 4 people: 6,399 €
• 5 people: 7,163 €
• 6 people: 7,925 €, and the limit rises by 295 € for each further child under 18.

• Report your income to the municipality. If you do not, you will be charged the highest fee.
• Child benefit, child home care allowance and housing allowance do not count as income for the early childhood education fee.
• Tell the municipality when your income falls. The fee is reviewed when the family's income or size changes significantly.
• Ask for a reduction or waiver. By law, the fee must be waived or reduced if it would put the family's livelihood at risk. This must be decided before social assistance, so apply to the municipality in writing.

When you are expecting or have a small baby

• Maternity grant: choose the maternity package or 210 € in cash if the due date is 1 April 2026 or later. The cash is tax-free. You get the grant once the pregnancy has lasted at least 154 days and you have had a check-up at a maternity clinic or with a doctor before the end of the fourth month of pregnancy. Apply no later than two months before the due date. Twins get three grants.
• Pregnancy allowance: the birthing parent gets pregnancy allowance for 40 working days before the birth.
• Parental allowance: 320 working days are paid for one child. Each parent gets 160 days and can transfer up to 63 of them to the other parent. A single parent can use all 320 days. The days must be used before the child turns 2. Apply no later than 2 months after the start of each period of leave.
• Minimum amount: if your income has been low or you have had no income, you get the minimum amount of 31.99 € per working day. It will not rise in 2027.
• The maternity and child health clinic (neuvola) is free. You can also ask there about money worries and coping.

When money runs out: housing allowance and social assistance

General housing allowance

A low-income family can get general housing allowance from Kela towards rent or the housing costs of an owner-occupied home. It covers at most 70 % of acceptable housing costs, and the income of everyone living in the household is taken into account.

Basic social assistance from Kela

Social assistance is a last-resort benefit. Kela adds up the family's income and acceptable expenses, and the assistance covers the difference. The basic amounts of social assistance from 1 January 2027:

• Single parent: 680.29 € a month
• Child aged 10–17: 427.11 € for the eldest, 397.53 € for the second and 367.95 € for the third and each further child
• Child under 10: 384.51 € for the first, 354.94 € for the second and 325.36 € for the third and each further child

Child benefit, the single-parent supplement, maintenance allowance and child support all count as family income in social assistance. In addition to the basic amount, expenses such as rent, electricity, healthcare costs, early childhood education fees and reasonable costs of meeting your child can be accepted. Kela's English-language service for social assistance is 020 634 2550, weekdays 9–16.

Supplementary and preventive social assistance from your wellbeing services county

Your wellbeing services county can grant supplementary or preventive social assistance for costs that Kela's assistance does not cover. These can include a child's hobby, an unexpected expense or a situation where the family is at risk of falling into a spiral of problems. It is discretionary and you apply for it through the social services in your area. Managing your finances and debt advice are covered on the Money when times are tight page.

Help from your wellbeing services county: home help and social guidance

Under the Social Welfare Act, a family with children has the right to home help when it is necessary for the child's wellbeing, for example because of illness, childbirth, disability or a special family or life situation. A home help worker can help with childcare and everyday tasks. Home help is a social welfare service. You can ask for it yourself, and it does not require the family to be a child welfare client.

• Home help: the fee depends on the family's income. It can be reduced or waived if the family's finances require it.
• Family work and social guidance: help with daily routines, parenting and managing money.
• Family counselling clinic (perheneuvola): free help with a child's growth and development and with conflicts in the family.
• Child welfare supervisor (lastenvalvoja): free agreements on child support, custody and contact.

You can reach all of these by calling the family services advice line in your wellbeing services county. The numbers are at the end of the page under Numbers by wellbeing services county.

What is free for children

• The maternity and child health clinic (neuvola) during pregnancy and until the child starts school.
• Health centre outpatient services and oral healthcare for under-18s.
• Pre-primary education in the year before school starts.
• Basic education, learning materials and school meals. School transport is provided if the journey is over 5 kilometres or too difficult or dangerous for the child.
• Upper secondary education for those in compulsory education: books, materials and equipment in general upper secondary school or vocational education are free until the end of the year in which the young person turns 20.
• The library, and often also municipal youth centres and school clubs.

Material aid, hobbies, holidays and Christmas

Ask about the Hyvä Joulumieli card directly from the public health nurse at the child health clinic or school, or from a social worker. The number of cards is limited. You can also buy and sell second-hand items on HimaKirppis.

When you cannot cope

Numbers by wellbeing services county

The family services advice line directs you to home help, family work, the family counselling clinic and the child welfare supervisor. The numbers were checked on the counties' own websites in November 2026. Helsinki arranges its services itself, and the West Uusimaa wellbeing services county also covers Espoo. Service is mainly in Finnish. In an emergency anywhere, call 112.