Lapsilisä

Child benefit is governed by the Child Benefit Act (lapsilisälaki 796/1992). It is one of the oldest and simplest benefits in the Finnish welfare system: it is universal — paid for every child under 17 living in Finland, regardless of the parents' income, assets or employment.

The benefit is granted and paid by Kela. Unlike means-tested benefits such as basic social assistance or housing allowance, child benefit is not reduced by other family income and is not clawed back when income limits are exceeded.

Child benefit is tax-free — it is not counted in the income base of other Kela benefits or in taxation. It does not affect, for example, the amount of housing allowance or basic social assistance, even though formally it is part of the household's available funds.

The monthly amount of child benefit is graded by the order of the child. The 2026 amounts (per Kela's most recent figures) per month:

In addition, the single-parent supplement is about €73.30/month per child. A single parent is someone who does not live in a shared household with another adult — a cohabiting partner under the same roof removes entitlement to the supplement.

Children under 3 also receive the early-years front-loaded portion of child benefit, a small uplift on the regular amount up to age 3.

Child benefit can be received by a person who actually cares for the child. This is usually the parent, but it can also be a guardian, foster parent or another adult permanently caring for the child.

By default the benefit is paid to the mother, unless the parents have agreed otherwise. If the child's parents live in different households, the child benefit is paid to the parent with whom the child mainly resides according to the population register.

The child must reside permanently in Finland. Temporary stays abroad — for example a short holiday or student exchange — do not break entitlement. If the child moves abroad permanently, child benefit ends.

Child benefit ends at the end of the month in which the child turns 17. After that, the family's financial support is mainly continued by:

• Student aid — if the child continues studies in upper secondary or later in higher education.
• The child's own housing allowance and social assistance — if they move out on a low income.

Child benefit also ends if the child marries, begins to receive a national pension themselves or moves abroad permanently. The death of a parent does not interrupt child benefit; it transfers automatically to the other guardian or foster parent.

Child benefit is applied for only once after the child's birth or move to Finland. After that the benefit is paid automatically each month until the child turns 17 — no re-application is needed.

The application is made online in OmaKela. You will need the child's personal identity code, retrieved automatically from the population register, plus the applicant's personal identity code and bank-account number. No attachments are required — Kela checks the data directly with the population register.

Processing is usually fast, under two weeks. The benefit is paid at the start of the month for the previous month. Child benefit can be granted retroactively for at most 6 months, so a delay in applying does not necessarily mean lost money — but support older than that is not paid.

Child benefit is rarely a family's only Kela benefit. A typical family benefit mix consists of the following, complementary benefits:

• Child benefit — universal monthly support per child.
• Parental daily allowance — for about a year after the child's birth or adoption.
• Home-care allowance — after parental leave ends, when a child under 3 is cared for at home.
• General housing allowance — as rent support for a low-income family with children.
• Basic social assistance — as a last resort if the other benefits are not enough.

Several of these can be applied for in one go — Buronia helps to make them into one coherent set of applications where the data does not contradict between forms.