Finland no longer has leave called maternity or paternity leave: since the 2022 reform there is pregnancy leave and parental leave. Kela pays the parent giving birth pregnancy allowance for 40 working days, and after the birth each parent can get parental allowance for 160 working days, of which up to 63 can be turned over to the other parent or another carer. A single parent can use all 320 days, and the last possible day is the child's second birthday.

Maternity and paternity leave in Finland — what replaced them

The amendment to the Employment Contracts Act that introduced pregnancy leave and parental leave (Act 32/2022) came into force on 1 August 2022. Employees entitled to maternity, special maternity, paternity, or parental allowance under the earlier rules stayed under those rules. Under the reform's transition rule, a notice of maternity leave (äitiysvapaa) counts as notice of pregnancy and parental leave, and a notice of paternity leave (isyysvapaa) counts as notice of parental leave.

Under the current system, Kela pays pregnancy allowance (raskausraha) to the pregnant parent during pregnancy leave for a total of 40 working days. Working days are counted from Monday to Saturday, excluding mid-week holidays.

Once the child has been born, both parents are entitled to parental leave. If a child has two parents, each parent can get parental allowance for 160 working days. A parent can turn over at most 63 of these days to another person caring for the child. A single parent can use all 320 working days. In 2026 the minimum daily allowance, which also applies to the pregnancy and parental allowances, is EUR 31.99 per weekday (Monday to Saturday).

Pregnancy leave and the pregnancy allowance (the old maternity leave)

You can get pregnancy allowance if you are the parent giving birth and your pregnancy has lasted at least 154 days (22 weeks). To apply, you need a certificate of pregnancy (raskaustodistus), which you can request during an appointment at your local maternity and child health clinic (neuvola).

Under the Employment Contracts Act, pregnancy leave starts 30 working days before your expected due date. However, you and your employer can agree to postpone the start date, provided leave begins no later than 14 working days before the due date. Regardless of the actual date of birth, Kela pays the allowance for 40 working days.

Pregnancy allowance days must be taken consecutively and cannot be postponed. If you work on any of these days, Kela does not pay the allowance for those dates, but the days still count as used and cannot be saved for later. By law, the Employment Contracts Act does not allow work during the two weeks before the expected due date or the two weeks directly after the birth.

Pregnancy allowance is paid exclusively to the parent giving birth. The allocation is not increased or extended for multiple births or for single parents.

Kela's maternity grant is a separate benefit; see Kela benefits.

Parental leave and the parental allowance, full or part time (for both parents)

Parental allowance is paid to a parent who is the child's guardian, or to someone parental allowance days have been turned over to. You must be caring for a child under 2 and either stay off work or be unemployed, a student or a pensioner. Family structure does not affect your right to parental allowance.

The birthing parent can start receiving parental allowance immediately after the pregnancy allowance period ends. The other parent can begin receiving it from the child's date of birth at the earliest.

Kela can pay parental allowance flexibly, even for short periods or single days, and the last possible day is the day the child turns 2. If you are employed, agree the periods with your employer, who can limit parental leave to four periods of at least 12 working days each. When caring for the child, two people can receive pregnancy or parental allowance at the same time for at most 18 working days, which can be taken as consecutive or separate days.

Transferring days and multiple births

You can turn over up to 63 of your 160 working days to:

Only full days can be turned over, and you must make the transfer through OmaKela.

A single parent can use all 320 days, plus any extra days granted for premature births or multiples. A single parent may also turn over up to 126 of their 320 days to another carer. A child counts as having only one entitled parent if, for example, the other parent is not insured under the Finnish Health Insurance Act.

For a multiple birth, parental allowance is extended by 84 extra working days for each additional child. This gives parents 404 working days in total for twins (202 days per parent) and 488 working days for triplets (244 days per parent).

Partial parental allowance

You can receive partial parental allowance if you care for the child part of the day and work part-time for no more than 5 hours a day, whether as an employee or as a self-employed person. If you are an employee, you must have an agreement on part-time work with your employer before you can claim. Both parents can receive partial parental allowance for the same period without drawing on their 18 shared days.

Partial parental allowance is paid at half the full rate, and each partial day uses up half a day of your entitlement. For instance, taking 10 partial days consumes 5 days of your allowance balance.

How much you get and how it is calculated

Pregnancy and parental allowances are taxable benefits calculated on your annual income. Kela pays them for working days, running Monday to Saturday excluding weekday public holidays. If you claim allowances for the same child, Kela uses the same annual income figure throughout, meaning parental allowance following pregnancy allowance uses the exact same base.

Annual income is calculated using your earnings over the 12 calendar months preceding the calendar month before your allowance begins. Kela retrieves this wage data directly from the Incomes Register, so you do not need to report your earnings manually. If your new baby's due date is before your previous child turns 3, your allowances can be based on the same income that was used for your previous child; Kela checks automatically which is more favourable.

Payment formulas for 2026

In Kela's 2026 formula, your parental allowance rate is set according to these thresholds:

If your annual income is over EUR 10,664, you can get parental allowance at an increased rate for the first 16 working days, calculated with the higher formula below. Kela also pays the increased rate on days another parent has turned over to you. If you received pregnancy allowance first, the increased rate equals your pregnancy allowance.

Pregnancy allowance and the first 16 days of parental allowance use a higher calculation bracket:

Kela income examples

Kela's examples for wage income:

If you have no income, or your income is no more than EUR 13,712 a year, you may get the minimum parental allowance of EUR 31.99 per working day. For pregnancy allowance, this minimum threshold applies to incomes up to EUR 10,664.

Your employer — notice, pay, your job and child care leave

If you are employed, you must tell your employer about your pregnancy leave at least two months before it begins and agree on the start date. For parental leave, you must give two months' notice before the start of the leave period. If you are taking a short period of parental leave lasting no more than 12 working days, you must give at least one month's notice.

Your employer can limit parental leave to at most four periods of at least 12 working days each, unless your terms of employment say otherwise.

The law does not require employers to pay wages during family leave, though it does require employers to compensate pregnant employees for earnings lost during prenatal medical examinations that cannot be completed outside working hours. Employers often pay salary for the first weeks of pregnancy leave or family leave, but whether you are paid depends on your collective agreement. See employment rights in Finland for how collective agreements apply to your job.

When your family leave finishes, you have the right to return to your previous post. If that is not possible, your employer must offer you equivalent work under your contract, and failing that, other work under your contract.

An employer cannot terminate your contract due to pregnancy or the use of family leave. Any dismissal that occurs while you are pregnant or on leave is presumed to be because of the pregnancy or the leave unless the employer provides proof to the contrary. Terminations on financial and production grounds while an employee is on family leave are only permitted if the company's business operations cease entirely.

Extended and emergency care leave

Employees have the right to unpaid child care leave (hoitovapaa) until the child turns three. During this time, you can claim Kela's child home care allowance (kotihoidon tuki).

If a child under 10 suddenly falls ill, a parent can take temporary child care leave (tilapäinen hoitovapaa) of up to four days at a time. You must inform your employer as soon as possible. The employer has the right to request proof, such as a medical certificate. By statute, this emergency leave is unpaid, though your collective agreement may grant paid days.

If you have just moved to Finland

To receive parental allowance, you must live in Finland permanently or work here. If you are not a citizen of an EU country, EEA state, or Switzerland, you must also hold a valid residence permit. Before you can apply for any benefits, complete your first steps after moving by getting a Finnish personal identity code and a bank account.

When you move to Finland, you can usually qualify for Kela benefits from the day of the move if Kela considers you to live in Finland permanently, or if you work here. To qualify through employment alone, you must earn at least EUR 800.02 per month from that Finnish work.

If you relocate from an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, or the UK while receiving parental allowance from that state, your previous country typically continues paying the benefit until that award period expires. Once finished, Finland can pay allowance days if the Finnish statutory entitlement provides a higher total number of days, minus whatever duration you received abroad.

If you move to Finland with a child who is under one year old, the parents can qualify for up to 320 days in total. If your child is already one year of age or older when you arrive, the maximum total allowance is capped at 160 working days—providing 80 days per parent, of which at most 32 can be transferred.

How and when to apply

You submit benefit applications via the OmaKela online service, which operates solely in Finnish and Swedish. Alternatively, you can fill out English application form SV 15e and mail it by post to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA. Kela's decision on your application is only in Finnish or Swedish.

Keep to these deadlines when applying:

The birthing parent can submit their parental allowance claim prior to the delivery alongside their pregnancy allowance application. Other parents, spouses, and legal guardians must wait until after the child is born to apply. Each person claiming allowance days must submit their own individual application.

You do not need to wait for Kela's formal decision before stepping away from work; you may begin your leave as long as you have agreed the dates with your employer. If your employer pays your salary during the leave, the employer applies separately, and Kela pays the benefit directly to your employer for that paid window.

You cannot receive parental allowance while you are taking paid annual leave. If you take annual leave during parental leave, stop your parental leave and start a new parental allowance period after the annual leave.

After parental allowance ends, you can get child home care allowance if your child is under 3 and does not have a place in municipal early childhood education (daycare). Kela does not pay parental allowance and child home care allowance for the same child over the same time period.