You can now apply for partial care allowance for autumn 2026

Many families have a child who will start school in the autumn. You can get partial care allowance if you work 1–30 hours a week while caring for your child. All hours you work as an employee or as a self-employed person or under a service contract count as your working hours.

Agree on reduced working hours with your employer

You can get partial care allowance if you agree with your employer on a maximum of 30 hours of work per week due to your child care obligations. You must work in all the weeks for which you apply for partial care allowance. You cannot get partial care allowance if you do not work every week. Partial care allowance is not paid for periods that are shorter than one month. The allowance period does not have to start from the beginning of the calendar month.

Another option you have is to agree on partial care leave with your employer, but you can get partial care allowance even if you are not on care leave. You must agree on your leave with your employer at least 2 months before it starts.

Partial care allowance is paid starting from August

Kela can pay partial care allowance starting from 1 August in the year when the child starts school. You can get partial care allowance until the end of your child’s 2nd year of school on 31 July.

You can also get partial care allowance starting from 1 August when your child attends preschool if your child has been issued a decision on early enrolment in compulsory education or if your child starts school one year later than normal. However, you can get partial care allowance only for the one year of preschool that is included in your child’s compulsory education.

Kela may also pay partial care allowance until the end of your child’s 3rd year of primary education on 31 July if your child has been issued a decision on support measures for their schooling due to a disability, medical condition or impaired functional capacity.

The partial care allowance is EUR 108.15 per month. It is taxable income. Partial care allowance is paid to the same parent for only one child at a time even if there are several children eligible for the benefit in the family.

Both parents can be paid partial care allowance at the same time if they look after the child at different times. Partial care allowance can also be granted to a non-custodial parent.

Changing circumstances affect the partial care allowance

Partial care allowance can be paid at the same time as private day care allowance or if the child attends a municipal day care (early childhood education).

You cannot get partial care allowance if you

• are absent from work for a consecutive period of more than 4 weeks because you are on paid leave, on sick leave, on strike or laid off
• become incapable of work
• get partial sickness allowance
• get child home care allowance and look after the child yourself
• get daily allowances for parents at the same time
• get flexible care allowance. However, the other parent can get flexible care allowance for another child at the same time.
• have registered as an unemployed jobseeker.

You can apply for partial care allowance retroactively. It can be backdated for 6 months. Partial care allowance is not paid for periods that are shorter than one month.

More information
Partial care allowance