The disability allowance at the basic rate is
EUR 110.49 per month
Disability allowance for children
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The disability allowance supports disabled and sick children under 16 in their daily lives.
Who can get disability allowance for persons under 16 years?
The disability allowance is available to children who need specific care, treatment or rehabilitation due to an illness or disability. This means that the right to the allowance is not determined simply on the basis of a medical diagnosis.
The child’s need for care, treatment or rehabilitation must be greater than usual among children of similar age for a period of at least 6 months.
Because each child’s situation is different regardless of any illness or disability they may have, Kela considers each case individually when determining whether to grant the allowance.
Disability allowance for persons under 16 years of age can be awarded to children who move to Finland on a permanent basis.
Children who move abroad temporarily, i.e. for a maximum of six months, may have the right to disability allowance from Finland also while living abroad.
If the family moves to an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, the child can get disability allowance for instance when the parents work for a Finnish employer or are insured in Finland as self-employed persons.
As a rule, the country that pays the parents’ illness-related benefits also pays the child’s disability allowance.
Kela’s Centre for International Affairs provides further information on the situations in which you can get disability allowance for for persons under 16 years.
The child must have a chronic disability or illness diagnosed by a doctor and a statement issued by a doctor about their health. The statement can be a medical statement BC (BC-lausunto) or one of the following:
- a medical record containing the equivalent information that covers the treatment period or a visit to an outpatient clinic
- a treatment and rehabilitation plan containing the equivalent information.
The child will also typically have an existing treatment relationship with a healthcare provider due to their illness or disability.
The right to the allowance and its amount are evaluated based on
- how much care, treatment and rehabilitation the child needs
- how demanding it is to provide care and treatment for the child.
The care of a child may be demanding and require commitment also in normal situations, depending on the child’s age and stage of development. Therefore, Kela always makes an assessment as to whether the need of care and treatment is related to illness or disability and whether it is greater than normal among children of similar age.
A child can need more than the usual amount of care and treatment for example
- in everyday activities, such as eating, dressing or washing
- in moving
- in seeing, hearing or speaking
- in social interactions, such as self-expression, playing, or relations to other people
- in the treatment of their illness.
The child may need rehabilitation as well as exercises at home that are part of the rehabilitation process. Rehabilitation can take the form of e.g. physical therapy, psychotherapy, speech therapy or occupational therapy.
The child may need more than the usual amount of support, guidance or supervision in their daily lives. The care, treatment or rehabilitation needed by the child can be arranged at home, in day care or at school. In day care or at school, the child can be appointed a personal assistant or receive special needs instruction.
How much is the disability allowance?
The disability allowance for persons under 16 years is paid at one of three rates depending on how much more than the usual amount of care, treatment and rehabilitation the child needs.
Kela determines the rate of the allowance based on the application you submit. You do not have to know beforehand what of rate of allowance to apply for your child.
It is available if the child needs care and treatment because of an illness or disability on at least a weekly basis.
The basic rate can be paid for example for
- a child who, due to a mental health or behavioural disorder (e.g. a neurodevelopmental syndrome such as ADHD), needs regular support, guidance and supervision in daily activities to a greater extent than children of the same age.
- a child who has completed the first year of primary school but wets themselves about three times a week over a period of at least six months despite treatment with medication or a bedwetting alarm pad
The middle rate of disability allowance is available for children who have a right to the basic rate and whose illness or disability causes additional expenses on a continuing basis.
It is available if the child’s need of care and treatment due to illness or disability is demanding or time-consuming every day.
Disability allowance at the middle rate is available for example for
- a child who, due to a mental health or behavioural disorder (e.g. a neurodevelopmental syndrome such as ADHD), needs a lot of support, guidance and supervision in daily activities that children of the same age normally do not need.
- a child with diabetes treated with insulin.
- a child with a developmental disorder whose disability is so severe that there is a need for daily, time-consuming assistance and guidance with daily activities.
If a child has the right to disability allowance at the basic rate and the illness or disability causes continuous additional expenses, the child may be awarded care allowance at the middle rate instead of the basic rate. These additional expenses are referred to as special expenses. The special expenses must each month amount to at least the disability allowance at the middle rate.
They can include e.g. out-of-pocket costs for medical care and medication. Loss of income, fees for rehabilitative day care, natural health products and costs of recreational activities do not count as expenses for purposes of the disability allowance.
It is available for children who have an illness or disability requiring demanding care and treatment nearly around the clock. The person providing care and treatment needs an intricate level of knowledge and experience, and the child is dependent on their caregiver almost around the clock.
Disability allowance at the highest rate is available for example for
- a child with severe hearing or vision loss.
- a severely autistic child who needs continuous supervision and guidance.
The effect of other benefits and income
The income of the child or the child’s guardians does not affect the amount of the allowance.
If the child receives care allowance or supplementary handicap benefit under the employment accident and motor insurance laws on the basis of the same illness or disability, this benefit is deducted from the disability allowance.
The same applies to corresponding benefits from abroad payable on the basis of the same illness or disability, as they are deducted from the disability allowance.
The disability allowance is tax-free income.
Payment
If banks are closed on the scheduled payment date, the allowance is paid on the nearest preceding banking day.
The guardians must agree which of them will apply and whose bank account the allowance will be paid into. The allowance is paid into the account specified by the guardian who makes the application.
A change of recipient (for example in a follow-up application) must be accompanied by the consent of the guardian to whom the allowance was paid previously.
The payment of the allowance is not affected by which guardian the child lives with.
The wellbeing services county can ask Kela to recognise it as the recipient of the disability allowance, in which case will be paid to the county.
How to apply for disability allowance for persons under 16 years
The disability allowance for persons under 16 years is granted to children. The application can be submitted on the child’s behalf by either guardian.
Apply for disability allowance for your child on the application form EV 258e (PDF). Use the same form if you are applying for a higher rate of allowance or applying for continued payment.
To make sure that the form functions properly, you need to use the latest version of Adobe Reader. It is available as a free download on the Adobe website (get.adobe.com). Read our instructions for technical problems.
- Save the blank form to your device. Do not fill in the form directly in the browser because some of the information may not be saved that way.
- Open the form with Adobe Reader and fill it in.
- After you have filled in the form, save it in PDF format. You do not have to sign the form.
- Send your application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) under Tee hakemus tai ilmoita muutoksista (Submit an application or report changes). Select Asioi toisen henkilön puolesta (Act on behalf of another person).
Send supporting documents in OmaKela by selecting Lähetä liite (Send a supporting document). Take photographs of the documents you are sending if they are not in a digital format. Necessary documentation:
- A medical statement BC or other equivalent medical documentation describing the child’s current health status. The statement must have been issued within the last approximately six months.
Go to OmaKela to see if Kela has made a decision on your application. You will also see how much you will get and when it will be paid. Please note that any guardian or legal representative of the child can view the decisions sent to the child as well as see all applications and other documents submitted via OmaKela. If supporting documents are missing from your application, you will get a reminder about that in OmaKela.
In OmaKela, you can also give consent for Kela to send you messages. This allows Kela to send messages about your child safely to OmaKela, where you can view them quickly in one place. This will help make your application process and other contacts with Kela quicker.
If you cannot use OmaKela, mail your application to Kela. Fill in the form and print it out. Remember to sign the form. Send the form together with any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
The decision notice is only in Finnish or Swedish. If you need help with something, you can call one of our English-language customer service numbers.
Apply for a disability allowance for persons under 16 years
Submit your application and supporting documents online.
Things to remember when you apply for disability allowance
Kela can award the allowance retrospectively for a maximum of six months.
If you do not submit a medical statement with your application, we will set a deadline for you to provide the required documents or information. If you cannot provide them by the deadline, you can call Kela to ask for an extension.
If you do not provide the document or information we have requested, we will have to turn down your application. We will review your application once you have provided the requested document or information.
If you are applying for continued payment, send the application and related supporting documents to Kela well in advance of the end of the payment period so that payment of the allowance is not interrupted. However, file the application for continued payment within six months of when the payment of the allowance ended. Please note that Kela will need the written consent of the guardian to whom the allowance was previously paid before payments can be switched to the other guardian.
Applications for a higher rate of allowance must also often be accompanied by a new medical statement.
Report changes that affect the disability allowance for persons under 16 years
Tell Kela as soon as possible of any changes in the child’s circumstances. The changes may affect the right to receive disability allowance.
Tell Kela if
- the child’s disability or health changes significantly
- the child’s need of care, treatment or rehabilitation is considerably reduced or increased
- the child moves abroad or returns to Finland
- the benefits that reduce the disability allowance or their amounts change.
If the circumstances change, you may have to re-apply for the allowance.
Read more about reporting changes.
If you do not report changes, you may be paid benefits you are not entitled to. In that case, the benefit will be recovered from you later. Read more about the recovery of overpaid benefits.
When the child turns 16
The payment of the disability allowance for persons under 16 years ends at the end of the month in which the child turns 16.
In some situations, they may qualify for disability allowance for adults (over age 16), but note that the qualifying conditions for that are different from those that apply to children. The right to the allowance is in all cases determined on the basis of a new application and an up-to-date medical statement.
Young persons born in 2008 or before may have a right to rehabilitation allowance for young persons.
If they are paid rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension, they may also be able to apply for care allowance for pensioners.
Read about the benefits young persons can get from Kela.
What else is going on in your life?
Consider getting an EU Disability Card
ou can use the EU Disability Card to show that you have a disability or long-term illness or that you need an assistant. The card can be used for example in public transport or when attending cultural and sports events.
Do you need interpreter assistance in your daily life?
If you have a hearing impairment, combined vision and hearing impairment or speech impairment, Kela can provide interpreter services to assist you in your daily life.
News
Age limits for disability benefits will change on 1 January 2027
The upper age limit for disability allowance for children will be raised to 18 years from the beginning of 2027. At the same time, the minimum age limit for disability allowance for adults and care allowance for pensioners will be increased to 18 years. Kela will provide more detailed information about the changes and their effects during the autumn.
Does your child’s chronic illness cause challenges in your daily lives?
If your child has a chronic illness or a disability, such as a severe allergy, a heart condition or behavioural issues, your child may have the right to disability allowance.