If you get divorced or separated

A child whose parents are divorced or separated is entitled to child support from the parent who does not live with the child. Kela can pay the custodial parent child maintenance allowance if the other parent does not pay child support or if the amount of the child support is smaller than the full child maintenance allowance paid by Kela.

Your application must be accompanied by a maintenance agreement confirmed by a child welfare officer or a court decision regarding child support. Obtain the necessary document before applying for the benefit.

OmaKela is only available in Finnish and Swedish. If you cannot use OmaKela, save the form Claim - Child maintenance allowance LU 1e (pdf) to your device and then fill in the application. Print out the form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

If you get divorced or separate from your partner, you can apply for a single-parent supplement to the child benefit. You can get this supplement even if you and the child's other parent have joint custody.

How can I apply for a single-parent supplement to the child benefit?

OmaKela is only available in Finnish and Swedish. If you cannot use OmaKela, save the form Application - Child Benefit LL 1e (pdf) to your device and then fill in the application. Print out the form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

If you receive child home care allowance or private day care allowance and are paid a care supplement, the amount of the care supplement depends on the size of your family and your family’s income. If you get divorced or separate from your partner, your allowance must be reviewed. Please inform us of any changes to the size of your family.

How can I apply for a review of my allowance?

Jos et voi käyttää OmaKelaa, tallenna kotihoidon ja yksityisen hoidon tuen lomakkeella WH 1 (pdf) laitteellesi ja täytä se tallentamisen jälkeen. Lähetä tulostettu lomake ja liitteet osoitteeseen Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

If the number of residents in your apartment or house changes, your general housing allowance or housing allowance for pensioners must be reviewed.

How can I apply for a review of my allowance?

OmaKela is only available in Finnish and Swedish. If you cannot use OmaKela, apply for a review of your housing allowance on one of the following forms:

• the form Application - General housing allowance AT 1e (pdf)
• the form Application - Housing allowance for pensioners AE 1e (pdf)

Send the form and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

Use an online calculator to estimate the amount of housing allowance available to you

Use one of the following calculators to see how much housing allowance you can get after the change in your family circumstances:

• general housing allowance calculator
• calculator for housing allowance for pensioners (in Finnish).

When you get student housing supplement, let us know if you separate from your partner. Notify Kela of changes that affect the housing supplement with an application for housing supplement in the OmaKela e-service.

The amount of social assistance depends on the income and assets as well as expenses of all family members. If you separate from your spouse or partner, your social assistance must be reviewed.

How can I apply for a review of my social assistance?

OmaKela is only available in Finnish and Swedish. If you cannot use OmaKela, save the form Application - Social assistance TO 1e (pdf) to your device and then fill in the application. Print out the form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

Use an online calculator to estimate the change in the amount of your social assistance. 

You get a larger national pension if you live alone. Apply for a review of your national pension if you are no longer married or cohabiting.

How can I apply for a review of my pension?

OmaKela is only available in Finnish and Swedish. If you cannot use OmaKela, save the form Application for review - National pension / Guarantee pension E285e (pdf) to your device and then fill in the application. Print out the form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

Child increase to pensions

If after the divorce or separation you no longer live in the same household as your child who is under the age of 16, you may no longer be able to receive the child increase to your pension. In such a situation, you must apply for a review of the child increase.

Save the form Application - Child increase for pensioners EV264e (pdf) to your device and fill it in. Print out the completed form and send it along with any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA. 

If a student lives with their parents and the parents separate, the amount of student financial aid available to the student may change. If your parents are divorced and you live with one of your parents, we will take into account the income of the parent you live with. Read more about how parental income affects student financial aid for students in upper secondary education and students in higher education.

You can also use our calculator to estimate how much student financial aid you could get (in Finnish or Swedish).

How can I apply for a review of my allowance?

OmaKela is only available in Finnish and Swedish. If you cannot use OmaKela, save the form Notification of changes - Financial aid for students OT 15e (pdf) to your device and then fill in the application. Print out the form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

If an adult lives with their parents and the parents separate, the separation may affect the adult child’s general social security benefit.

The amount of general social security benefit that the adult child can get is only affected by the income of the parent they live with. If one of the parents leaves the household, the adult child must report the change to Kela in their next unemployment status report.

If you have a child who cannot use OmaKela, they can save the form Unemployment status report YE 2e (pdf) to their device and fill it in. They should then print out the form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

If you separate from your spouse or partner, it may affect the amount of your conscript’s allowance.

How can I apply for a review of my allowance?

If you cannot use OmaKela, save the form Hakemus - Sotilasavustus SA 1 (pdf) to your device and fill in the application. Both OmaKela and the form are only available in Finnish and Swedish. Print out the form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.