Maternity grant likely to rise by €40 from April

The maternity grant provides by the national social insurance institution-Kela is likely to increase by 40 euros from April next year, said Kela in a press release on Tuesday.

The government has proposed an increase to the maternity grant as part of the budget proposal for 2026. If Parliament approves the proposal, the maternity grant will increase as of April 1, 2026.

Parliament will take decision in December in this regard and Kela will issue a decision on the application in January 2026 at the earliest.

The maternity grant is provided either as a maternity package or a one-off payment and Kela grants it based on the due date of the baby.

If anyone is adopting instead, Kela grants the maternity grant based on the date on which the child was placed in the person´s care.

At present, Kela grants the maternity grant either as a one-off payment of EUR 170 or as a maternity package whose purchase value is EUR 170.

After the increase, if the due date is on 1 April 2026 or later or if the child adoption took place on 1 April 2026 or later, a one-off payment of EUR 210 or a maternity package and a one-off payment of EUR 40 will be given as the maternity grant.

But when the next edition of the maternity package will be available, people will get either a one-off payment of EUR 210 or a maternity package as maternity grant.

People can apply for the maternity grant if they have undergone a health check by a doctor or at a maternity and child health clinic before the end of the fourth month of pregnancy and the doctor or clinic has issued them a certificate stating that the pregnancy has lasted for at least 154 days.

People need to apply for the maternity grant no later than two months before the expected due date.

If anyone is about to adopt a child, the person cans apply for the maternity grant as from the date on which the adoption service has placed the child in their care and the application must be submitted within two months of this date.

The items in Kela maternity package, however, reduced significantly during the recent years.