Family Benefits in Estonia (Perehüvitised)

Family benefits are paid by the Social Insurance Board (Sotsiaalkindlustusamet) under the Family Benefits Act. They are residence-based: both the parent and the child must live in Estonia. A registered address or Estonian citizenship alone is not enough. For foreigners on a temporary residence permit, benefits are granted until the permit expires, and you must apply again after it is extended. In most cases you do not need to apply: after the birth is registered, an offer appears in the Board's self-service portal.

Monthly allowances (2026 rates)

• Child allowance (lapsetoetus): €80 a month for each of the first and second child, €100 for the third and each further child. It is paid until the child turns 19, or until the end of the school year in which a pupil without secondary education turns 19.
• Allowance for a family with many children (lasterikka pere toetus): €450 a month for a family with 3–6 children and €650 with 7 or more, paid while at least three children receive child allowance. One parent must receive child allowance for all three children.
• Single parent's child allowance: €100 a month.
• Allowance for multiple births of three or more children: €1,000 a month until the children are 18 months old.

Family allowances are paid on the 8th of each month for the same month.

One-off payments

• Childbirth allowance (sünnitoetus): €320 per child, €1,000 per child for triplets or more.
• Adoption allowance: €320.

Childcare

Every municipality must offer a place in a childcare group (lastehoid) for children aged 1.5 to 3 and in a kindergarten (lasteaed) for children aged 3 to 7 who live there, if a parent applies (Preschool Education Act). Apply to your municipality and give the start date you want. In a municipal kindergarten the parent fee may not be more than 20% of the minimum wage per child a month; parents pay for meals on top. Each municipality sets its own fee within that limit and may lower it, for example for families with several children.

There is also a supplementary pension contribution: the state pays an extra 4% of the average monthly income subject to social tax into the funded pension of one parent for each child under three, if that parent is in the funded pension.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Moving to Estonia from abroad: offers are not automatic. Contact the Social Insurance Board through its self-service portal or by e-mail.
• If the residence permit is extended, apply for family benefits again, or payments stop.
• With three or more children, check who receives the child allowance before the third child is born; changing it later can cost you payments for the first months.
• Tell the Board if a child stops studying during the school year; overpaid benefits must be returned.

Official guidance: Social Insurance Board: family benefit rates, Child allowance, Allowance for a family with many children, Preschool Education Act