This chapter covers what you should know about family benefits (perehüvitised) in Estonia.

All permanent residents and foreign citizens living in Estonia based on a temporary residence permit or a temporary residence right have the right to claim child allowance.

Estonian citizens with a place of residence in more than one country have the right to claim this benefit if they qualify as permanent residents under §6.1 of the Income Tax Act, or if they qualify as permanent residents of Estonia under the Aliens Act or the Citizen of the European Union Act by residing in Estonia for at least 183 days a year.

If the whole family leaves Estonia, they must notify the Estonian National Social Insurance Board; the family will stop receiving child allowance from Estonia, and their new country of residence will be responsible for paying the allowance in accordance with the local legislation. To claim the allowance in their new country of residence, the family must contact the local competent authority.

For more detailed information, please visit: https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/rahvusvaheline-pere#Pereh%C3%BCvitiste%20maksmise%20reeglid%20Euroopa%20Liidus

In this chapter we cover:

• The child allowance (lapsetoetus);
• the childbirth allowance (sünnitoetus);
• the adoption allowance (lapsendamistoetus);
• the child care allowance (lapsehooldustasu);
• the single parent's child allowance (üksikvanema lapse toetus);
• the guardianship allowance (eestkostetava lapse toetus);
• the allowance for families with many children (lasterikka pere toetus);
• the allowance for multiple birth of three or more children (kolmikute või enamaarvuliste mitmike toetus)
• the so-called parental pension (nn vanemapension);
• the payments of social tax by the state for persons raising a child.

In what situation can I claim?

Child allowance is paid from birth until the child reaches 19 years of age. If the child becomes 19 years of age during an academic year, the allowance is extended until the end of the academic year.

You also have the right to claim the single parent child allowance (üksivanema lapse toetus) if there is no information on the father in the child's birth registration or among the information entered into the population register, or if a parent has been declared a fugitive.

Guardianship allowance (eestkostetava lapse toetus) may be claimed for a child who qualifies for child allowance if the child is in the care not of a parent but of a guardian.

The State pays family benefits for all children from birth the age of 19.

In addition to parental benefit and family allowance, the state supports one of the parents from the birth of the child until 3 years of age with a parental pension, meaning additional payments to pension pillar II.

Benefits paid through the Estonian National Social Insurance Board - childbirth allowance, adoption allowance, child allowance, child care allowance, single parent's child allowance, guardianship allowance, allowance for families with many children.

Maintenance allowance is an allowance paid by the state for a child whose parent is not fulfilling their maintenance obligation.

What conditions do I need to meet?

Child allowance is paid once a month to one of the parents.

The Estonian National Social Insurance Board must be informed, if:

• family allowances for the raising of the children are claimed from a different state;
• the guardianship ends;
• the paternity of a child who qualifies for the single parent's child allowance is established;
• the child claiming the single parent's child allowance is adopted;
• the child is detained at a custodial institution as a prisoner or detainee or is held under arrest;
• the person claiming the allowance is going through life changes that may affect the receipt of the allowance.

Childbirth allowance is a one-off benefit paid for a birth.

Adoption allowance is a one-off allowance paid to an adoptive parent of whom the child is not a biological descendant or step-child, where childbirth allowance was not paid to the family for the same child earlier.

A parent caring for a child is at first paid a parental benefit followed by a child care allowance after the expiry of the parental benefit period. This is a monthly allowance paid to one of the parents raising a child aged under 3 years, or to the person utilising the parental leave instead of the parent, and to one of the parents for each 3- to 8-year-old child being raised in the family. The allowance is not paid for children born after 1/09/2019.

The single parent’s child allowance is a monthly allowance that is paid if there is no information on the father in the child's birth registration or among the information entered into the population register, or if a parent has been declared a fugitive.

The allowance for families with many children is a monthly state family benefit paid to a parent, guardian or caregiver raising at least three children who receive child allowance.

The social tax is paid through the Estonian National Social Insurance Board for a parent, guardian or caregiver residing in Estonia and raising a child under the age of 3 years in Estonia for whom there is a written foster care contract, or for a person utilising the parental leave instead of the parent and raising a child under the age of 3 years in Estonia; for an unemployed parent residing in Estonia who is raising three or more children under the age of 19 who reside in Estonia, at least one of whom is under the age of 8; for the dependent spouse of an insured person who is raising at least one child under the age of 8 or an 8-year-old child until the end of the first grade or at least three children under the age of 16 and who do not qualify for state social tax payments on the grounds stated above; for a parent, guardian or caregiver with whom a foster care contract has been entered into, and who is raising in Estonia seven or more children under the age of 19 who live in Estonia.

Parental pension: for a child who was born on 1 January 2013 or later, a parent who has applied for additional contributions to the pension system may apply for additional contributions to pension pillar II. The right to apply for contributions is available for only one of the parents from the child's birth and until the child reaches 3years of age.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

Child care allowance

EUR 38.36 per month for each child of up to 3 years of age if the parent raises a child up to 3 years of age.

EUR 19.18 per month for each child between 3 and 8 years of age if the parent raises also a child between 3 and 8 years of age in addition to a child up to 3 years of age.

EUR 19.18 per month for each child between 3 and 8 years of age if the parent raises three or more children who receive child allowance in a family with three or more children.

The allowance is no longer payable for children born as of 1 September 2019. For children born before that date, allowance is paid until the entitlement expires, or until 31 August 2024 at the latest.

Parental pension

The State makes contributions to pension pillar II for one of the parents, the spouse of a parent, the guardian or a caregiver in a family equivalent to 4% of the national average wage for each child. If more than one person has the right to apply for the contributions, they must agree among themselves who is to exercise the right.

The application form is available from the client service of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board or the homepage of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board. Digitally signed applications may be sent via e-mail (info@sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee), via mail (to the regional client service office) or taken to a client service office of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board (may also be filled out in person).

To make your claim, please submit all of the necessary documents within 6 months of the commencement of entitlement to the allowance. If you submit the claim for the allowance at a later date, the monthly allowance will be determined retrospectively, but will not be backdated for more than 6 months.

Jargon busters

Guardianship arrangements are established for the care and rearing of a child; personal care and property maintenance rights are vested in the guardian.

The courts will determine the custody of a child whose parents are dead, missing or incapacitated, or whose parents' custody has been restricted/suspended, or who is not in the care of a parent for other reasons.

https://www.sm.ee/en/replacement-care

Foster care means care in a suitable family unrelated to the child where the carer has no maintenance obligation under the Family Law Act. Foster care is provided under a written agreement between the rural municipality or city government and the caregiver.

A foster care contract is generally entered into when a child cannot be adopted or a guardian cannot be appointed:

https://www.sm.ee/en/replacement-care

Forms you may need to fill in

To apply for child allowances you must contact a client service office of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board, and submit the following:

• Standard application;
• The applicant's passport or identification card (ID-card);
• A document declaring a parent to be a fugitive (when claiming single parent child allowance);
• The guardianship appointment order or the foster care contract (when claiming child allowance for a child under guardianship or in foster care);
• Original documents must be submitted when claiming allowances.

Applications for family allowances can also be submitted in electronic form through the State portal:

https://www.eesti.ee/eng/services/citizen/perekond_1/vanemahuvitise_peretoetuste_ja_kogumispensioni_sissemaksete_taotlemine

And to apply for family benefits:

• a standard application and the applicant's passport or identity card (ID-card);
• a certificate from the employer indicating the duration of parental leave and the name of the child (upon application for child care allowance, if one of the parents is on parental leave or if a person other than a parent is using the parental leave);
• a court order concerning the adoption (upon application for adoption allowance);
• a document declaring a parent to be a fugitive (upon application for single parent’s child allowance);
• a judgment on the establishment of guardianship or a foster care contract (upon application for foster care allowance);
• a certificate from a social welfare institution or a school for children with special needs (upon application for start in independent life allowance).

Original documents must be submitted with applications for family benefits.

An application for family benefits may also be submitted electronically through the State portal

https://www.eesti.ee/eng/topics/citizen/perekond/riigi_rahaline_abi_lastega_peredele/pere_ja_lastetoetused

The application form is available at the client service offices of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board (addresses and opening hours of the client service offices can be found on the homepage).

• https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/iseteenindus/blanketid#Pereh%C3%BCvitiste%20blanketid ;
• https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/organisatsioon-kontaktid/ska-klienditeenindused.

Know your rights

• Payment procedures for European Union family benefits, if one or both parents reside(s) in a foreign state

https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/rahvusvaheline-pere#Pereh%C3%BCvitiste%20maksmise%20reeglid%20Euroopa%20Liidus

• Payment of family benefits to families raising disabled children

https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/lapsed-ja-pere/kui-pere-elab-voi-tootab-euroopa-liidus#Puudega%20lapse%20toetus

• Deadlines for the bank transfers

http://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/pensionide-toetuste-ja-huvitiste-pangaulekannete-tahtajad

• Parental benefit

https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/en/kinds-family-allowances#Parental%20Benefit

• Payment of social tax by the state for persons raising children
• https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/en/supplementary-contributions-mandatory-funded-pension-and-health-insurance

• Payment procedures for family benefits where one or both parents reside in a foreign State

https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/avaleht/sotsiaalkindlustus-euroopa-liidus

• Allocation of family benefits for unemployed persons and persons on parental leave

https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/sotsiaalkindlustus-euroopa-liidus

• Maintenance allowance

https://www.eesti.ee/eng/services/citizen/perekond_1/elatisabi_taotlemine

Publications and webpage of the European Commission

• https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=849&langId=en 

Who do you need to contact?

The Estonian National Social Insurance Board has 17 client service offices across Estonia that deal with requests and applications in person, as well as via mail.

The Estonian National Social Insurance Board can also be contacted by telephone.

Information is available on telephone number 16106 (in Estonia) or +372 612 1360 between the hours of 9:00-17:00 on all working days and the general phone numbers of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board's offices (please see

https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/organisatsioon-kontaktid/ska-klienditeenindused

Visit us at our regional offices on any working day (please see

https://www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/et/organisatsioon-kontaktid/ska-klienditeenindused

Applications submitted electronically must be digitally signed.