State family benefits are financed from the state budget and are paid to:

-Estonian permanent residents
-foreigners living in Estonia who have a temporary residence permit or right of residence.

The following family benefits are paid monthly:
-child benefit
-single parent child benefit
-allowance for a child in foster care or under guardianship
-allowance for large families

One-off family benefits are:
-birth allowance
-adoption allowance
-During the period of military or alternative service of a parent, an allowance for the child of a conscript or alternative service person is paid, which can be applied for together with state family benefits.

The state pays child support for all children until they reach the age of 19. When a child reaches the age of 19, child support continues to be paid only to young people without secondary education who are studying until they graduate or until the end of the current academic year – June 30 or August 31. Information about benefits is available on the Social Insurance Board website.

You do not need to apply for family benefits – if you have registered the birth of your child in the population register, you will find an offer of benefits in the Social Insurance Board's self-service portal within the following week.

Please check that your e-mail address is correct in the Social Insurance Board's self-service portal – you will receive a notification about the offer at your e-mail address.

If your family is entitled to family benefits for some other reason – for example, you have moved to Estonia from abroad with your family, adopted a child, taken a child into foster care, etc. – please contact the Social Insurance Board via the self-service portal or at [email protected] to receive an offer.

Please also read the article "Birth registration and choice of name" on the state portal.

Mothers working under an employment contract or a public service contract can apply for maternity benefit and the accompanying maternity leave of up to 100 calendar days. Mothers who are not working can apply for maternity benefit for a total of 30 calendar days from the birth of the child.

The father, mother's partner or same-sex parent who is not the mother of the child is entitled to paternity benefit and the accompanying paternity leave of up to 30 calendar days, which can be used from 30 days before the expected date of birth of the child until the child reaches the age of three.

The amounts of family benefits are listed on the website of the Social Insurance Board. Family benefits are paid on the 8th day of each month. If the date of the bank transfer falls on a public holiday or other day off, the payment date is considered to be the working day preceding the day off.

NB Parents of children born after 1 January 2013 can apply for additional contributions to the mandatory funded pension – the second pension pillar. For more information, see the article "Additional contributions to the funded pension".

If you have any questions about benefits and allowances, please call the Social Insurance Board's information line at 612 1360 or send an e-mail to [email protected].