Support for home care and private care

Support for home care
When choosing home care, parents are entitled to home care allowance if the family has a child under 3 years old and is cared for at home by one of the parents. Care allowance can be paid for other siblings under school age of a child under 3 years old who is cared for at home. In addition, the family can receive a performance-related care supplement. Payment of the allowance ends at the latest when the youngest child in the family turns 3 years old. Home care allowance is applied for using Kela form WH 1.

Home care support cannot be received for a child who uses municipal early childhood education services. If the municipal care place is not terminated, for example during the summer holidays, there is no right to home care support. 

Partial care allowance is paid when a parent reduces their working hours to a maximum of 30 hours a week to care for a child under the age of 3. The child can then be in either municipal or private early childhood education.

More information https://www.kela.fi/kotihoidontuki

Private care support
You can receive private care support if your child is cared for by a paid caregiver or a private early childhood education provider. The child must be under school age. Support cannot be received if the child is in municipal early childhood education.

You can receive private care allowance after parental allowance has ended. The allowance is paid at the earliest from the beginning of the month in which the child turns 9 months old.

Private childcare support includes childcare allowance and childcare supplement.                      

Private care allowance can be applied for by one of the child's parents or another guardian. However, Kela always pays the allowance directly to the private caretaker or early childhood education provider. Private care allowance is taxable income for the early childhood education provider, but not for the family applying for the allowance. The allowance is applied for from Kela using form WH2.

More information https://www.kela.fi/yksityisen-hoidon-tuki

 

A caregiver hired by the family to care for the child at home

A guardian can arrange for the child's care by hiring a caregiver to live in their own home. Several families/guardians can also arrange group care together, where the children of several families are cared for by one and the same caregiver on alternating weeks in the families' homes. The municipality supports the hiring of a caregiver in the form of private care allowance. Kela handles the payment of the allowance directly to the caregiver.

When a caregiver works in the home of a family with a child, the child's parents are the employer and take care of the employer's statutory obligations and payments, as well as supervising the activities. The municipality's role is to determine the conditions for paying private care allowance. Kela needs the municipality's approval for paying private care allowance.

Hiring a caregiver

When a guardian hires a caregiver for their home, the child's parents search for and choose a suitable person themselves. The guardian can hire the caregiver alone or together with another family. You can apply for private care support from Kela to hire a caregiver. 

Requirements for hiring a caregiver

It is required that,

  • the caregiver is at least 18 years old

  • the caregiver is not a family member and does not live in the same household as the family

  • the applicant for support (parent) lives in the same household with the child/children

  • the caregiver's criminal record has been investigated

  • the caregiver is hired for a nursing position (must be stated in the employment contract)

  • the employment contract has been concluded for at least one month

  • There must be a justification for a fixed-term contract.

  • neither parent is on parental leave for the child for whom support is being applied for (note: paternity leave)

  • A caregiver can care for a maximum of four children under school age and one child receiving preschool education or who has started basic education.

 

You can find more information From Kela's website.

Drawing up an employment contract

The guardian/employer and the caregiver draw up a written employment contract, which must include:

  • caregiver information (name, personal identification number, address, telephone number)

  • family information (guardian's name, address, phone number)

  • the period for which the employment contract has been concluded (at least one month)

  • notice

  • job duties, working hours and salary

  • signature of both parties (caregiver and family representative).

     

Cooperation meeting with the supervisory authority

Once the guardian/employer has found a caregiver, the guardian agrees early childhood education and teaching service guidance a meeting with both the employer and the employee.

You must attend the meeting with a completed form.

 

At the meeting, the employee must prove their identity. At the meeting, they will fill out Contracted caregiver form (Pdf). After the meeting, the family submits the application to Kela WH1 ja WH2 forms and the caregiver's tax card for payment of the allowance. Kela sends the decision on the payment decision to the parties concerned. Kela pays the private care allowance, including any municipal supplements, directly to the caregiver and deducts withholding tax from this portion. The family is responsible for withholding tax on the portion between the allowance and the care fee.

The municipality maintains a list of employed carers hired by families. The employer is responsible for supervising and training the carer. As the employer, the family asks the carer to show criminal record check and clarifies and takes care of their employer obligations, which include withholding tax on the family's share of the salary and paying statutory employer obligations from the caregiver's entire salary (social security contributions, pension insurance, accident insurance, unemployment insurance contributions). Statutory employer obligations account for approximately 20% of the salary.

Online tips

www.palkka.fi Payroll software for small employers

www.työsuojelu.fi Information on employment matters, collective bargaining legislation and collective agreements, as well as forms regarding employment relationships

Continuation of a nurse's employment contract

If the fixed-term employment relationship of a family-employed caregiver is continued within the same family, the guardian/employer and the caregiver must conclude a new employment contract, which the guardian will submit. for teaching and early childhood education service supervisors. There is no need for a new meeting if the employment relationship continues without interruption. In addition, the guardian will submit the information to Kela. Check with your local authority about the municipality's approval practices in the event of a continuation.

Duty to notify of termination of employment relationship

The guardian/employer must notify when an employment contract valid until further notice ends and if the end date of a fixed-term employment contract changes from the one announced. The notification can be made in a free-form manner. for teaching and early childhood education service guidance either by phone or email.

In addition, the guardian must notify Kela if the announced end date of the employment contract is coming up early, so that the benefit is not paid unjustifiably.