Organization : Social Insurance Board
Service Name : Apply For Family Benefits
Country: Estonia
Website : sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/family-benefits/
Apply For Family Benefits :
State family benefits are paid to:
** permanent residents of Estonia;
** aliens residing in Estoniawho have temporary residence permits or right of residence.
Related : Social Insurance Board Estonia Disability Card : www.statusin.org/11290.html
There are nine categories of family benefits.
Childbirth allowance is a single benefit paid in case of birth. The amount of benefit is 320 €. In the case of a multiple birth of three or more children, the amount of childbirth allowance is 1000 € for each child.
Adoption allowance is a single allowance paid to an adoptive parent from who an adopted child does not descend and who is not a step-parent of the child, if childbirth allowance has not been paid to the family for the same child earlier.
The amount of adoption allowance is 320 €.
Child allowance is a monthly allowance paid from the birth of child until he or she attains 16 years of age. If the child goes to basic school, high school or vocational school which operates on the basis of basic education or if the child with no basic education goes to vocational school, he or she will be paid the allowance until attaining 19 years of age. When the child attains 19 years of age, the allowance shall be paid until the end of the school year.
Child allowance is paid for the first and second child in a family in amount of 45€.
Child allowance is paid for every third and consequent child in a family in amount of 100€.
Child care allowance is a monthly allowance paid to one of the parents:
** at one-half of the child care allowance rate for each child of up to 3 years of age if the parent raises one or more children of up to 3 years of age, or to a person other than a parent who uses parental leave (38,35 €);
** at one- quarter of the child care allowance rate for each child between 3 and 8 years of age if the parent raises also children between 3 and 8 years of age in addition to one or more children of up to 3 years of age (19,18 €);
** at one-quarter of the child care allowance rate for each child between 3 and 8 years of age if the parent raises three or more children who are at least 3 years of age and who receive child allowance for three or more children (19,18 €).
If a child specified in clauses 2 and 3 starts year one at school and attains 8 years of age during the given school year, child care allowance for the child shall be paid until the end of the school year.
The child care allowance rate is 76,70 € in 2015.
A person who is paid child care allowance has the right to receive additional child care allowance of 6,40 € per month for each child of up to one year of age.
Child care allowance shall not be paid for a child in connection with whose birth maternity or adoption benefit is paid pursuant to the Health Insurance Act or parental benefit is paid pursuant to the Parental Benefit Act.
The rate of child allowance is 9,59 € in 2015.
Single parent’s child allowance is a monthly allowance paid in the case of:
** a child in whose birth registration no entry has been made concerning the father or an entry has been made on the basis of a statement by the mother;
** a child whose parent has been declared to be a fugitive.
Single parent’s child allowance shall be paid at twice the child allowance rate (19,18 €).
Conscript’s child allowance or child allowance of person in alternative service is a monthly allowance paid in the case of the parent is in compulsory military service or altenative service. Conscript’s child allowance or child allowance of person in alternative service shall be paid at five times the child allowance rate (47,95 €).
Foster care allowance is a monthly allowance paid for a child who is deprived of parental care, if:
** guardianship has been established for him or her;
** a foster care contract has been entered into with respect to him or her.
Foster care allowance is paid in amount of 240€ per month for each child.
Start in independent life allowance is a single benefit paid to the person with no parental care who has grown as a child in a social welfare institution or a school for children with special needs or who was given to custody or in reference to whom was signed a foster care contract, when he or she moves to live in a new place at the latest of two years after being deleted from the list of the welfare institution or the school for children with special needs or the end of custody or the foster care contract.
Start in independent life allowance is awarded when the grant has been applied for during six months, beginning from the time of moving to live independently in a new place.
Start in independent life allowance shall be paid at forty times the child allowance rate (383,60 €).
Allowance for families with seven or more children is a monthly state family benefit paid to a parent, guardian or caregiver raising at least seven or more children who receive child allowance.
The amount of allowance is paid at 2.2 times the child allowance rate (168,74 €).
In order to apply for family benefits an applicant for family benefits shall submit the following documents to the Social Insurance Board:
1. Standard application;
2. Passport or identity card (ID-card) of applicant (including residence permit in the case of an alien);
3. Certificate of employer indicating the duration of parental leave and 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 uses parental leave);
4. Court judgment on adoption (upon application for adoption allowance);
5. Document concerning the declaration of a parent to be a fugitive (upon application for single parent’s child allowance);
6. Certificate of Defense Forces or the Defence Resources Agency concerning the period of service of the parent (upon application for conscript’s child allowance or child allowance of person in alternative service);
7. Judgment on establishment of guardianship or foster care contract (upon application for foster care allowance);
8. Certificate of social welfare institution or a school for children with special needs and certificate of new residence (upon application for start in independent life allowance).
Original documents shall be submitted upon application for family benefits:
The application for family benefits may also be submitted electronically through the State portal (at the address https://www.eesti.ee/et/.
Family benefit shall be granted from the date on which the right to the benefit arises if the documents necessary for application for the benefit are submitted within six months from the date on which the right to the benefit arises. Upon a later application for a monthly family benefit, the benefit shall be granted retroactively, but for not more than the six calendar months preceding the month of submission of the application.
The recipient of family benefit is obliged to inform the Social Insurance Board within 10 days in a written form of all circumstances that influence the granting of family benefits or the amount of the benefits, beginning from the day these circumstances appear.
The Social Insurance Board should be definitely informed of the following circumstances:
** if the family receives the family benefits of another state;
** if the custody or foster care contract of the child in custody or foster care is ending;
** if paternal filiation of a child, who is granted single parent’s child allowance, is established in court;
** if a child who is granted single parent’s child allowance, is adopted;
** if a child with 16 years of age or older ends or interrupts his or her studies;
** in other cases when changes take place in the life of the person who is granted the allowance, which might influence granting the allowance.
When it becomes evident that the recipient of allowance has intentionally presented false information or not informed of the circumstances that influence granting family benefits, the sums paid for family benefits shall be reclaimed or cleared.
If the person does not pay back the incorrectly granted family benefits, the excessively paid sums may be withheld from the family benefits available to him or her on the basis of the decision made by the Social Insurance Board. The withheld part may not be more than 20 per cent of the sum of allowance granted to him or her.
If granting familiy benefits is finished before the full recovery of the excessively paid sum, a precept with a warning will be issued for the person to reclaim the excessively paid sum. If the precept remains unfulfilled by the time marked in the warning, the Social Insurance Board has the right to demand compulsory excecution of the precept as provided in the Code of Enforcement Procedure.