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Subsidies and benefits for refugees

Ukrainian war refugees who have received temporary protection have the right to receive the same benefits and subsidies as Estonian residents. Before applying for benefits from the Social Insurance Board, you must apply for temporary protection, a residence permit, and an Estonian personal identification number from the Police and Border Guard Board.

The Social Insurance Board pays recipients of temporary protection:

  • family allowances for families with children
  • support for a person of old-age pension age

In order to receive family benefits and allowances, you need:

  • proof of receiving temporary protection
  • identity document - passport, birth certificate, or certificate from the embassy
  • bank account to pay the allowances - both an Estonian or Ukrainian bank account or a relative's account is suitable. An Estonian bank account can be opened free of charge and in a simplified manner in major Estonian banks.

Family benefits

  • Family benefits are paid to the child's parent or guardian. To apply, you must contact the Social Insurance Board.
  • If the person is not the child's parent (is a grandparent, aunt, other relative, or acquaintance, but takes care of the child), the first step is to contact the local government authority to establish guardianship and immediately apply for child allowance for the child. The right to other family allowances, including guardianship allowance, arises when guardianship is established. Together with the establishment of guardianship, the determination of family allowances takes longer.

Child and family allowances

  • Every child is entitled to child allowance from birth to 16 years of age.
  • The amount of child allowance is 80 euros for the first and second child in the family and 100 euros for the third and next child in the family. From three children, the allowance for families with many children is 650 euros per month, and for seven children, 850 euros per month.
  • A child is entitled to child support until they turn 19.

Parental allowance

  • Parental allowance is paid to a parent who arrived in Estonia with a child under one and a half years of age. Parental allowance is 584 euros per month for up to 545 days. The exact number of days of the parental allowance depends on the age of the child and the start of the parent's residence permit. The payment of the parental allowance is accompanied by health insurance.

Example: the child was born on January 10, 2021, and the mother has not worked in Estonia, so this child would be entitled to a parental allowance for 545 days from birth (until 08.07.2022). However, if the child's mother has a residence permit from March 16, 2022, she can receive a parental allowance from 16.03.2022 to 08.07.2022, i.e., for 115 days.

  • If the mother does not work in Estonia before the birth of the child, the parental allowance is for a total of 545 days from the birth of the child, of which the first 30 days are the mother's parental allowance.
  • If the mother works in Estonia before the birth of the child, the parental allowance is for a total of 575 days, of which the first up to 70 days is the right to receive the mother's parental allowance before the expected birth of the child.
  • If the mother has earned income taxed with social tax in Estonia during the parental allowance calculation period, her parental benefit is calculated based on the earned income. If the mother has not received income during the accounting period, the amount of the parental allowance is 584 euros per month.
  • In the case of children born in Estonia, the parental benefit procedure is carried out in the usual domestic manner.

Allowance for a person of retirement age

  • The retirement age in Estonia is 64 years and 3 months.
  • Old-age pensioners are compensated for the difference between the national pension rate and the Ukrainian pension. In order to determine the allowance for this difference, you must contact the Social Insurance Board.
  • In order to apply for an allowance for a person of retirement age, temporary protection status and a bank account are required.

Determining the severity of disability and social support of a disabled person

  • In order to apply for the degree of disability and social benefits, it is necessary to submit an application and, if possible, health data to the Social Insurance Board. If there is no health data, you must first go to a doctor's appointment in Estonia to clarify your condition. If the condition meets the conditions for determining the severity of a disability, the type and severity of the disability and social allowance are determined (between 12.79 and 241.64 euros).

In the case of children (0-15) and people of retirement age (64+), the application must be submitted to the Social Insurance Board. Working-age persons aged 16-64 can submit a request for assessment of work ability and identification of the severity of disability to the unemployment fund.

Last updated: 20.03.2023