Determination of fees

Changes to early childhood education client fees occurred on August 1, 2026, when index adjustments came into effect.

Early childhood education client fees are based on the Early Childhood Education Client Fees Act (1503/2016). The maximum fee charged for early childhood education is 335 euros per month for the first child and the lowest fee charged is 32 euros. The fee charged for the second child is a maximum of 40 percent of the youngest child's fee, i.e. a maximum of 134 euros per month. The fee for subsequent children is 20 percent of the youngest child's fee. The fee is determined based on the family size, service needs and gross income, as follows:

Family	Income limit	Income limit	Payment-
number of people	€1.8.24/month	€1.8.26/month	percentage %
2	4066	4 369	10,70%
3	5245	5 635	10,70%
4	5 956	6399	10,70%
5	6 667	7163	10,70%
6	7 376	7 925	10,70%

The income limit for a family of more than six people will be increased by 295 euros for each additional child from 1 August 2024.

Accepting the highest payment

The family can, if they wish, give their consent to the highest payment, in which case they do not need to submit income certificates. The decision on the highest payment is valid until further notice. If the family reports their income, the payment can be adjusted to reflect the family's earnings.

Family size

Family size takes into account parents (married or cohabiting) living in a joint household and their minor children living in the same household.

Sister flight

The first child in a family is always defined as the youngest child in early childhood education. When there are several children in early childhood education from the same family, the next child in order of age is charged 40% of the full-time fee for the first child, but not more than 134 euros per month. The fee charged for other children is 20% of the full-time fee for the first child in the family.

July payment

The fee may be charged for a maximum of eleven calendar months between 1.8 August and 31.7 July of the operating year, if the child's care relationship began in August and continued throughout the operating period. The month without a fee is July. However, the fee may be charged for twelve months if the child is in early childhood education and care all months during the operating year and has no days of absence.

The impact of absences on early childhood education fees

Fees can only be reduced under the following conditions:
– When a child is absent from early childhood education for at least 11 days during a calendar month due to illness, half of the monthly fee is charged. When a child is absent for the entire month due to illness, no fee is charged.
– If the child is absent for another reason for the entire month, half of the monthly fee will be charged. Otherwise, the full monthly fee will always be charged.
– No payment is made for days when the child is absent during the paternity allowance period referred to in Chapter 9, Section 7 of the Health Insurance Act (1224/2004).

Overdue payment

Early childhood education is invoiced in arrears. If payment is not made by the due date, late payment interest will be charged in accordance with the Interest Act. The unpaid invoice will be transferred to a collection agency after the due date. Changes in income or family circumstances that affect the client fee must always be reported immediately, with the necessary attachments.

Determination of fees