Customer fees for early childhood education and care 1.3.2023
The fees charged for early childhood education and care are determined according to the Act on Client Fees in Early Childhood Education and Care. A fixed monthly fee is charged for early childhood education and care, which is determined according to the family´s income, the number of family members and the care agreement made by the family.
The fee is charged for a maximum of eleven calendar months during the operating year (1.8.- 31.7). Provided that the municipal early childhood education has started no later than in August of the current year of operation, the month of July is free of charge.
In order to determine the fee, the family must submit income information by the end of the month of starting in early childhood education, otherwise the fee will be charged according to the highest. The fee is adjusted after the submission of income information from the beginning of the following calendar month. Income information does not need to be submitted if the customer fee can be charged according to the highest.
Income
The taxable earnings and capital income of a child, parent or other guardian living in the same household, and his or her spouse or person living in marriage-like circumstances, as well as tax-free income, is considered as income. Vacation allowance of 5% is added to salary income.
The child’s guardians report changes in the family (divorce, common-law divorce, marriage, common-law marriage, child in the family turns 18, a child is born in the family) directly to the early childhood education invoicing by email at varhaiskasvatusmaksut@kemi.fi
The family is obliged to report, if the family’s income changes substantially (in writing with attachments), directly to the early childhood education invoicing. If the decision to impose the fee was based on incorrect information provided by the customer, the fee can be retrospectively adjusted for a period of up to one year (Act on Client Fees in Early Childhood Education and Care § 12).
Collecting the customer fee
The child’s early childhood education hours are booked at the most according to the care agreement per month. If the hours booked and/or the hours used exceed the hours specified in the care agreement, the fee is determined according to the fee level at which the hours booked and overspent are placed. If the hours are below the hours specified in the care agreement, there will be no refund in the fee.
For questions related to customer fee, you can contact invoicing by e-mail at varhaiskasvatusmaksut@kemi.fi . Invoices for early childhood education are enforceable. Invoicing takes place monthly in arrears.
If the child’s early childhood education begins in the middle of the calendar month, a decision on payment is made to start on the same day as the care agreement begins. Invoicing takes into account that early childhood education has started or ended in the middle of the calendar month. Parents are responsible for the termination of an early childhood education place through e-services (www.kemi.fi).
If the child is absent from early childhood education for more than ten days during a calendar month due to their illness, half of the monthly fee will be charged. If the absence due to illness lasts the entire calendar month, no fee is charged at all. The fee is also not charged for the days the child is absent from early childhood education during paternity benefit periods. If the child is absent from early childhood education for another reason for the entire calendar month, half of the monthly fee will be charged. Otherwise, the full monthly fee will always be charged. (Act on Client Fees in Early Childhood Education and Care § 9).
The customer fee is calculated as a percentage of the family’s gross income. The highest day- care fee is 295 €/month for the youngest child, 118 €/month (40%) for the second child and 20% of the youngest child’s fee for the other children in the family.
The payment percentages, minimum and maximum gross income limits are as follows:
| Family size | Minimum income limit €/month | payment percentage | the income limit for the highest payment |
| 2 | 3874 | 10,7 | 6626 |
| 3 | 4998 | 10,7 | 7750 |
| 4 | 5675 | 10,7 | 8427 |
| 5 | 6353 | 10,7 | 9105 |
| 6 | 7028 | 10,7 | 9780 |
If the size of the family is greater than 6, the income limit on which the payment is based is increased by 197 euros for each next underage children in the family.
Payment Steps for Time-Based Care in Early Childhood Education
| booked early childhood education (care) time in hours/month | Care fee % of full-day care fee |
| 1–60 35 % | 35 % |
| 61–90 55 % | 55 % |
| 91–110 70 % | 70 % |
| 111–139 85 % | 85 % |
| 140 or more 100 % | 100 % |
Example: The gross income of a family of four is 6,600€/month. The minimum income limit (see table above) of 5,675€ is deducted from the gross income, which results to 925€, of which 10.7% is 98€, which is the childcare fee for the youngest child if the child’s childcare contract is 140 hours or more.
If the income is less than the minimum gross income limit or if the fee per child is less than 28€, the fee is not charged. The fee for temporary care is 15€/day for each child.
In addition to free pre-school education, the client fee for complementary early childhood education is a maximum of 85% (111-h) of the fee for full-time early childhood education.