The child has the right to receive sufficient upkeep. By the law made about child support the parents have the responsibility to support the child according to their financial ability.
The parents are the parties to the agreement in matters relating to child support. The parents may agree on child support by themselves, or visit a child supervisor to make the agreement. For the agreement to be en ...
Ministry of Justice has given instructions on estimating a child's need for child support and the parents' financial ability for child support. If the parents want that a calculation based on instructions of Ministry of Justice is made, the parents will have to bring documentation of their income, living expenses and expenses of the children when they visit a child supervisor.
Confirmed child support can be changed either by an agreement between the parents or by a court decision. Even if the amount of child support was decided in court, it can later be changed also by an agreement between the parents.
Based on the law, the amount of child support is revised each calendar year corresponding to the changes to the costs-of-living index. The parents themselves are responsible for revising the amount of child support according to the index change. It is possible to enquire about the amount of index change from the family law services.
The Child supervisor services are available at the Family Law Services of the Wellbeing County of Southwest Finland. The Family Law Services are meant for all residents of the municipalities that are located in The Wellbeing County of Southwest Finland.
If you are the parents of a child under 18 years of age and you decide to divorce, you can agree on your child’s maintenance. The contract must be made in writing and submitted for confirmation to the child welfare supervisor of the wellbeing services county where the child’s municipality of residence is located.
If the child does not live in Finland, the contract is confirmed in the wellbeing services county where the municipality of residence of the person liable for maintenance is located. The child welfare supervisor provides advice and assistance in the matter.
Child maintenance can also be confirmed by a court decision. The confirmed amount of child maintenance may be amended in the event of any material changes in circumstance.
If the amount of maintenance is too low or if you are unable to pay it as a person liable for maintenance, the child’s maintenance is covered by the child maintenance allowance paid by Kela, which the child’s guardian must apply for separately.