Toetused ja hüvitised

If the absence is temporary, the benefits will continue to be paid. If you have permanently settled somewhere else, the payment of benefits will also stop. To apply for benefits and services it is necessary to register in the population register. This registration is the obligation of each Estonian resident.

An example: the husband of a four-member Ukrainian family is working in Estonia and is staying here on the basis of the right to short-term employment. He has not applied for international protection and is not entitled to subsistence benefits. His wife and children, however, have temporary protection and are able to apply for subsistence benefits.

Upon applying for subsistence benefits, the wife gives the local governments the information about the incomes and housing costs of all family members, including the husband. The procedure is the same as a regular procedure, and the family's level of need for assistance is calculated.

In order to receive the pension that used to be paid out in cash in Ukraine, the pensioner should turn to the Social Insurance Board with the wish to receive their pension in Estonia based on an external contract.

Those submitting the application should, however, take into account that Ukraine unfortunately cannot transfer the pension directly to an Estonian account and pensions of other countries are paid out once in a quarter in Estonia. More information: www.sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee.

Unaccompanied minors have to have a legal representative, i.e. a guardian, appointed in Estonia, who will take care of the welfare of the child and represent him in necessary procedures (e.g. applying for benefits, applying for a bank card, making medical decisions etc.). Until a guardian has been appointed, the role of a guardian is taken up by the local municipality where the child has been registered (if there is no registration to residence, the local municipality on whose administrative territory the child resides).

A guardian is appointed by the court. For this, it is necessary to submit an application to the court, see the form for applying for guardianship (in Estonian). As the language of the court proceedings and administration is Estonian, the specialists of the local municipality will assist in applying for the guardianship.

If the guardianship is applied for as a provisional measure, the court will usually make its decision about appointing a guardian within up to five days. After receiving the court order, the guardian will be able to officially represent the child. The person that has been appointed a guardian is fully responsible for the child, including raising him, making decisions regarding him, taking care of his person and property, and representing him.

The guardian can apply for family benefits for the child, e.g. the child allowance and the guardianship allowance.

More specific information about unaccompanied minors and assisting them can be found on the web page of the Social Insurance Board sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/en.

A war refugee who has received temporary protection can turn to the social department of her local municipality of residence to get food aid. The local municipality will decide on adding the person to the list of people getting food aid. Eesti Toidupank (in Estonian) distributes food aid to refugees according to the lists they receive from local municipalities.

The Social Insurance Board pays the recipients of temporary protection:

• family benefits to families with children
• a benefit for people who are of retirement age
• social benefits for disabled persons, if there are health records for the person (she has her health records with her or has received health care services in Estonia and has health records here).

As recipients of temporary protection, the war refugees get the right to receive subsistence benefits, family benefits, social benefits, as well as labour market services and labour market support on the same basis as other people who live in Estonia permanently or temporarily.

• Applying for subsistence benefits takes place at the local government and it is calculated based on the income of the household. Subsistence benefits cover housing costs and an additional benefit: the first family member gets 1 x the subsistence level (€200), the second adult family member gets 0.8 x the subsistence level (€160) and underage children get 1.2 x the subsistence level (€240).

After receiving temporary protection and a residence permit, it is possible to apply for and receive family benefits and a social benefit for a person who is of retirement age.

In 2024, the size of the child benefit is €80 a month for the first and the second child and €100 for the third and each following child. Starting from three children, a €450 a month allowance for a family with many children is paid; starting from seven children, the benefit is €650 a month. Each child has the right to a child benefit from birth until they turn 19. The allowance for a family with many children is paid until the youngest child in the family turns 19.

• If a child is born into a family or a family has a child under the age of three, one parent has the right to get a parental benefit. A parent who has arrived in Estonia with a child who is less than a year and a half old will be paid a parental benefit of €725 a month for up to 545 days. The exact number of parental benefit days depends on the age of the child and the start of the parent's residence permit. The payment of parental wage comes with health insurance.

• The pension of war refugees who have received temporary protection will continue to be paid by the Ukrainian Pension Board. If you are of retirement age (born in 1960 or earlier) and your Ukrainian pension is smaller than the Estonian national pension rate (€393.26 starting from April 1, 2025), you will be able to apply for the difference to be covered from the Social Insurance Board.

Good to know:

• The family benefits, the parental benefit and the social benefit are counted as income of a family that is a recipient of a subsistence benefit, and the subsistence benefit decreases accordingly.

• For receiving any of the benefits (except the subsistence benefit) it would be good if it is possible to pay the benefit to the person's Estonian bank account but it is also possible to transfer the benefits to a bank account of a third person (a close one, an acquaintance).

If you have applied for temporary protection and received a temporary residence permit, you are entitled to subsistence benefits on the same basis as other people living in Estonia. Subsistence benefits can be applied for at the local municipality of your residence.

• The benefits are calculated according to the number of family members: the first family member gets 1 x subsistence level (€200), the second adult family member gets 0.8 x subsistence level (€160) and underage children get 1.2 x subsistence level (€240).
• If you have a place of residence for which you do not have to pay, it is possible to receive €150 a month from the subsistence allowance scheme for buying food and essential goods.
• If it is necessary to pay for utility costs (a person is living in a place where she does not have to pay rent but does have to pay for the utilities), it is required to present a contract allowing the use of the accommodation and the documents regarding the utilities in addition to the application.
• Those who are renting their housing and also have to pay for utilities need to add their lease contract along with documentation proving utility costs to their application

Family allowances, a parental benefit, and social benefit are considered income, and the amount of subsistence benefits will decrease accordingly.

Good to know: the subsistence benefits are paid only to Estonian bank accounts. If you do not have a bank account in Estonia, it is possible to get the benefit in cash or with your consent it can be transferred to a bank account of your close relative or acquaintance.

Before receiving temporary protection, disabled persons are only ensured urgent care. After a disabled person has received temporary protection and a temporary residence permit, she can apply to have the degree of her disability established; the social benefits and services of disabled persons are connected to that. At the European Union level there is no unified system on establishing disability or accepting the decision of another country, thus the decision of another country of establishing disability is not directly transferable here.

• In order to establish the degree of disability and apply for a social benefit of a disabled person, children (up to 15 years of age) and those of retirement age (64 and older) must submit an application and, if possible, their health information to the Social Insurance Board. If there is no health information, you should first turn to an Estonian doctor in order to specify your condition. If your health condition meets the conditions of establishing the degree of disability, you will be issued a type and degree of disability and a social benefit (between €12.79 and €241.64). The degree of disability will be established from the date of application.
• Those of working age (between 16 and 64) can submit an application to evaluate their capacity for work and establish the degree of disability to the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund.

The degree of disability is usually established for six months to five years. Once the decision to establish the degree of disability expires, the person needs to submit a new application. The social benefit of a disabled person is issued until the end date of temporary protection. If temporary protection is extended after that or the person receives a residence permit, the payments will continue.

• As the child is entitled to a child benefit and the child has a legal basis for residing in Estonia, the parent can apply for the child allowance.
• If a child is raised by a single parent (there is no entry about a father on the birth certificate), it is possible to apply for the single parent's child allowance.
• Once the parent gets a residence permit, it also creates an entitlement to other family benefits.

The customer services of the Social Insurance Board: sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee (in Estonian).

The parent can submit an application for family benefits. The Social Insurance Board will accept it as an uncompleted application, as for the designation of a family benefit it is essential that a child who is at least 1 year old would have a legal basis for residing in Estonia (a residence permit). A child under the age of 1 does not have to have a residence permit.

The benefits will be designated from the time the residence permit is granted. It is also possible to apply for family benefits retroactively: up to six month since the entitlement appeared.

The customer services of the Social Insurance Board: sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee (in Estonian).

Yes, she can. If a person who is not the child's parent applies for the family support, the child protective services of the local municipality are included, to make sure that the person is taking care of the child.

The pension of war refugees who have received temporary protection will continue to be paid by the Ukrainian Pension Authority. For the payments to continue, you have to also prove that you are alive once a year to the regional authority of the Ukrainian Pension Fund that pays your pension.

If you are of Estonian retirement age (born in 1960 or earlier) and your Ukrainian pension is lower that the rate of the Estonian national pension (€393.26 starting from April 1, 2025), you can apply to the Social Insurance Board for the difference to be covered. In order to apply for the allowance for a person on retirement age, you need to have temporary protection, a personal identification code, a residence permit, and a bank account (a bank account of a third person is also suitable). Additionally, you need to add to the application your Ukrainian identification code and last month's bank statement, showing the size of the last Ukrainian pension payment that you received. You also have to notify the Social Insurance Board immediately if the size of the pension you are receiving from Ukraine changes (including indexation).

NB! Estonia is not taking over the payment of Ukrainian pensions, even if a war refugee who is in Estonia is not able to receive their Ukrainian pension here. If you intend to remain in Estonia longer, you can turn to the Social Insurance Board with your wish to receive your pension in Estonia based on a bilateral cooperation agreement. In that case, your application will be sent to Ukraine and in the future, Ukraine will pay your pension to Estonia once in a quarter. More information on applying to receive a foreign country's pension in Estonia can be found on the web page of the Social Insurance Board.

What to do if a person is not yet of retirement age for Estonia?

If a person was born in 1961 or later, she should go to work or register herself as unemployed at the Unemployment Insurance Fund. While looking for a job, you will be paid the basic unemployment insurance benefit if you have worked for at least 8 months within the past three years (working in Ukraine is also taken into account). The rate of the basic unemployment insurance benefit is 50% of the minimum wage in Estonia in the previous year: in 2026, €14.77 per calendar day, making it €457.87 a month (gross) for a 31-day month. It is possible to receive the basic benefit for 180 days, and the period may be extended, depending on the labour market situation. It is also possible to have one's work ability assessed until reaching the retirement age, and if partial or full loss of capacity for work is established, it is also possible to get a work ability allowance.

People who do not get a pension or benefits, or if those are insufficient for paying the renting costs of an apartment, can apply for subsistence benefits from the local municipality.

Estonia is not taking over the payment of Ukrainian pensions, even if a war refugee who is in Estonia is not able to receive their Ukrainian pension here.

If you intend to remain in Estonia longer, turn to the Social Insurance Board with your wish to receive your pension in Estonia based on a bilateral cooperation agreement. In that case, your application will be sent to Ukraine and in the future, Ukraine will pay your pension to Estonia once in a quarter. It must, however, be considered that the exchange of information with the Ukrainian authority could be disrupted and is not operating at the regular speed.

More information on applying to receive a foreign country's pension in Estonia can be found on the web page of the Social Insurance Board.

Yes. If you are raising a child under the age of three in Estonia, you are covered by health insurance even if you are not yet receiving parental or family benefits.

If your place of residence is in an occupied area and the local government there is not functioning, please search for information [on the website of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine]. (https://www.msp.gov.ua/news/22824.html)

No. An Estonian resident who is receiving a same type of benefit from another country is not entitled to family benefits.

Yes. All aliens who reside in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit and apply for family benefits in Estonia must prove that they are not receiving family benefits from another country.

Yes. All aliens who reside in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit (e.g. a Ukrainian who resided here before 24 February 2022) and apply for family benefits in Estonia must prove that they are not receiving family benefits from another country.

You are entitled to continue to receive family benefits, but the payment of family benefits is not automatically extended with the extension of your residence permit. To continue to receive family benefits in Estonia, you must therefore submit a new application with the required documents.

Please note: both the child and the parent must have a registered place of residence in the population register.

The certificate can be sent as a scanned document or an image. The certificate can be in Ukrainian, Russian, or English.

No. A statement of a bank account or from the Dija app is not proof of the receipt/non-receipt of benefits. The document used as proof must have been issued by a competent Ukrainian authority and must contain the following information:

1. to whom the benefit is/was paid (details of the beneficiary),
2. for whom the benefit is/was paid (details of the child),
3. what type of benefit is/was paid,
4. the period during which benefits are/were paid,
5. the certificate must be signed and, if possible, stamped.

You will need to submit the following with the application for family benefits:

1. the child’s birth certificate
2. a marriage certificate (if the applicant has a different surname on the birth certificate)
3. proof of receipt/non-receipt/termination of Ukrainian family benefits
4. a school certificate (if the child is studying abroad)
5. a certificate regarding the absence of the other parent on the birth certificate (if you want to apply for child allowance for a single parent)

The certificates may be submitted within 30 calendar days from the date of submitting the application.

In order to receive family benefits, the "Application for family benefits for Ukrainian citizens" (link in Estonian) must be filled out and submitted at the Social Insurance Board's self-service via "Communication", or digitally signed to the e-mail info@sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee.

The apploication can also be filled out on paper at the Social Insurance Board's customer service (for contacts, see sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee/en).