If you have received the decision of temporary protection and you have children, you are entitled to apply for and receive family allowance regardless of whether you work or not. Both Estonian and Ukrainian bank accounts are suitable for receiving family allowance. The amount of child allowance is 60 euros for the first and second child and 100 euros for the third and next child. From three children, an allowance for a family with many children of 300 euros per month and from seven children of 400 euros per month is paid.

The school support is a one-time allowance for all school-age children (aged 7-19) who have received international protection or temporary protection and are entering schools in Estonia for the first time. It is paid by the Estonian Refugee Council and is intended for expenses related to starting school.

School support can be applied for all school-age children who started or are about to start schooling in Estonia for the first time in 2022. The child must be admitted to the school at the time of the application. The application is made on behalf of the child/children by their parent or guardian.

The one-off financial support is 50 euros per child. The support is paid only once.

The purpose of the support is to help children with refugee backgrounds going to school in Estonia for the first time to coverm basic school-related expenses. The exact use of the allowance does not have to be proven, it can be spent on things related to the child's school at its own discretion.

To find a job, you can register as unemployed at the nearest office of the Unemployment Insurance Fund , phone 15501 (669 6513). To register as unemployed, bring an identity document and a residence permit decision.

While you are looking for a job, you will be paid unemployment allowance if you have worked for at least 180 days in the 12 months before registering as unemployed (including working in Ukraine), raised a child under 8, studied full-time, or engaged in other similar activities. The unemployment allowance amounts to 292 euros per month and can be received for up to nine months. The allowance will not be paid if you have other income in excess of 292 euros per month.

Ukrainians who have obtained temporary protection status in Estonia are entitled to financial assistance. Payment for groceries and other priority expenses is €200 per month for the first family member, €160 per month for each subsequent adult family member and €240 for each child.

Parents who arrived in Estonia with a child younger than one and a half years old are paid parental compensation. The amount of compensation is €584 per month for a period of up to 545 days.

The Estonian Food Bank (Eesti Toidupank) distributes donated and purchased food aid on the basis of lists compiled by the local government. The Food Bank has distribution points in each county, whose employees work closely with local governments so that people can get food assistance easily and in a place close to home. Food packages are distributed at 40 distribution points throughout the country.

Ukrainian refugees staying in Estonia (including those with temporary protection) have the right, if necessary, to receive benefits and services, including food assistance. To obtain it, you should contact the local government, which assesses the need for assistance.

A person or members of the family household (parent/guardian and children living in the same living space) who are in a difficult economic situation. Eligibility for donated food assistance arises in the month in which the need for assistance was assessed and is valid for the next three months. In case assistance is required for a longer period of time, the social worker reassesses the situation.

More information about benefits and compensation here .

The Social Insurance Board pays the recipients of temporary protection a family benefits to families with children. For receiving family benefits it is necessary to have:
- a certificate regarding the granting of temporary protection;
- an identity document -- a passport, a birth certificate, or a certificate from the embassy;
- a bank account where the benefit is to be paid -- both an Estonian bank account and a Ukrainian bank account, as well as a bank account of someone close to you are suitable. An Estonian bank account can be opened for free and with a simplified procedure at larger Estonian banks.

Family benefits

Family benefits are paid to a parent or a guardian of the child. It is necessary to turn to the Social Insurance Board to apply for them. If a person is not the parent of the child (is a grandparent, an aunt, some other relative or acquaintance but she is taking care of the child), it is first necessary to turn to the local government authority to place a guardianship and apply for child allowance for the child immediately. The right to other family benefits, including the benefit for a child under guardianship begins when the guardianship has been placed. Appointing family benefits takes longer with the placement of guardianship.

Child and family benefits

Every child is entitled to a child allowance from birth until turning 16. The amount of a child allowance is €60 for the first and second child in the family, and €100 for the third and every subsequent child in the family. Starting from the third child the family is entitled to a €300 benefit paid to families with many children, and starting from the seventh child, the benefit is €400 a month. A child without a secondary education is entitled to the child allowance until the age of 19 if he is in school.

Parental benefit

We are paying a parental benefit to a parent who has arrived in Estonia with a child who is younger than a year and a half. We are paying a parental benefit of €584 a month for up to 545 days. The exact number of days for which the parental benefit is paid depends on the age of the child and the start of the parent's residence permit. The payment of the parental benefit is accompanied by health insurance coverage. An example: the child was born on January 10, 2021, the mother has not been employed in Estonia, thus it would be possible to get a parental benefit for 545 days (until July 8, 2022) for this child. However, if the mother of the child has a residence permit from March 16, 2022, she can get a parental benefit starting from March 16, 2022 until July 8, 2022, i.e. for 115 days. If the mother is not employed in Estonia before the child is born, the total parental benefit is for 545 days starting from the birth of the child, the first 30 days of which are the mother's maternity benefit.

If the mother is employed in Estonia before the child is born, the total parental benefit is for 545 days, the first up to 70 days of which it is possible to get a mother's maternity benefit before the predicted birth of the child.

If the mother has earned income in Estonia that is taxable with a social tax during the parental benefit accounting period, her parental benefit will be calculated in accordance with the income she has earned. If the mother did not earn income during the accounting period, the amount of the parental benefit is €584 a month. For children born in Estonia, the parental benefit procedure is conducted in the regular national order.

There are no special benefits for pregnant women. Only family benefits, parental benefits and child benefits are provided. Look at the question above.

You can meet and start communicating with Ukrainians in Estonia in these Facebook groups:
-Ukraina sõbrad Eestis / Друзья Украины в Эстонии
-Українці в Естонії/Ukrainians in Estonia
-UKRAINIANS IN ESTONIA (Ukrainlased Eestis)

You can receive a benefit for people who have reached the age of retirement.

The retirement age in Estonia is 64 years and 3 months.For people who have reached the retirement age, Estonia will be compensating the difference between the national pension rate and the Ukrainian pension. To get this difference, i.e. the benefit, it is necessary to turn to the Social Insurance Board.It is necessary to have temporary protection (i.e. a personal identity code, a residence permit) and a bank account (which can be an account of a third person).

Estonia is not taking over the payments of Ukrainian pensions even if the war refugee who is in Estonia is not able to receive her Ukrainian pension here. A person who is of retirement age and has received temporary protection may apply for the compensation of the difference between the national pension rate (€275) and her Ukrainian pension from the Social Insurance Board. Unfortunately, Ukraine cannot transfer the pension directly to an Estonian account. If a person is planning to stay in Estonia longer, she can turn to the Social Insurance Board and apply to get her pension in Estonia based on an international agreement. In that case, this application will be sent to Ukraine and, going forward, Ukraine will pay that person's pension to Estonia once in a quarter. It should, however, be taken into account that the information exchange with the relevant Ukrainian authority might be disrupted and not working in the regular order. Recipients of temporary protection who do not have an income or have a very small income can turn to the local municipality in order to receive a subsistence benefit.

In order to apply for a degree of disability and the social benefits, it is necessary to submit an application to the Social Insurance Board, as well as health information, if possible. If the health information is missing, the person first has to turn to a doctor's office in Estonia, so that her condition could be ascertained. If the condition of the person is in accordance with the conditions for establishing the degree of disability, her type and degree of disability and the social benefit will be determined (between €12.79 and €241.64). The degree of disability is established from the day the application was submitted.

You can take part in volunteer work on this site .

Websites of other volunteer organizations not related to aid to war refugees:
1) The International Youth Association EstYES is a non-profit, non-political, non-governmental organisation. Established in 1991 with the purpose to promote youth and cultural exchanges for learning and better mutual understanding, EstYES was a pioneer in organising the international youth voluntary service in Estonia.
2) Good Deed Foundation - helps you find possibilities for volunteering, and for taking part in different projects.
3) ELF Conservation Holidays - conservation holidays combine recreational activities with voluntary conservation work in nature.