The government's decision to pay an "extra month" of child allowance benefit before Christmas last year cost the state about 100 million euros, according to a statement on Monday by social benefits agency Kela.
In a press release, Kela said a total of 1.46 billion euros was paid out in child benefit last year, up from 1.36 billion euros in 2021.
The difference can be explained by the one-off additional payment, Kela noted, which was paid to families on 23 December.
The government announced the extra payment in September as part of a supplementary budget aimed at helping families with children deal with the rising costs of living.
Monthly child benefit payments are issued to all children under the age of 17 who permanently reside in Finland. The payouts increase with each additional child.
For example, the normal level of benefits paid for families with two children amount to just under 200 euros per month, so the doubled December payment would amount to just under 400 euros.
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