Birth grants from trade unions

Many trade unions pay their members a birth grant (fæðingarstyrkur) from their sick or support fund when a child is born, but not all of them do, and the amount, the conditions and the deadlines differ from one union to the next. So the place to look is your own union's website, or ask the union directly. The conditions usually depend on how long membership fees have been paid, and the application is usually made online.

Some examples, from the unions' own pages: VR's sick fund (Sjúkrasjóður VR) lists a birth grant for full members who are on parental leave; BHM says that members of its unions are entitled to a birth grant for each child born; Sameyki's support and sick fund (Styrktar- og sjúkrasjóður) lists a birth grant based on paid membership fees. Efling's list of grants does not include one.

This grant is separate from what the Parental Leave Fund (Fæðingarorlofssjóður) pays. The fund pays parents in work during parental leave, and it pays its own birth grant, also called fæðingarstyrkur, to parents in full-time study and to parents who are outside the labour market or in less than 25% work.

Official sources

• Ísland.is — Hvað er fæðingarstyrkur? ↗
• VR — Sjúkrasjóður VR: Styrkir ↗
• BHM — Ég á von á barni ↗
• Sameyki — Styrktar- og sjúkrasjóður ↗
• Efling — Styrkir ↗

Last checked: 17 October 2026