Conscript’s allowance
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Conscript’s allowance is a benefit paid by Kela to persons in military or non-military service and to their family members.
In addition to the conscript’s allowance, you will get a daily allowance paid by the Defence Forces, the Centre for Non-Military Service (Siviilipalvelukeskus) or the place of service where you are performing your non-military service.
- Read more on the website of the Defence Forces (intti.fi)
- Read more on the website of the Centre for Non-Military Service
Military service includes both armed and unarmed military service.
Family member here refers to
- the married spouse of a person in military or non-military service
- the cohabiting partner of a person in military or non-military service, if they have a child together
- a child whose guardian is in military or non-military service
Can I get conscript’s allowance?
You can get conscript’s allowance if you are
- in compulsory military service
- in compulsory non-military service
- in voluntary military service for women
- a family member of someone in military or non-military service
- a person undergoing refresher training for reservists or supplementary service, or the family member of such a person.
Conscript's allowance can also be paid to persons coming from outside Finland to perform military or non-military service and to their family members. Read more about the housing costs of a person coming from outside Finland to perform military or non-military service.
What is conscript’s allowance?
Conscript’s allowance includes many different benefits, all of which can be applied for on the same application. Some can only be paid to family members of persons in military or non-military service.
Persons in military or non-military service can get the following types of conscript’s allowance:
- housing assistance
- assistance towards interest payments on student loans
Family members can get the following types of conscript’s allowance:
- housing assistance
- basic assistance
- maintenance assistance
- special assistance
- assistance towards interest payments on student loans
You can get housing assistance for conscripts for an apartment rented on a permanent basis, for a right-of-occupancy home, for an owner-occupied home or for a partial-ownership home.
If you are in military or non-military service, Kela can provide conscript’s allowance towards the interest payments on your student loans.
You can get conscript’s allowance for interest payments that are due during your service or during the last calendar month of service.
Kela can pay the partner of a person in military or non-military service special assistance towards interest payments on student loans. Your partner can get special assistance if they are
- your married spouse
- your cohabiting partner with whom you have a child.
If you are applying for assistance towards interest payments on student loans, you should apply for it no later than the month that the interest is due. For example, if the interest is due in January, your application must reach Kela by the end of January.
File a separate application for each interest payment that falls due.
How to apply for assistance towards interest payments on student loans
A family member of someone in military or non-military service can get basic assistance for daily expenses that they cannot meet otherwise. Such expenses include:
- food
- personal care items
- clothes
- minor medical expenses, such as over-the-counter medication
- phone, internet and newspaper subscription
- insurance premiums
- reasonable commuting costs of up to EUR 750 per year
- costs of recreational activities and hobbies.
Who can get basic assistance?
Kela can pay basic assistance to family members of persons in military or non-military service (linkki). Basic assistance is not paid to the person in military or non-military service.
Basic assistance can be granted to
- a married spouse of a person in military or non-military service
- a cohabiting partner with whom the person in military or non-military service has a child
- a child whose guardian is in military or non-military service.
Who cannot get basic assistance?
Kela cannot grant basic assistance if
- the unmarried cohabiting couple do not have any children together
- the spouse of the person in military or non-military service has moved out of the shared home because the relationship has ended.
- the child is entitled to maintenance assistance.
Special assistance is not paid to the person in military or non-military service.
How much is the basic assistance?
In 2024, the full amount of the basic assistance is EUR 775.40 per month.
The amount of the basic assistance changes according to the amount of the national pension
The amount of the basic assistance depends on
- the family’s income after taxes
- the number of family members, i.e. partner and children, who get the assistance:
- If you have one family member, they get the full amount of basic assistance. If you have two family members, the second family member gets 50% of the full amount of basic assistance. Third and subsequent family members each get 30% of the full amount of basic assistance.
Example of conscript’s allowance
Harri, a conscript, lives with his live-in partner Sara and their 2-year-old son Leevi. Sara looks after Leevi at home while receiving child home care allowance (EUR 434.85 per month after taxes). The family has no other source of income, because Harri has no employment income while performing his service. They live in a rented apartment. Their total payments for rent, water and electricity are EUR 572 per month.
The conscript's allowance is calculated by subtracting the family's net income, that is to say the income after taxes, from the total amount of their housing costs (rent, water and electricity) and the basic assistance due to them. Child benefits are not subtracted.
Kela pays conscript's allowance as follows:
EUR 572.00 (housing assistance) + EUR 775.70 (basic assistance for Sara) + EUR 387.85 (basic assistance for Leevi) – EUR 434.85 (child home care allowance) = EUR 1,300.70 per month.
The amounts shown are current to 2024.
Kela may grant special assistance towards necessary and reasonable expenses that you have paid for yourself. Special assistance may only be granted for expenses that are not covered by the basic assistance and for which you have not been granted any other compensation.
Expenses you can get special assistance for include
- other than minor health care expenses (e.g. prescribed drugs, healthcare centre fees, outpatient clinic charges, dental expenses in public healthcare, and the cost of eye examinations and the purchase of eyeglasses)
- child care expenses (including but not limited to prams, pushchairs, beds, child safety seats, carry-cots and bases for carry-cots, all at the average price level) and day care expenses
- the interest on a student loan taken out by your partner
- moving costs
- burial costs
- commuting costs exceeding EUR 750 per year.
Kela cannot grant special assistance for the following:
- furniture, household appliances or similar purchases related to the establishment of a home
- cost of repairing household appliances
- child care costs, if the child is born after the month in which military or non-military service ends.
Kela grants special assistance only for reasonable costs that you pay yourself and that fall due for payment during the military or non-military service or during the month in which the service ends. That is why it is important to remember to apply for special assistance during the month in which you made a purchase or a bill is due.
Who can get special assistance?
Kela can pay special assistance to family members of persons in military or non-military service. Special assistance is not paid to the person in military or non-military service.
Special assistance can be granted to
- a married spouse of a person in military or non-military service
- a cohabiting partner with whom the person in military or non-military service has a child
- a child whose guardian is in military or non-military service.
Who cannot get special assistance?
Special assistance is not paid to the person in military or non-military service.
Unmarried cohabiting partners are not paid special assistance unless they have a child together with the person in military or non-military service.
Married spouses cannot get special assistance if they have moved out of the home they have shared with their spouse because the relationship has ended.
If a person in military or non-military service is unable to pay child support during the period of service, Kela can pay maintenance assistance to the child.
Maintenance assistance can be granted only if the person in military or non-military service is liable for monthly child support payments to the child. This liability must have been established in
- a court decision
- a written agreement confirmed by a child welfare officer.
The maintenance assistance paid by Kela is equal to the established amount of child support. Only the income of the person in military or non-military service affects the amount of the maintenance assistance.
How much is the conscript’s allowance?
Your income and expenses determine whether you can get conscript’s allowance and how much your conscript’s allowance will be. If you have any income during your time in military or non-military service, the amount of your conscript's allowance is reduced by the equivalent of your net income. Your net income is your income after tax has been deducted.
There is, however, an exempt amount of EUR 300 on wage and salary income and income from self-employment. That means that you can earn EUR 300 per month during your service without it affecting your conscript’s allowance.
You do not pay any tax on your conscript's allowance.
Example: How much is the conscript’s allowance?
Elias lives alone in a rented apartment. He pays EUR 600 per month in rent and he does not get general housing allowance.
Elias enters military service and applies for housing assistance for conscripts. On his days off, Elias works as a gig worker and he earns EUR 400 per month after taxes from these gigs.
Elias’ conscript’s allowance is calculated as follows:
- The exempt amount is deducted from his income: EUR 400 (income) – EUR 300 (exempt amount) = EUR 100 (income taken into account when determining the conscript’s allowance)
- The income taken into account in the conscript’s allowance is then deducted from his expenses: EUR 600 (rent) – EUR 100 (income taken into account) = Kela pays Elias EUR 500 in housing assistance for conscripts.
How does income affect conscript's allowance?
All income you have during your military or non-military service affects your conscript’s allowance. Your partner’s income also affects the conscript's allowance if they are entitled to the benefit.
The income is taken into account at its net amount, that is to say after taxes have been deducted from it. The amount of conscript’s allowance will decrease by the amount of income after taxes.
- wages and salaries (including fringe benefits), minus taxes and contributions to earnings-related pension insurance and unemployment insurance
- income under the self-employed persons’ pension insurance scheme (YEL income)
- income under the self-employed farmers’ pension insurance scheme (MYEL income)
- social security benefits minus taxes
- other types of net income than those listed below.
- paternity allowance for persons in military or non-military service (if the estimated due date of the baby was before 4 September 2022).
- daily allowance for persons in military or non-military service (intti.fi)
- parental allowance for persons in military or non-military service
- child benefit
- assets
- capital income
- social assistance
- disability allowances
- tax refunds
- general housing allowance
- maintenance allowance
- maternity grant
Exempt amount
When calculating the conscript’s allowance, an exempt amount of EUR 300 is applied to wage and salary income and income from self-employment. That means that you can earn EUR 300 per month during your service without it affecting your conscript’s allowance.
The exemption is only applied to the income of the person in military or non-military service. Any income their partner has affects the amount of conscript’s allowance in full.
How to apply for conscript's allowance
- Apply for conscript's allowance about one month before you are scheduled to enter military or non-military service. Conscript’s allowance cannot be paid retroactively. Apply for conscript’s allowance in the OmaKela e-service. OmaKela is available in Finnish and Swedish. In OmaKela, you can apply for basic assistance, housing assistance, special assistance or assistance towards the interest due on student loans.
- Maintenance assistance can be applied for only on the application form for conscript’s allowance, Sotilasavustus SA1 (PDF, in Finnish). You can send the form in OmaKela.
- Take photographs of the supporting documents and send them in OmaKela. The application form includes information on the supporting documents you need to send.
- Visit the OmaKela e-service to see if your application has been decided, how much you will get and when your benefit will be paid. You will also see possible reminders concerning, for instance, any documents missing from your application. You will also get a decision by post if you have not given up paper mail.
If you cannot use OmaKela, send your application to Kela by post. Save the application form Sotilasavustus SA1 (pdf) to your device and fill it in after saving it. Print out the form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
Apply for conscript’s allowance.
Please note that the e-service is available in Finnish and Swedish only.
If you have been granted housing assistance and after that you need assistance for some other payment such as an electricity bill, you must submit a new application online.
You must provide information on all your income during your time in service on your application for conscript’s allowance. Kela also receives information on wages and salaries from the Incomes Register, and makes use of this information in processing claims and applications. We will contact you if we need additional information. Please note that you must tell Kela if there are any changes in your income during your time in service.
Things to remember when applying for conscript's allowance
- Housing assistance: the person in military or non-military service or their partner.
- If the person in military or non-military service has a partner who is entitled to housing assistance, the partner should apply for the full amount of housing assistance. The person in military or non-military service cannot apply for housing assistance on their partner's behalf.
- Interest payments on student loans: the person in military or non-military service or their partner. If the person in military or non-military service has a partner who is entitled to housing assistance, each should submit a separate application.
- Basic assistance and special assistance: the partner of the person in military or non-military service. The person in military or non-military service cannot get basic assistance or special assistance or apply for these benefits on their partner’s behalf.
- Maintenance assistance: the guardian of the child. The guardian can be the person in military or non-military service or another guardian of the child.
If you have already sent the necessary supporting documents earlier when applying for another benefit (such as general housing allowance or social assistance), you need not send the same documents again.
Keep all receipts and documented proof related to the application. If we need them, we may ask for them later.
- If you live in rented housing, send a copy of the rental agreement to Kela as a supporting document.
- However, you do not need to send a copy of the rental agreement if Kela receives information on your rental agreement electronically from your landlord. See the list of landlords that provide information on rental agreements to Kela electronically.
- If you live in a right-of-occupancy home, send a copy of your right-of-occupancy contract.
- If you live in an owner-occupied home in a housing cooperative, send a copy of itemised maintenance charges.
If you are applying for maintenance assistance, send one of the following with your application:
- a copy of the court decision
- a copy of the written agreement confirmed by a child welfare officer.
You can submit an application approximately one month before entering military or non-military service. You cannot apply for conscript’s allowance retroactively. The earliest we can grant conscript’s allowance is the beginning of the month in which your application arrived.
Example:
Viivi enters military service on 8 January. She applies for conscript’s allowance, but does not send the application to Kela until the middle of February.
The earliest Kela can grant conscript’s allowance is from 1 February, and not from the day when Viivi actually entered military service.
If you are applying for assistance towards interest payments on student loans, you should apply for it no later than the month that the interest is due. For example, if the interest is due in January, your application must reach Kela by the end of January. File a separate application for each interest payment that falls due. Learn more about conscript’s allowance for student loan interest payments.
If you are applying for special assistance, you must apply for it during the month in which you made a purchase or when a bill is due.
Kela grants conscript's allowance starting from the date when you enter military or non-military service. Conscript’s allowance cannot be granted retroactively. The earliest you can get conscript's allowance is from the beginning of the month in which Kela receives your application.Kela pays conscript’s allowance until the end of the month in which you finish your service or the service is interrupted for at least 14 days.
If your situation changes and you become eligible for conscript’s allowance during your service, you can apply for it from Kela. Even then, it cannot be granted retroactively. The earliest Kela can grant conscript's allowance is from the beginning of the month in which Kela receives your application.
Kela can pay the full amount of conscript's allowance as a lump sum after the end of training if you are in refresher training for reservists or in supplementary training, or you are the partner of a person who is and you are entitled to their conscript’s allowance.
Kela reports conscript's allowance payments to the Incomes Register within five days of the date of payment.
Kela pays the basic assistance, housing assistance and maintenance assistance on the first banking day of the month.
Assistance towards interest on student loans and special assistance can be paid out on any banking day.
Amounts less than EUR 5.04 are not paid at all.
Report changes that affect the conscript’s allowance
Notify Kela immediately of any changes in your circumstances that may affect the amount of your conscript’s allowance or your entitlement to the allowance. Tell Kela if, for example:
- your service is interrupted or your service ends
- there are changes in your income or the income of your partner who is entitled to conscript's allowance, for instance if you start work
- you move to a new home
- you have a child.
Kela will review your conscript's allowance if there are changes in your circumstances or in the circumstances of your partner who is entitled to conscript’s allowance. If the review leads to an adjustment of your allowance, the adjustment will take effect immediately from the date when the change in circumstances occurred. For instance, if you start work or your child is born on 16 May, your allowance will be adjusted starting from that date.
Your conscript's allowance will not be adjusted if the change in your income consists of a one-time payment or of income earned entirely before your military or non-military service started.
When you report the changes, the benefit is paid at the correct rate and you also do not lose any benefit due to you. You can notify Kela of any changes in the OmaKela e-service, by phone or by visiting a service point.
If you do not report changes, you may be paid benefits you are not entitled to. In that case, the benefit will be recovered from you later. Read more about the recovery of overpayments.
What else is going on in your life?
Changes in your personal circumstances, whether large or small, can affect your Kela benefits.
Do you receive general housing allowance?
Your general housing allowance will not be discontinued because you enter military or non-military service. In addition to the general housing allowance, you can receive housing assistance for conscripts. However, you must apply for a review of your housing allowance.
Do you receive student financial aid or housing supplement for students?
You cannot get student financial aid or housing supplement for students while in service. If you get student financial aid, you must tell Kela that you are starting your service.
Starting or ending a relationship
Have your benefits reviewed if you move in with your partner, get married or separate.
When money is tight
If you cannot afford necessary living expenses such as food, you can apply for social assistance from Kela.
Current topics
Is your military service coming to an end?
Remember to get your Kela-related matters sorted out.
Read more (elämässä.fi)