Housing costs for which you can get general housing allowance
You can get housing allowance for a rental, owner-occupied, right-of-occupancy or part-ownership home. The home must be located in Finland and be suitable for permanent habitation.
The housing allowance is not available for all types of housing costs. Instead, so-called acceptable housing costs are defined for each type of housing. For example in a rented home, this includes the rent and any charges paid separately for water and heating. The size of the home is not relevant.
See what types of costs are accepted in different types of housing.
Government proposes cuts to the general housing allowance
The Government is proposing changes that would cut the amount of the general housing allowance for some recipients. The Government proposes that the assets of the household would affect the amount of the housing allowance. In addition, the maximum amount of recognised housing costs in some towns would decrease due to changes in the municipal categories. The changes would come into effect on 1 January 2025. In addition, Parliament has already previously decided that general housing allowance will no longer be available for owner-occupied homes starting 1 January 2025.
When you move into a rental apartment, you are usually required to post a security deposit for a few months or to pay rent in advance. If all of the income and assets available to you are not enough to cover the deposit, you can apply to Kela for basic social assistance.
Learn more about rental security deposits and basic social assistance.
Maximum housing costs
The maximum amount of housing costs based on which you can get housing allowance is also specified by law. That amount is referred to as maximum housing costs and is proportional to
- the number of adults and children in the household
- the municipality in which the home is located.
You get housing allowance up to the amount of the maximum housing costs even if your actual costs are higher.
Finnish municipalities are divided into categories according to the cost of living there.
These categories will change on 1 April 2024. After that, the maximum housing costs recognised for those living in Helsinki will be lower than before. This may affect the housing allowance for those living in Helsinki.
As of 1 April 2024, the new municipal categories are:
- Municipalities in category I: Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen and Vantaa
- Municipalities in category II: Hyvinkää, Hämeenlinna, Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Järvenpää, Kajaani, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Kouvola, Kuopio, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Lohja, Mikkeli, Nokia, Nurmijärvi, Oulu, Pori, Porvoo, Raisio, Riihimäki, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki, Sipoo, Siuntio, Tampere, Turku, Tuusula, Vaasa and Vihti
- Municipalities in category III: other municipalities
- The municipalities in the Åland Islands.
Maximum acceptable housing costs from 1 April 2024
Select the municipality in which the home is located
If the household consists of
- 1 person, EUR 563 per month is accepted as housing costs
- 2 persons, EUR 808 per month is accepted as housing costs
- 3 persons, EUR 1,019 per month is accepted as housing costs
- 4 persons, EUR 1,188 per month is accepted as housing costs
- more than 4 persons, EUR 1,188 + EUR 148 per month for each additional person is accepted as housing costs.
If one of the household members is disabled and needs a particularly large amount of space on account of assistive devices or an outside caregiver, such a household member counts as two persons for the purpose of determining the amount of maximum acceptable housing costs.
If the household consists of
- 1 person, EUR 447 per month is accepted as housing costs
- 2 persons, EUR 652 per month is accepted as housing costs
- 3 persons, EUR 828 per month is accepted as housing costs
- 4 persons, EUR 981 per month is accepted as housing costs
- more than 4 persons, EUR 981 + EUR 134 per month for each additional person is accepted as housing costs.
If one of the household members is disabled and needs a particularly large amount of space on account of assistive devices or an outside caregiver, such a household member counts as two persons for the purpose of determining the amount of maximum acceptable housing costs.
If the household consists of
- 1 person, EUR 394 per month is accepted as housing costs
- 2 persons, EUR 574 per month is accepted as housing costs
- 3 persons, EUR 734 per month is accepted as housing costs
- 4 persons, EUR 875 per month is accepted as housing costs
- more than 4 persons, EUR 875 + EUR 129 per month for each additional person is accepted as housing costs.
If one of the household members is disabled and needs a particularly large amount of space on account of assistive devices or an outside caregiver, such a household member counts as two persons for the purpose of determining the amount of maximum acceptable housing costs.
| Total number of household members | from 1.6.2024, EUR per month | 1.6.2023-31.5.2024, EUR per month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | 470 | 517 |
| 2 persons | 687 | 756 |
| 3 persons | 871 | 958 |
| 4 persons | 1 032 | 1 135 |
| + for each additional person | 141 | 155 |
If one of the household members is disabled and needs a particularly large amount of space on account of assistive devices or an outside caregiver, such a household member counts as two persons for the purpose of determining the amount of maximum acceptable housing costs.