Government proposes an expansion to social assistance rules from 1 March 2025, covering some of the additional cost of following a coeliac diet for persons on a low income

The Government has proposed that the social assistance paid by Kela could cover some of the additional cost of following a coeliac diet. An amount of EUR 25 per month could be taken into account for this purpose. It would be available only for those whose coeliac disease has been appropriately diagnosed, and would apply to each family member with coeliac disease who is 16 or older. The reason for the age limit is that, under the current rules, children under 16 already have a right to disability allowance for persons under 16 on account of coeliac disease.

The proposal is intended to go into effect on 1 March 2025. Kela will provide further information as the parliamentary review process continues

The additional money towards the cost of following a coeliac diet is intended to be made available as part of social assistance. Therefore, the proposed change applies to low-income households. The Government estimates that around 3,000 persons would have a right to the extra assistance.

Social assistance is a last-resort form of financial assistance for situations where you are unable to support yourself by other means, such as other benefits or your wage or salary. We will determine your right to social assistance by calculating the income and assets available to you and your family and comparing them against your expenses:

1. For purposes of social assistance, income consists of all income and assets available to you and your family. 
2. Expenses are defined as the basic amount and other acceptable expenses. Under the Government’s proposal, an amount of EUR 25 per month could be accepted as the additional cost of following a coeliac diet. This is a fixed sum that cannot be adjusted even if you have sales receipts or other proof of payment for your purchases.

If your acceptable expenses exceed your income and assets, you can get social assistance. The amount of assistance you can get is equal to the amount that remains after your income and assets are deducted from your expenses. You cannot get social assistance if your income and assets exceed your acceptable expenses.

Do you have questions about social assistance and whether you could get it?

Watch this video for more on how income, assets and expenses affect the amount of social assistance. The video is in Finnish. Duration 2 min 43 s, subtitled.

If the Government’s proposal is approved by Parliament, social assistance for the additional cost of following a coeliac diet will become available on 1 March 2025. A new section will be added to the application for social assistance by the beginning of March.

Applications must be accompanied by information showing that the applicant has been diagnosed with coeliac disease. This can be for example a medical certificate or case summary stating that antibodies were detected in a blood test or that an intestinal biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. If you have already provided information about your diagnosis to Kela, you need not do so again when applying for social assistance.

Before applying, estimate whether you can get social assistance. Use the online calculator for social assistance (in Finnish and Swedish).