Thinking of applying for social assistance? Check these things first
Published 10/9/2024
Before applying for social assistance, you should check on the things that may stop you from getting it. These tips will help you make sure that your application can be processed without delay. Checking these things in advance will also help you avoid disappointment over a refused application.
Find out how income affects social assistance
Social assistance is a last-resort form of financial assistance. It is meant for situations where you are not able to support yourself by other means, such as other benefits or your wage or salary. The amount of social assistance is affected by all income and assets available to you and your family. Sometimes even small amounts of income, savings and financial assistance can prevent you from getting social assistance. You can use Kela’s calculator (in Finnish or Swedish) to see whether you might be entitled to social assistance.
Other Kela benefits also count as income. Before applying for social assistance, apply for all other benefits you are entitled to. These may include unemployment benefits and housing allowance.
See the following examples of how income and assets affect the right to receive social assistance.
Mari is unemployed, and Joel works part-time. There are also two children in the family. The family lives in a rented apartment in Hyvinkää. Mari owns shares, and Joel has savings on an ASP (home saver’s bonus) account.
The family’s income and assets
Mari's unemployment benefits EUR 640 per month (after taxes)
Joel's salary EUR 1,200 per month (after taxes)
Housing allowance EUR 188.82 per month
Child benefit EUR 199.72 per month
Value of Mari’s shares EUR 2,900
Savings on Joel's ASP account EUR 1,500
The family’s expenses
Rent EUR 700 per month
Water charges EUR 80 per month
Basic amounts* EUR 1,792.51 per month in total
Mari's basic amount EUR 499.55 per month
Joel’s basic amount EUR 499.55 per month
Basic amount for the first child** EUR 411.40 per month
Basic amount for the second child EUR 382.01 per month
The family’s income and assets are EUR 6,628.54, while their expenses are EUR 2,572.51. Since their income and assets are EUR 4,056.03 higher than their expenses, the family is not entitled to social assistance.
*The basic amount is a calculated sum of money that is needed to cover the essential costs of daily living (such as food and clothing). Each family member is entitled to their own basic amount. Read more about the basic amount.
**For children, the basic amount varies by age.
Karim is a student who lives in Vantaa. Karim receives a study grant and general housing allowance from Kela and has been granted a government guarantee for a student loan. In addition, Karim occasionally receives financial assistance from his parents.
Karim's income
Study grant EUR 279.38 per month (after taxes)
General housing allowance EUR 394.10 per month
Student loan EUR 850 per month
Financial assistance EUR 200*
*For persons living alone, EUR 50 is deducted from any financial assistance they receive, and Kela will not take the deducted amount into account when calculating their income.
Karim’s expenses
Rent EUR 700 per month
Water charge EUR 20 per month
Basic amount* EUR 587.71 per month
The income taken into account is EUR 1,673.48, while the expenses are EUR 1,307.71. Since Karim’s income is EUR 365.77 higher than his expenses, he is not entitled to social assistance.
*The basic amount is a calculated sum of money that is needed to cover the essential costs of daily living (such as food and clothing). Read more about the basic amount.
Irma is a pensioner who lives in Pieksämäki. Irma receives a guarantee pension and housing allowance for pensioners from Kela. In addition, Irma receives occasional gambling winnings from Veikkaus.
Irma's income
Guarantee pension EUR 976.59 per month (after taxes)
Housing allowance for pensioners EUR 263.26 per month
Gambling winnings from Veikkaus EUR 75
Irma's expenses
Maintenance charge EUR 200 per month
Interest payment on housing loan EUR 200 per month
Water charge EUR 16 per month
Electricity bill EUR 32
Prescription medicine purchased at a pharmacy EUR 14
Outpatient clinic charge EUR 46
Basic amount* EUR 587.71
In addition, Irma makes repayments on her housing loan, but social assistance is not available for that.
The income taken into account is EUR 1,314.85, while the expenses are EUR 1,095.71. Since Irma’s income is EUR 219.14 higher than her expenses, she is not entitled to social assistance.
*The basic amount is a calculated sum of money that is needed to cover the essential costs of daily living (such as food and clothing). Read more about the basic amount.
Sanna is a single parent of two children over 10 years of age. She is unemployed. Sanna and her children live in Sipoo. Sanna receives unemployment benefits, housing allowance, child maintenance allowance and child benefits from Kela.
The family’s income and assets
Labour market subsidy EUR 600 per month (after taxes)
Child benefit and single-parent supplement EUR 340 per month (after taxes)
Housing allowance EUR 580 per month
Child maintenance allowance EUR 390 per month
Money in Sanna’s savings account EUR 250
The family’s expenses
Rent EUR 810 per month
Water charge EUR 45 per month
Electricity bill EUR 52
Health centre fee EUR 26
Basic amounts* EUR 1,463.40 per month in total:
Sanna’s basic amount EUR 669.99 per month
Basic amount for the first child** EUR 411.40 per month
Basic amount for the second child EUR 382.01 per month
The family’s income and assets are EUR 2,160, while their expenses are EUR 2,396.40. The income and assets are EUR 236.40 lower than the expenses. Kela grants this sum to Sanna as social assistance.
*The basic amount is a calculated sum of money that is needed to cover the essential costs of daily living (such as food and clothing). Each family member is entitled to their own basic amount. Read more about the basic amount.
**For children, the basic amount varies by age.
You can also watch a video that shows the same example of how social assistance is calculated (in Finnish), lenght 2 min 43 s
Check the types of expenses for which you can get social assistance
Social assistance is not available for all kinds of expenses. For example, social assistance from Kela is not available for household appliances, loan repayments, car insurance, baby strollers or veterinary fees.
If you have a particular expense for which you cannot get social assistance from Kela, you may be able to get assistance from your wellbeing services county. The social services in your wellbeing services county may provide so-called supplementary or preventive social assistance at their discretion. It can be granted towards expenses such as your children’s hobbies. Learn more about the social assistance provided by wellbeing services counties.
Include all necessary supporting documents with your application
For example, a missing bank statement is a common reason for turning down an application. To see what supporting documents you must include, check the bottom of the application or your previous decision under the section titled ‘What to do next’. You can submit the supporting documents in the same way as the application: in the OmaKela e-service (in Finnish or Swedish), by post or by handing them in to the nearest Kela customer service point.
When applying for social assistance, you must submit reliable documentation of your financial situation to Kela. Bank statements are an important part of this documentation. Your application will be processed more quickly if you have included all the necessary bank statements with it.
If the bank statements are missing, we will ask you to provide them. We will review your application within 7 working days of receiving the bank statements. Please note that if you do not provide the bank statements, we will have to turn down your application. Find out what kind of bank statements you need and how to submit them.
With your application, include all bills for the expenses for which you can get social assistance. The due date of the bill must fall within the period for which you apply for social assistance. Remember to send all pages of the bills, including the pages where the various costs included in the bill are itemised.
We often process your social assistance for one month at a time. This means that the amount of your social assistance may vary from one month to the next, depending on your income and expenses during a specific month. In some months, you may not receive any social assistance at all. See tips on how to submit bills.
Fill in your application carefully and send it as soon as possible
Remember to provide all relevant information in your application. Also write in your application the period for which you are applying for social assistance. If you are using a paper form to apply, make sure to sign the application. After filling in the application, read it through before sending it to us.
We will normally process your application within 7 working days (Monday to Friday). The processing time starts from the date when we receive your application and all the necessary supporting documents at Kela.
Visiting a customer service point or calling Kela's customer service will not speed up the processing of your application. The applications are processed in order of arrival. Learn more about the processing of applications.
Please make sure that we can reach you, since calling is the fastest way for us to get more information from you. By giving us any missing information over the phone, you can help us process your application faster. For example, we may ask you to send a supporting document that you have forgotten to include.
Calls from Kela will usually come from an 020 number.
As soon as we have processed your application, you will receive a decision. The decision will be sent to your home address, and you can also read it in the OmaKela e-service. If you do not need paper mail and you only want to receive the decision in OmaKela, you can give up paper documents.
Please read the decision carefully. The information given in the decision includes the amount of your social assistance, the criteria for granting it, and the payment date. You will receive a decision even if you are not granted social assistance.
The social assistance granted to you is usually paid into your account on the first working day of the month. We can also grant social assistance as a payment commitment. Learn more about the payment of social assistance.
