When applying for social assistance, do not forget the bank statements

When applying for social assistance, you must submit reliable documentation of your financial situation to Kela. A bank statement constitutes such documentation. There are a few different ways in which you can submit a bank statement to Kela.

Do not forget to send a bank statement

1. If you’re applying for social assistance from Kela for the first time, or you have not been paid social assistance for some time, you need to enclose bank statements for all bank accounts of all your family members for the last 2 months. If you are submitting a follow-up application, please check your last decision as to whether you must provide bank statements.
2. The bank statements must show the account number, the name of the account holder, the initial and final balance on the account, a complete list of transactions, and the period which the statement covers.
3. You can send bank statements and other documentation required for the application in OmaKela. It is best to save the bank statements in PDF format when downloading them from your online bank.

   • Most mobile banking applications do not support saving bank statements as PDF files, so it is best to use a browser to log in to your online bank even if you usually use your phone for banking.
   • Kela’s customer service points have computers that are available for public use.
4. If you have a printed bank statement, you can scan or take a photo of it and transmit the picture file online. It is important to include all of the pages of the bank statement. Without the necessary information, it is not possible to process the application.

   • If you cannot use OmaKela, send the printed bank statement to Kela by post or hand it in at a Kela customer service point.
5. Contact Kela if providing your bank account information online or on paper is difficult for you. Our staff can help you fill in the application and submit supporting documents. It is also possible to book an appointment online at www.kela.fi/appointments or by calling our customer service.