Worthwhile to apply for school transport subsidy in OmaKela before school starts - online application speeds up the process
School transport subsidy must be applied for separately for each academic year. It is worthwhile to apply for school transport subsidy before school starts so that you can get Kela-subsidised travel tickets in good time. The subsidy can easily be applied for in the OmaKela e-service.
Kela grants school transport subsidy to students in upper secondary education. This includes students of upper secondary schools, institutes of vocational education, and others. School transport subsidy can be granted if you have a long commute to school.
The entitlement criteria for school transport subsidy are different depending on whether the student is entitled to free education under the Act on Compulsory Education. Students can use the school transport subsidy calculator (in Finnish or Swedish) to find out if they are eligible for the subsidy and what the amount would be.
School transport subsidy must be applied for separately for each academic year. The earliest that you can get school transport subsidy is the beginning of the month preceding application. For example, if you wish to receive the subsidy from the beginning of August, you must file an application by the end of September.
However, it is worthwhile to apply for school transport subsidy before school starts so that you can get Kela-subsidised travel tickets in good time.
Students need own online banking codes for online application
The application procedure has changed. The subsidy can now easily be applied for in OmaKela. Students can apply for the school transport subsidy themselves in OmaKela if they have online banking codes or a mobile certificate. Online banking codes are available from the bank where the student is a customer and a mobile certificate is available from the student’s mobile operator.
In some cases, online application can speed up the process. For instance, if the student uses Matkahuolto buses, Waltti bus services or HSL, Nysse or Föli public transport for the trips to school, Kela can grant the right to purchase tickets immediately after the application has been submitted. That way, the student can immediately buy subsidised tickets for instance from the ticket vendor’s online store.
If you use other public transport than that arranged by the aforementioned traffic operators, dedicated school transport, self-arranged transport (for instance own car) or a combination of several modes of transport, you cannot get the subsidy until the application has been processed.
In OmaKela you can check any possible right to purchase tickets, as well as whether the application has been processed and what the amount of the benefit will be. When Kela has reviewed the application, a decision about the subsidy will also be sent to the student’s home address.
Other ways of applying for the subsidy are also available
If an underage student cannot apply for school transport subsidy himself or herself in OmaKela, the student’s legal guardian can apply for the subsidy on behalf of the student. If the legal guardian applies for the subsidy on the student’s behalf, any right to purchase tickets is still granted to the student himself or herself.
It is still also possible to apply for school transport subsidy on form KM 1e. Customers who do so will not, however, receive the right to purchase tickets until Kela has processed their application.