Benefits for self-employed persons with low income

As a self-employed person, you can apply for housing allowance and social assistance from Kela if your income is low. In addition to the self-employed person’s own income, the income of other persons living in the same household may affect these benefits. The easiest way to apply for benefits for yourself is to use the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish).

Self-employed persons can apply for general housing allowance

1. Kela can pay general housing allowance to low-income households to help them meet their housing costs.

   • Assess whether your household is entitled to housing allowance with the help of a benefit calculator (in Finnish).
2. The allowance is affected by the combined gross incomes of the household members, i.e. their incomes before taxes.

   • Kela estimates the amount of self-employment income based on each self-employed person’s earned income under the self-employed persons’ (YEL) or farmers’ (MYEL) pension insurance scheme. If you are not insured under the YEL or MYEL Acts, an estimate of your income is made on the basis of the start-up grant, minimum income, salary or your own estimate of your income. Minimum income means an income equivalent to the labour market subsidy without child increases (about 800 euros per month in 2024). You do not have to submit financial statement data to Kela.
3. Read about how to apply for general housing allowance and about the amount of the allowance. 

Apply for other Kela benefits before you apply for social assistance

1. Before you apply for basic social assistance, you should find out if you are eligible for other Kela benefits.
2. Social assistance is affected by all the net incomes and assets of the family and the company. Social assistance can be granted to cover necessary daily expenses.
3. If you apply for social assistance, Kela will perform a profitability analysis on your business.
4. Read about how to apply for social assistance and what supporting documentation you must submit. You must provide information on your income on a separate form.