Housing allowance can cover up to
70% of your housing costs
General housing allowance
On this page
General housing allowance helps you with your housing costs.
Can you get housing allowance?
You can get housing allowance if you have a low income and you live
- in a rented house or flat
- in a right-of-occupancy home
- in a part-ownership home.
Housing allowance can be paid to households consisting of a single person or several persons. Housing allowance is granted to the household as a unit, so the amount of housing allowance will depend on the total income and assets of the entire household.
Students can get housing allowance under the same conditions as everyone else. If you are under 18, you can receive housing allowance if, for example, you receive financial aid for students and live on your own.
If you are a pensioner and you have a low income, apply for housing allowance for pensioners.
Students will be transferred from the general housing allowance scheme to the student housing supplement scheme on 1 August 2025
Parliament has approved the legislative changes concerning assistance with housing costs for students. Following the changes, the majority of students will be transferred from the general housing allowance scheme to the student housing supplement scheme. The changes will not concern those who live with their child or their spouse’s child. They will be eligible for general housing allowance also in the future.
Who belongs to a household?
A household typically includes the persons sharing a home on a permanent basis. You can only be a member of one household at a time.
One member of the household applies for housing allowance on behalf of the entire household.
Persons who are married or in a relationship and are sharing a home always belong to the same household regardless of whether they have a joint rental agreement or separate rental agreements.
Married couples living at different addresses also belong to the same household if the reason that they live apart is, for example, work, studies, or military or non-military service in another municipality.
Note the following exception!
Married spouses are considered to be part of different households if they live apart because their relationship has ended. Read more about the way divorce or separation affects your Kela benefits.
Roommates can be part of the same household or two different households.
Part of the same household
- roommates with a joint rental agreement
- roommates who under the rental agreement (or an appendix to the agreement) are jointly responsible for paying rent.
Roommates belonging to the same household must authorise one member of their household to apply for housing allowance for the whole household. Use the form ‘Power of attorney to represent a communal household’ AT5e (PDF) to authorise one household member. If housing allowance is granted to the household, it is paid to the authorised person.
Part of different households
- roommates with separate rental agreements
- roommates who are subletting an apartment
Further, in order to be considered to be part of different households, roommates may not be jointly responsible for paying rent for the entire dwelling (as specified under the rental agreement or an appendix to it).
Note these specific situations
A married couple, a cohabiting couple or close relatives are part of the same household if they live at the same address, regardless of the terms of their rental agreement. Close relatives means parents, children and grandparents.
Siblings sharing a home are part of different households if they have separate rental agreements or a sublease agreement.
Close relatives sharing a home are part of the same household regardless of the terms of their rental agreement. Close relatives are
- parents
- children
- grandparents.
Siblings may belong to different households
Siblings sharing a home are part of different households if they have separate rental agreements or a sublease agreement
Children under the age of 18
A child under the age of 18 who is living independently is usually considered to be part of their parents’ household.
However, the child may be able to get housing allowance if the child is entitled to a benefit such as financial aid for students and the child lives on their own at a different address from their parents.
Children aged 18 or older
Adult children (18 or older) who live independently are not part of their parents’ household.
Adult children who live with their parents belong to their parents’ household.
You are part of the same household as the persons living in your permanent residence even if you live elsewhere temporarily on account of studies, work, military or non-military service, or other similar reasons. Living elsewhere is usually considered to be temporary if it lasts less than about a year.
A person who has moved to Finland can be considered part of a household if Kela considers the person to be permanently resident in Finland.
Note the following exception!
Students who come to Finland cannot belong to a household or get housing allowance.
Subtenants are considered to belong to a different household than the main tenant or owner, with a few exceptions.
A subtenant who is the spouse or close relative of the main tenant or owner is part of the same household. Close relatives means parents, children and grandparents.
Notify Kela if you get housing allowance and take in a subtenant.
How much housing allowance can you get?
If your housing allowance is less than EUR 15 per month, it is not paid out.
The easiest way to find out how much housing allowance you could get is to use our online calculator. The amount of the housing allowance is affected by
- the number of adults and children in the household
- income and assets
- housing costs for which you can get housing allowance
- the maximum limits for housing costs defined for each municipality (maximum housing costs)
- the basic deductible.
Read more about the way housing costs, income and assets affect housing allowance.
Payment of the housing allowance
Kela pays the housing allowance into your bank account or your landlord’s account on the first banking day of the month. If the banks are closed on the scheduled payment date, the housing allowance will be paid on the next banking day.
The housing allowance is tax-free income.
If you get housing allowance retroactively, the allowance will generally appear in your bank account within two banking days of payment. Housing allowance is available retroactively for one month.
Kela can pay the housing allowance directly to your landlord’s account if you give your consent.
Kela can also pay the housing allowance directly to the landlord if you have left part of or all your rent unpaid for two months in a row. In situations like that, we will contact you before we pay your housing allowance.
How to apply for housing allowance
You can apply for housing allowance either on a form or in the OmaKela e-service. OmaKela is currently available only in Finnish and Swedish. Kela’s forms are also available in English.
Apply in OmaKela
- Apply for housing allowance in OmaKela (available in Finnish and Swedish).
- Report the income and assets of everyone who belongs to your household, because income and assets affect the amount of the housing allowance. Income should be given as gross income.
- Take photographs of the supporting documents and send them in OmaKela. Check the application to see which documents you should enclose with the application.
- Visit OmaKela to see if your application has been decided, how much you will get and when your benefit will be paid. You will also see reminders of any supporting documents that are missing from your application. You will get a copy of the decision by post unless you have opted out of paper mail.
Log in to the OmaKela e-service to apply for housing allowance
Apply on a form
- Fill in and print out the form ‘General housing allowance’ AT 1e (PDF).
- Report the income and assets of everyone who belongs to your household, because income and assets affect the amount of the housing allowance. Income should be given as gross income.
- Enclose additional documents in support of the application as necessary. The application form includes information on the supporting documents you need.
- Send the application and any supporting documents by post. The address is Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
- Visit OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) to see if your application has been decided, how much you will get and when your benefit will be paid. You will also see reminders of any supporting documents that are missing from your application. You will get a copy of the decision by post unless you have opted out of paper mail.
Kela issues decisions in Finnish and Swedish only. If you need help with something, you can call one of our English-language customer service numbers.
Housing allowance is always granted as of the first day of the month. For example, if your rental agreement enters into force on 15 March, you will start receiving housing allowance as of 1 April.
You can get housing allowance retroactively for up to one month from the month of application. For example, if you wish to get housing allowance from the beginning of January, your application must reach Kela before the end of February.
Enclose the following with your application:
- a copy of your signed rental agreement, unless Kela receives it directly from your landlord
Depending on your household's situation, also enclose
- The form ‘Power of attorney to represent a communal household’ AT 5e (PDF), if you and your roommate(s) belong to the same household and you represent the household.
- Notification of moving to Finland
- You are required to submit a notification of moving to Finland if you are applying for housing allowance for the first time since you moved to Finland and your entitlement to Kela benefits or the entitlement of another household member has not yet been determined. You can submit the notification in the OmaKela e-service, available in Finnish or Swedish. If you cannot use OmaKela, enclose the form ‘Notification - Moving to Finland’ Y 77e (PDF) with your application. Read more about moving to Finland.
- Notification of leaving Finland
- If you are moving abroad from Finland or leaving Finland to live abroad for a period of time, you are required to submit a notification in the OmaKela e-service, available in Finnish or Swedish. If you cannot use OmaKela, enclose the form ‘Notification - Moving from Finland or employment abroad’ Y 38e (PDF) with your application. Read more about leaving Finland.
Kela obtains wage and salary information from the national Incomes Register and uses this information when processing your application. We may ask you for additional information, if necessary.
Landlords that provide rental agreement information directly to Kela
Kela gets information about rental agreements directly from certain landlords. If your landlord is on the list below, you do not need to send us your rental agreement or details of the amount of your rent.
If your landlord is not on the list, send your rental agreement together with your application. You must always send us your rental agreement if you have rented your flat from a private landlord.