Student's own income
Your income will affect the number of months per year for which you will be able to receive financial aid. You must make sure that your annual income does not exceed a specified limit.
Kela takes into account your taxable gross earnings and foreign income.
Maximum amount of income you can have
If you receive financial aid during a year, a personal income limit will be set for you for that calendar year. Your annual income limit is determined on the basis of the number of months for which you have drawn financial aid during a calendar year.
Check your annual income limit online. Log in to Kela's e-service (in Finnish and Swedish only) using your online bank ID or a mobile ID. You can also check your annual income limit by using the personal income calculators (in Finnish).
You can earn the income at any time of the year, as long as the incomes do not exceed the annual income limit.
However, if you exceed the annual income limit according to the personal pre-completed tax return, i.e. the preliminary tax information, you may have to pay back financial aid. In such a case, Kela will send you a message about this, including information on the deadline for paying back financial aid. The message is sent in April to recipients of financial aid who have given their permission for Kela to send messages to them. You can give your permission in the OmaKela e-service under Päivitä omia tietojasi.
Have you started studies or graduated?
More information on how Kela takes income into account in the first year of study and in the year of graduation.
| Number of months of aid during the calendar year | Annual income limit (euro per calendar year) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 35,360 |
| 2 | 33,280 |
| 3 | 31,200 |
| 4 | 29,120 |
| 5 | 27,040 |
| 6 | 24,960 |
| 7 | 22,880 |
| 8 | 20,800 |
| 9 | 18,720 |
| 10 | 16,640 |
| 11 | 14,560 |
| 12 | 12,480 |
The annual income limit is calculated on the basis that for each month for which you receive financial aid, your income limit is 1,040 euros and for each aid-free month 3,120 euros.
If your income exceeds the annual income limit by no more than 348 euros (in 2023 and 2024), you do not have to cancel or return financial aid or pay it back as a result of the income check.
| Number of months of aid during the calendar year | Annual income limit (euro per calendar year) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 29,470 |
| 2 | 27,740 |
| 3 | 26,010 |
| 4 | 24,280 |
| 5 | 22,550 |
| 6 | 20,820 |
| 7 | 19,090 |
| 8 | 17,360 |
| 9 | 15,630 |
| 10 | 13,900 |
| 11 | 12,170 |
| 12 | 10,440 |
The annual income limit is calculated on the basis that for each month for which you receive financial aid, your income limit is 870 euros and for each aid-free month 2,600 euros.
If your income exceeds the annual income limit by no more than 290 euros (in 2022), you do not have to cancel or return financial aid or pay it back as a result of the income check.
What constitutes an aid month?
A month of financial aid is a month in which you have been paid study grant, supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials, provider supplement to the study grant or student housing supplement. Also regarded as a month of financial aid is a month in which you receive less financial aid than normally, for example because you live temporarily with your parents.
The general housing allowance does not affect the annual income limit of the student financial aid. Do not include the general housing allowance as income during aid months or income affecting your financial aid.
A month without financial aid is a month in which you have not been paid study grant, supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials, provider supplement to the study grant nor student housing supplement.
Also regarded as a month without financial aid is a month
- in which your only financial aid is a student loan
- in which you receive only the general housing allowance
- in which you have cancelled or paid back your financial aid voluntarily, or
- in which you were paid financial aid but were not entitled to it. In that case Kela will either recover from you all the financial aid paid to you, or waive the recovery.
How to raise your annual income limit
You must make sure that your income does not exceed your annual income limit. You can raise the limit if you notice that your income will exceed it
- by applying for financial aid for only some months of study
- by cancelling financial aid in advance
- by voluntarily returning some of the financial aid paid to you.
The financial aid must be returned by the end of the following April. Repayments of student financial aid concerning the year 2023 must be made by 30 April 2024. If you repay student financial aid voluntarily, you cannot agree on a payment plan with Kela. If you pay back too late namely after the end of April or if you have repaid only part of the aid amount for a certain month, your repayment will be returned to you.
It is a good idea to cancel or return financial aid if you notice that your income will exceed the annual income limit. Otherwise Kela will require you to pay back the overpaid aid plus 7.5%. If you are a student in higher education, the number of months for which financial aid was recovered from you will not be made available to you again as months for which you may receive financial aid later on.
You can choose which months' financial aid payments you wish to cancel or return. It is in your best interest to cancel or return financial aid for a month for which you have received the smallest amount of financial aid. For example, if there is a particular month for which you received only the study grant or less study grant, you can return that month's study grant.
The general housing allowance does not affect the annual income limit of the student financial aid. You do not have to cancel or return the general housing allowance when you want to raise your annual income limit.
Check the preliminary information on your annual income online. This service is available in April. You can also check your annual income from a precompleted tax return.