Income which does not affect basic social assistance | Our Services | KelaSkip to content

Income which does not affect basic social assistance

The following types of income do not affect basic social assistance:

  • Earnings deduction
    • A monthly earnings deduction of €150 is deducted each month from the earnings or self-employment income that you and your family members have. The deduction is made on an individual basis. The deducted amount is disregarded when calculating the amount of social assistance.
       
  • Minor amounts of financial assistance
    • The limits for minor amounts of financial assistance are €50 per month for persons living alone and €100 per month for families.
       
  • Minor irregular income of a child
    • The income of children under 18 years of age only affects basic social assistance to the extent that it exceeds the limit for a minor amount of income. Earnings from a summer job that lasts less than 3 months, for example, do not affect the basic social assistance. A child’s income is taken into account up to the amount of the basic amount and other basic expenses calculated for the child.
       
  • Certain social security benefits, including:
    • maternity grant
    • school transport subsidy
    • disability allowance for children under 16 years of age
    • disability allowance for persons aged 16 years or over
    • care allowance for pensioners
    • maintenance allowances related to rehabilitation and the rehabilitation allowance
    • compensations for expenses related to unemployment benefits (e.g., travel and maintenance costs related to participation in employment promotion programmes)
    • the supplementary amount of labour market subsidy and basic unemployment allowance
    • the difference between the increased earnings-related amount and the earnings-related amount of earnings-related unemployment allowances.
       
  • Debt collection
    • If your own income or the income of a family member is being garnished for debt collection purposes, only the amount left to you after the garnishment is taken into account. Any payments you are required to make under a debt collection plan is also deducted from your income when calculating your social assistance. Voluntary repayments of debt under collection do not count as expenses.
       
  • Recovery of a social security benefit
    • If Kela has overpaid you a benefit and is recovering it from you, the amount being recovered from ongoing benefit payments is not considered as income for purposes of basic social assistance.
Last modified 22/4/2021