Kela is the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. It pays most of the benefits a newcomer will hear about: unemployment support, housing allowance, child benefit, parental allowances and student aid. Earnings-related unemployment pay is the exception; that comes from unemployment funds.
The list of benefits has changed a great deal since 2024. Several allowances people still mention in forums no longer exist, and the two Kela unemployment benefits were merged into one on 1 May 2026. The amounts below are as checked on the date at the top of this page.
First, are you covered at all?
Finnish social security is residence-based. Kela pays benefits if it decides you live in Finland permanently, and it looks at your whole situation to determine this: why you came, how long you intend to stay, work, family and where your home is. Citizenship does not affect the decision.
- Non-EU citizens need the right residence permit first. Kela specifies the continuous (A) permit, the permanent (P) permit and the permanent EU (P-EU) permit.
- Workers can receive some benefits even without permanent residence, if their wages are at least €800.02 a month.
- EU/EEA students are, as a rule, treated as temporary residents, however long their studies last.
- Pensions from Kela require at least three years of residence after the age of 16.
Before applying, you need a Finnish personal identity code, a bank account and, if you need one, the residence permit. Applications are made through the OmaKela e-service (Finnish and Swedish only), together with form Y 77e, Moving to Finland or employment in Finland. The practical order of these steps is outlined in first steps after moving to Finland, and the permit side is covered in residence permit conditions.
If you lose your job
Earnings-related allowance (from an unemployment fund)
If you were a member of an unemployment fund while working, the fund pays an allowance based on your previous pay. The employment condition is 12 months: a calendar month counts in full if you earned at least €930 during it, and as half a month if you earned €465. Membership must cover the period you worked, so join when you start the job, not when it ends. Payment lasts for 300 days for up to three years of working life, 400 days for more than three years, and 500 days for some people aged 58 or over.
General social security benefit (from Kela)
Since 1 May 2026, Kela pays a single benefit, the yleistuki, to jobseekers who do not qualify for the earnings-related allowance or have used it up. It replaced the basic unemployment allowance (peruspäiväraha) and the labour market subsidy (työmarkkinatuki). To receive it, you must be aged 18–64, live in Finland permanently and be registered as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment services.
- It is €37.21 a day, paid five days a week (about €800 a month), and it is taxable.
- There is a 7-working-day waiting period at the start, but not if you go straight on from earnings-related allowance.
- If you have no vocational or higher education qualification, there is a 21-week qualifying period first, shortened by weeks of previous employment.
- Your partner's income does not reduce it. If you live with your parents, their income can.
- There is no limit on the number of days for which it can be paid.
Child increases to unemployment benefits were abolished on 1 April 2024, as was the €300 a month you could previously earn without the benefit being reduced. Every euro of wages now reduces it.
Waiting periods as a penalty
The employment services can suspend the benefit for a set period if they decide you acted against labour policy. Resigning or refusing a job without a valid reason normally means 30 or 45 days without benefit, depending on the duration of the job. Missing an obligation, such as an appointment, costs seven days the first time; a second missed obligation within 12 months ends your entitlement until you have worked for six weeks. The job search itself is covered in finding a job in Finland.
Housing allowance
General housing allowance helps households on a modest income to pay for rented, right-of-occupancy or part-ownership homes. It covers up to 70% of accepted housing costs, up to a limit that depends on the municipality, and is not taxed. A household is everyone who shares a permanent home; married and cohabiting couples and close relatives are counted together regardless of what the lease states.
It has been reduced three times in two years:
- 1 April 2024: the €300 deduction for earned income was removed, so wages now reduce the allowance in full.
- 1 January 2025: it stopped covering owner-occupied homes, and assets began to be taken into account. The pensioners' housing allowance is a separate scheme and still covers homes they own.
- 1 August 2025: most students were moved off it onto the student housing supplement (below). Students living with a child remain on the general housing allowance.
Report any changes promptly. Kela expects to be informed if income changes by a couple of hundred euros a month, housing costs change by €50, people move in or out, or there are absences longer than three months, and it will reclaim any overpaid allowance. Finding a flat in Finland covers the rental market itself.
Having a baby
- Maternity grant. A package of baby clothes and equipment, or cash. The pregnancy must have lasted at least 154 days and you must have had a health check at a clinic or with a doctor before the end of the fourth month. The cash alternative is €210 for births due from 1 April 2026 (it was €170). Twins receive three grants and triplets six. It is not taxed.
- Pregnancy allowance is paid for 40 working days before the birth.
- Parental allowance is 160 working days per parent, of which 63 can be transferred to the other parent. A single parent receives all 320 days. The days must be used by the child's second birthday. It is based on earnings, with a minimum of €31.99 per working day, and it is taxable.
Child benefit
This is paid monthly for every child under 17, is not taxed, and is usually paid to one parent of the family's choosing. The 2026 amounts per month are:
| Child | Amount |
|---|---|
| First | €94.88 |
| Second | €104.84 |
| Third | €133.79 |
| Fourth | €173.24 |
| Fifth and each after | €192.69 |
Each child under 3 receives an additional €26 a month, and a single parent receives a €73.30 supplement per child.
Caring for a child under 3 at home
If a child aged under 3 does not have a municipal early childhood education place, the family can receive the child home care allowance: €377.68 a month for the first child under 3, €113.07 for each additional child under 3, and €72.66 for each older child not yet at school. An income-tested care supplement of up to €202.12 is paid for one child, and some municipalities add their own supplement. It is taxable. For a child in private day care, there is a private day care allowance instead; the two cannot be paid for the same child.
The old advice still holds: speak to Kela or the maternity clinic before the baby arrives. Claiming late, or claiming one allowance when another would have suited the family better, is the usual way that money is lost.
Student aid
Kela's student aid has three parts: the study grant, a student loan with a state guarantee, and the housing supplement. Studies must last at least two months and be full-time, and your personal income is capped per year.
- The higher-education study grant is €279.38 a month for a student living independently, with a €141.63 supplement for a student who is the guardian of a child.
- The housing supplement pays 80% of accepted rent, up to €296 a month in the Helsinki area, €248 in 24 other larger towns and €216 elsewhere.
The adult education allowance no longer exists for new studies: it has not been granted for courses starting on or after 1 August 2024. Adults who are studying now use ordinary student aid. For courses and degrees, see studying in Finland.
Where this is heading
The Government's stated plan is to gradually fold housing support and last-resort assistance into the general social security benefit. Nothing has a date yet beyond the May 2026 step, so check Kela's changes page before relying on any figures here. The wider picture of moving here is covered in the living in Finland section.
