Credit for medicine costs
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Kela grants credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit) to persons with a small income to help them pay their maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs (vuosiomavastuu) for prescription medicines reimbursed by Kela.
You can get the credit if the medication you need to buy costs so much that you have to pay the full maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs in one go or within one calendar month.
The medicine cost credit is a loan that you have to pay back to Kela within 12 months. Kela grants the credit as part of a pilot study that began on 27 October 2025 and run for 3 years.
Can you get the credit for medicine costs?
Kela can grant interest-free credit to you to help you pay your maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs (vuosiomavastuu). If you are the parent or guardian of a minor child under the age of 18, Kela can grant the credit to you to help you pay for your child’s medication.
You may qualify for the credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit) if you meet the following criteria:
- You have to pay the full maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs in one go or within one calendar month.
- Your earned income and benefits may together not exceed EUR 1,800 per month.
- The income limit is higher if you have dependent children. Check the income limit.
- You do not have the right to social assistance.
- Use our online calculator to see if you can get social assistance. If you qualify, Kela can pay you social assistance to cover the costs of prescription medicines that are prescribed for the treatment of an illness.
Kela cannot grant the medicine cost credit to you if a court has granted you the right to debt adjustment.
If you do not pay the medicine cost credit back to Kela in accordance with the payment plan, Kela will not grant the credit to you again in the next year.
When you apply for the medicine cost credit, Kela will check the Incomes Register (vero.fi) to see how much income you have, as well as any benefits paid to you by Kela and those not shown in the Incomes Register, such as disability allowance. Student loans, maternity grants and adoption grants are not considered income. The income of your partner does not affect the granting of your medicine credit.
Kela will take into account how much income you had in the month before you applied for the medicine cost credit, unless your income in that month is very different from your usual income. Kela will ask you for more information on your income if it is necessary.
Income limit (gross income before taxes) for the medicine cost credit
- no children – EUR 1,800 per month
- 1 child – EUR 1,900 per month
- 2 children – EUR 2,000 per month
- 3 children – EUR 2,100 per month
- 4 children – EUR 2,200 per month
- 5 children or more – EUR 2,300 per month.
Kela will assess whether or when you will reach the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs based on what medicines you plan to buy. You can apply for the credit to pay the costs of up to 10 different medicines. Kela may also grant you the medicine cost credit if you have already paid up to EUR 70 in out-of-pocket costs for your medicine during the year and you then have to pay the rest of the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs in one go or within one calendar month in the same year.
How much is the credit?
Kela can grant you credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit) up to the full amount of the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs (vuosiomavastuu) (EUR 636.12 in 2026).
If you have already bought prescription medication reimbursed by Kela and paid out-of-pocket costs for them during the year, Kela can grant you the rest of the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs as medicine cost credit in the same year. Kela will not grant you any medicine cost credit if you have already paid more than EUR 70 in out-of-pocket costs for your prescription medication during the year.
Prescription medicines that are reimbursed by Kela count towards the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs (vuosiomavastuu). These are medicines that are included in the reimbursement scheme and have been prescribed for the treatment of an illness.
Visit the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish only) to check how much you have already paid in out-of-pocket costs and how much you have left of the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs.
If Kela has granted you the credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto), you can also use it in situations where you cannot buy all of your reimbursable medicines in one go or where the pharmacy does not have all of your medication in stock and has to order it for you.
When can you apply for the credit?
You have to apply for the credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit) in advance. This means that you have to apply for the credit before you buy your medication. The earliest that you can submit an application for the credit is 2 months before you buy your medication. For example, if you plan to buy your medication in December, you can apply for the medicine cost credit starting from 1 October.
How to apply for the credit
You have to apply for the credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit) before you buy your medication. When you apply for the medicine cost credit, you agree to comply with its terms and conditions. Read the terms and conditions (LJ01, PDF in Finnish) before you apply for the credit.
Apply for the credit for medicine costs on the form Lääkeluotto LJ 02 (PDF, in Finnish).
To make sure that the form functions properly, you need to use the latest version of Adobe Reader. It is available as a free download on the Adobe website (get.adobe.com).
- Save the blank form to your device. Do not fill in the form directly in the browser because some of the information may not be saved that way.
- Open the form with Adobe Reader and fill it in.
- After you have filled in the form, save it in PDF format. You do not have to sign the form.
- Send your application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) under Tee hakemus tai ilmoita muutoksista (Submit an application or report changes).
- Send supporting documents in OmaKela by selecting Lähetä liite (Send a supporting document). Take photographs of the documents you are sending if they are not in a digital format.
- A summary of prescriptions or a list of prescriptions you can get from MyKanta (up to 10 prescriptions).
- Patient instructions your doctor has given you.
- A calculation of your previous purchase(s) issued by a pharmacy, an estimate drawn up by a pharmacy or a copy of an electronic prescription printed by a pharmacy.
Go to OmaKela to see if Kela has made a decision on your application. You will also see how much you will get and when it will be paid. If supporting documents are missing from your application, you will get a reminder about that in OmaKela.
If Kela grants you the medicine cost credit, it means that a credit agreement will exist between you and Kela. You can view the repayment plan in OmaKela.
In OmaKela, you can also give consent for Kela to send you messages. This will help make your application process and other contacts with Kela quicker.
You can submit your application for the medicine cost credit only via OmaKela. You cannot mail your application to Kela by post. If you cannot use OmaKela, you can go to a Kela service point and apply for the credit there. Check the contact information of your closest service point.
Apply for the medicine cost credit
Submit your application and supporting documents online.
The decision notice is only in Finnish or Swedish. If you need help with something, you can call one of our English language customer service numbers.
Things to remember when applying for credit for medicine costs
If a legal guardian applies for credit for medicine costs on behalf of a client, they need permission from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV). For further information, please contact DVV’s service number at 0295 536 256.
When will the credit be paid to your bank account?
If Kela grants you the credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit), it will be paid to your bank account on the last business day of the month before the month in which you plan to buy your medication.
If Kela grants you the credit in the same month in which you plan to buy your medication, the credit will be paid to your bank account within 2 business days of Kela granting you the credit.
If you have any questions about how to apply for the medicine cost credit, please call Kela at 020 634 2650020 634 2650.
How do you repay the credit?
You have to pay back the credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit) to Kela in 12 monthly instalments of the same size. You can also repay the credit faster if you want to. Kela does not charge any interest on the credit or any other costs. You do not have to pay the first instalment immediately in the month after Kela has paid the credit to you. You will have to pay it in the month after that. For example, if Kela pays the credit to you in January, you have to pay the first instalment in March.
After Kela has paid the credit to your bank account, Kela will give you the following information:
- the size of the monthly instalment
- the repayment schedule and other instructions for payment.
You can view this information in the OmaKela e-service.
Please contact Kela if you cannot repay the credit in accordance with the repayment plan. You can call us at 020 634 4940 or send us a message in OmaKela. Select Liikamaksut ja perintäasiat (Overpayment and recovery) and then Muu perintäasia (Other recovery matter) as the subject of your message.
If you do not pay the instalments, Kela may not be able to grant you the credit for medicine costs again. We may also have to ask a District Court to issue a payment order and refer your debt to collection through an enforcement order. If this happens, you will have to pay extra costs.
If you have any questions about the repayment of the medicine cost credit, please call Kela at 020 634 4940020 634 4940.