Stricter criteria for social assistance as of February – what does it mean for customers?

The basic amount of social assistance is based on a calculation of the theoretical amount needed to cover the essential costs of daily living. Examples of essential costs include things such as food and clothing. In addition to the basic amount, you can get social assistance towards costs such as your rent.

A theoretical amount means that a calculation has been made in advance of the total amount of money that a person needs in a month for the essential costs of everyday life, such as food and tickets for public transport.

A separate basic amount is calculated for each family member. In 2025, the basic amount for persons living alone is EUR 593.55 per month.

The basic amount is not a sum of money that is paid to you. Kela then calculates the income and assets available to you and your family and your expenses:

• The income in the calculation consists of all the income, assets and other benefits available to you and your family.
• The expenses consist of the basic amount and other expenses that Kela takes into account under the social assistance scheme. Expenses that are taken into account are sometimes called acceptable expenses.

If you have more acceptable expenses than you do income, Kela will deduct your income from your acceptable expenses and pay you the difference as social assistance. This means that social assistance covers the part of your and your family’s acceptable expenses that your total income does not cover.

Read more about how social assistance is calculated.

Under the Act that enters into force on 1 February 2026, Kela will be able to reduce the basic amount of social assistance in more situations than before:

1. If you do not register within one month as a jobseeker looking for full-time work and apply for unemployment benefits despite being told by Kela to do so, Kela can reduce the basic amount of your social assistance by 50%.
2. If you do not apply within one month of being told to do so by Kela for benefits that are primary in relation to social assistance and that you may be entitled to, Kela can reduce the basic amount of your social assistance by 50%.
   Read more about the benefits you should apply for first.
3. If you lose your right to unemployment benefits due to your own actions, the basic amount of social assistance can be reduced by 20% in the first month and then by 40%. Examples of such situations include

• a mandatory waiting period
• an obligation to work
• an obligation set for a person under 25 without a vocational qualification
• failure to comply with the integration plan.
• Failure to comply with the integration plan may lead to a reduction of the basic amount even if the customer is not required to register as a jobseeker.

Customers' personal circumstances still taken into consideration

If Kela is considering reducing your basic amount, we will send you a message or letter about this. You will be given a chance to explain why you think the basic amount should not be reduced or why doing so would be unreasonable.

The basic amount can be reduced only if you are still left with the income needed to live with human dignity. Also, the reduction cannot be made if it is considered unreasonable.

Kela only reduces the basic amount of the person who has not followed instructions. Kela will not reduce the basic amounts of children under the age of 18.

The size of the basic amount affects how much social assistance you can get. If Kela reduces the basic amount, you get less social assistance.

Kela only reduces the basic amount of a person who has not, for example, registered as a jobseeker looking for full-time work or applied for other benefits they qualify for. The table shows figures for the basic amount on 1 January 2026.

Kela only reduces the basic amount of a person who has lost their right to unemployment benefits due to, for example, a mandatory waiting period. The table shows figures for the basic amount on 1 January 2026.

See also: How is social assistance calculated? (kela.fi)

Check as soon as possible that you have applied for all the other benefits you may qualify for.

Check what other benefits you should apply for

If you are unemployed and between the ages of 18 and 65 (or you are 17 and you have completed your compulsory education), or if you work less than 30 hours a week, you must also register with the employment services as an unemployed jobseeker looking for full-time work and apply for unemployment benefits. Stay registered as a jobseeker and follow your employment plan.

If you follow the instructions you get, your basic amount will not be reduced. If you have followed instructions, Kela can give you a decision on social assistance for a longer period than one month.

All you have to do in order to avoid having your basic amount reduced is to register with the employment services as an unemployed jobseeker looking for full-time work, maintain your jobseeker status and follow your employment plan. You must also apply for unemployment benefits and any other primary benefits that you may have the right to.

If you work part-time for less than 30 hours a week, you must also register with the employment services as an unemployed jobseeker looking for full-time work and apply for an adjusted unemployment benefit in order to avoid having the basic amount of your social assistance reduced.

If you have a medical statement that says you are unable to work, you can check if you have the right to sickness allowance. Sickness allowance provides compensation for loss of income resulting from a period of incapacity for work lasting less than 12 months. Sickness allowance has a waiting period (omavastuuaika). It is usually the first day of illness and the following 9 working days (Monday to Friday). Apply for sickness allowance first before you apply for social assistance.

If you are still unable to work after Kela has paid you sickness allowance for the maximum amount of time, you can apply for rehabilitation subsidy or disability pension.

If you do not have the right to sickness allowance or any other benefits Kela pays based on incapacity for work, you have to register with employment services as a jobseeker looking for full-time work, maintain your jobseeker status and apply for unemployment benefits. If you do not register with employment services, we may have to reduce the basic amount of your social assistance.

Read also: Has Kela rejected your application for a disability pension?

If you have an illness or disability that makes it difficult for you to study, work or live your daily life independently, talk to your doctor about rehabilitation. Kela can help you check what options are available for rehabilitation. Kela may pay you rehabilitation allowance for the duration of your rehabilitation.

The legislative amendment also means that the basic amount of all customers aged 18 or over will be reduced as of 1 March 2026. The basic amount of persons aged 18 or over who are living alone or living with their parents will be cut by 3% and the basic amount of other customers aged 18 or over by 2%. For example, if you are 18 or over and you live alone, your basic amount will be EUR 17.90 per month less than before.

In addition, the monthly earned-income deduction of EUR 150 will be abolished for all customers aged 18 and over. This means that their earned income (wages and salaries) will then be taken into account in full when their benefit is calculated. However, the earned income allowance of EUR 150 will continue to apply to the fees payable to informal caregivers and family carers until the end of 2027.

Financial assistance received by customers aged 18 and over will also be taken into account in full.

Following the legislative amendment, social assistance can be granted or refused for a period of time that is longer or shorter than one month.

This makes it easier for customers who have, for example, previously had to apply for a refusal of social assistance from Kela every month so that they could then apply for supplementary social assistance from their wellbeing services county. The customer can always apply again if there is a change in their need for assistance.

If you need social assistance and you have regular income and assets, you can apply for social assistance for a longer period, for example 3–6 months.

Kela can pay the part of your social assistance that is earmarked for rent directly to your landlord if you request that we do so or if the rent has not been paid. After the legislative amendment enters into force, we will also always pay the part of social assistance earmarked for rent directly to you landlord if Kela has granted you a rental security deposit for your current home as part of basic social assistance. This also applies to all customers who have received a rental security deposit from Kela before the law was changed.

Read more: Changes to payment of social assistance (kela.fi)

The reform of social assistance is included in the Government Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government. The purpose of the reform is to reduce long-term dependency on social assistance and to clarify its status as a last-resort form of assistance intended for those who need help and support in order to achieve a life of human dignity.

Another aim of the reform is to encourage customers who rely solely on social assistance to check which primary benefits they may have the right to and to apply for them, and generally to direct these customers to the services they need.

However, the reform also seeks to improve the employment rate and boost public finances. The goal is for the reform to help reduce social assistance expenditure by EUR 70 million.

The legislative amendment will enter into force on 1 February 2026, in most respects. As of that date, Kela will begin to send out requests to look for full-time work and apply for primary benefits within a specified one-month period. Requests will be sent to customers who have not yet done so. Reductions of the basic amount under the amended law can be made from the end of March to customers who do not comply.

The basic amount will be reduced by 2–3% for all customers aged 18 or over as of 1 March 2026.