Tips for military and non-military service in Finland

Conscript’s allowance is a benefit paid by Kela to persons in military or non-military service and to their family members. In addition to the conscript’s allowance, you will get a daily allowance paid by the Defence Forces, the Centre for Non-Military Service (Siviilipalvelukeskus) or the place of service where you are performing your non-military service. Your income and expenses determine whether you can get conscript’s allowance and how much your conscript’s allowance will be.

You can also get housing assistance as part of your conscript’s allowance. In addition, Kela can pay the interest due on student loans during your service.

Apply for conscript’s allowance about one month before you are scheduled to start your military or non-military service. You cannot apply for conscript’s allowance retroactively. The earliest we can grant conscript’s allowance is the beginning of the month in which your application arrives at Kela.

You can get housing assistance for the housing costs of the house or apartment you live in permanently. If you are living together with your partner but you are not married, you can only get housing assistance for your share of the housing costs. If Kela was paying you general housing allowance before you started service, you will continue to get housing allowance for the entire duration of your service. Kela may also supplement it with the conscript’s allowance. Kela may review the amount of housing allowance you get if necessary.

If Kela was paying you the student housing supplement before you started service, Kela will stop paying you both your student financial aid and the student housing supplement after you step into service. In that case, the only assistance you can get for your housing costs is the housing assistance Kela pays as part of your conscript’s allowance. Remember to apply for student financial aid and the student housing supplement again after you complete service and go back to your studies.

If you are married or you and your partner have a child together, Kela may pay your partner housing assistance, basic assistance and/or special assistance.

When calculating the conscript’s allowance, Kela applies an exempt amount of EUR 300 to earned income (wages and salary) and income from self-employment. That means that you can earn EUR 300 per month during your service without it affecting your conscript’s allowance. The exemption is only applied to the income of the person in military or non-military service. Any income their partner has affects the amount of conscript’s allowance in full.

Notify Kela immediately of changes in your life that may affect the amount of your conscript’s allowance or if you qualify for it. For example, tell Kela if

• your service is interrupted or it ends
• there are changes in your income or the income of your partner who qualifies for conscript’s allowance (for example if you start working)
• you move into a new house or apartment
• you move in with your partner or a roommate or you leave a shared household.

If you want to start a course of study, visit the Studyinfo service maintained by the Finnish National Agency for Education for information on the options that are available to you.

If a place of study accepts you as a student or you decide to continue your previous studies, apply for student financial aid and the student housing supplement after you have finished your military or non-military service. If you have family and you live with your child/children or your partner’s child/children, you can apply for general housing allowance.

Your school or educational institution can help you plan your studies. If you become ill or you face a personal crisis, you can contact student health services or your wellbeing services county for help.

If you do not have a job yet, register as a jobseeker on the website of Job Market Finland. You can also use the website to search for jobs.

If you are not a member of an unemployment fund, you can apply for unemployment benefits from Kela. If you are a member of an unemployment fund, apply for earnings-related unemployment allowance from the fund.

If you need help with your housing costs, but you are not a student and you do not have a place of study, you can apply for general housing allowance. If you become a student after your service and you need help with your housing costs, you can apply for the student housing supplement.

If you cannot work or study full time due to an illness or disability, you may have the right to sickness allowance. Book an appointment with a doctor first. You can apply for sickness allowance if a doctor determines that you cannot work or study and issues you a medical certificate that you can use to apply for sickness allowance.

If your illness lasts for a long time, you can contact healthcare services to ask what kind of rehabilitation you can get.

• If you are in upper secondary education, please contact student health services.
• If you are a higher education student, please contact the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS).
• If you are not a student, you can go to your local health centre (terveysasema).

Kela offers many kinds of rehabilitation services. For example, you can get vocational rehabilitation while you are a student if your illness or disability makes it difficult for you to make progress in your studies.

Talk to your healthcare provider about rehabilitation options.

You may have the right to social assistance if your income and assets do not cover your essential daily needs. However, you need to check first if you can get other primary benefits before you apply for social assistance. Depending on your situation, your primary benefits can be student financial aid, the student housing supplement and a student loan, general housing allowance, unemployment benefits, sickness allowance and/or rehabilitation benefits.

Social assistance is meant to give you short-term financial relief. Its purpose is to help you overcome temporary financial difficulties. Social assistance is always granted as a last resort. This means that you must do everything you can to make a living and first apply for all other benefits you may qualify for. For example, if you are paid wages or a salary or you get primary benefits or you have savings, Kela might not grant or pay you social assistance at its full amount.

If you feel like your future is uncertain or if you do not know where to start, you can contact a One-Stop Guidance Center (Ohjaamo). Guidance Centers offer help and advice on work, studies and daily life.

Find your closest Guidance Center.

Kela benefits help you financially as you set out to live independently even if you are not sure where life will take you. For example, you can get benefits when you rent an apartment, start new studies or take on the responsibility of paying your own bills.

Read more about Kela benefits for young people who are setting out on their own.