Notify Kela of changes in your circumstances
Remember to notify Kela of any changes in your circumstances, so that we can pay your social assistance correctly. Do not forget to check how any changes in your circumstances will affect other benefits that you receive from Kela.
If we do not receive any information on changes, you may be paid social assistance even if you are not entitled to it or at the wrong rate. Any overpaid benefit may reduce future payments of social assistance.
Contact Kela immediately if, for example,
- the amount of income available to you or your family changes
- the amount of assets available to you or your family changes
- there are changes in the benefits which you or your family receive or are about to receive
- there is a change in your or your family's expenses
- you move or become homeless
- you or a family member of yours who is between 17 and 64 years of age stops looking for work
- you get married or your marriage ends
- you move in with your partner, or you leave your partner and move away
- there are other changes in your family (e.g. the number of family members or persons liable for child support payments changes)
- you enter military or non-military service
- you are sent to prison
- you are admitted into institutional care for more than 30 days (e.g. a hospital)
- you or a family member travels abroad for more than a week.
Notify Kela of changes in your circumstances
Report changes that affect the social assistance.
If you cannot report changes in OmaKela, you can fill in the changed information on the social assistance application form TO 1e (pdf). Print out the form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA or hand them in at a Kela service point. You can also pick up a printed copy of the application form at any Kela service point.
We will review the amount of social assistance
We will review your social assistance if there are changes in your situation that affect the amount of the benefit. You will then receive a new decision or notice of payment.
Discontinuation of social assistance
Kela can stop paying social assistance (toimeentulotuki) in the following situations:
- the recipient asks Kela to stop paying it
- the recipient moves to another country
- the recipient has died
- the recipient starts working and no longer qualifies for social assistance
- other similar reasons if the recipient no longer qualifies for social assistance as a result.
Kela can stop paying social assistance only if the reason for discontinuing the assistance applies to all family members, not just one. In other cases, we will review the amount of social assistance we can pay.