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Basic social assistance for bills

If you apply for basic social assistance to cover other essential expenses, you must provide Kela with the relevant documents, such as bills. Read more about other essential expenses.

Submit copies of the bills with your application and keep the originals. Please note that Kela will not return bills or supporting documents you submit. If you apply online, you can take a picture of the bill for example with your phone. Please remember to take a picture of all the pages. Before submitting a document, make sure that the pictures are clear and the text in them legible.

When the amount of social assistance available to you is calculated, any bills are applied to the month in which their original due date was. Kela will usually pay the amount charged on a bill to you up front, so that you can pay the bill yourself.

You can also ask Kela to pay a bill directly for example to the electric company or an insurance company. Write Maksetaan laskuttajalle on each bill you want Kela to pay. If you send a bill electronically via the e-service, write Maksetaan laskuttajalle in the message that accompanies the bill. Please note that if Kela pays a bill on your behalf, the amount of basic social assistance paid into your account will be smaller. Kela will pay the bill only if the amount of social assistance granted to you is enough to cover the bill. Check the decision you get to make sure that all of the bills you asked to be paid directly have been paid.

Basic social assistance is not available to cover collection fees or late charges.

Submitting a bill afterwards

  1. If you have been granted basic social assistance, you can hand in certain bills that become due after you were granted the assistance provided that the due date falls within the period for which you receive social assistance. Before sending a bill to Kela, check the decision letter to see for what period you have been granted social assistance. The decision granting you social assistance lists the kinds of expenses where this is possible.
  2. Submit the bills online. Take a picture of the bills or scan them. Please remember to take a picture of all the pages. Sign in to Kela’s e-service at www.kela.fi/omakela (Finnish) or www.fpa.fi/etjanst (Swedish). Send the bills using the message function ‘Viestit’ (in Finnish) or ‘Meddelanden’ (in Swedish). Select Toimeentulotuki as subject and after that Perustoimeentulotuen lasku. If you want the bills to be paid directly, write Maksetaan laskuttajalle in the message.
  3. If you submit bills by post after you have already filed an application, enclose the Kela form titled Accompanying form concerning expenses TO3e (PDF). If you do not have a TO3e form, write your personal identity code on the bills. That way Kela will be able to link the bill to your application details. If you want the bills to be paid directly, write Maksetaan laskuttajalle on them.
  4. If you are granted social assistance for bills you submit later, Kela will send a notice of payment about them.
  5. You will also be sent a decision if the bills you submit later are not accepted for social assistance, or if only part of the amount billed is accepted.

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Last modified 28/3/2023