Housing Supplement

You can be paid a Housing Supplement for the months in which you attend school and live in rented or right-of-occupancy accommodation. Housing Supplement is not available for owner-occupied homes. If several students share accommodation, each should apply for Housing Supplement according to their share of the rent.

You do not qualify for the Housing Supplement if

  • you live with your parent(s)
  • you live with a child of your own or of your spouse or partner
  • you live in a home owned by your spouse or yourself
  • you are entitled to free dormitory housing and there are no particularly weighty reasons for you not to accept a place in a dormitory.

If you are not entitled to the Housing Supplement, you can apply for the General Housing Allowance. However, you cannot be paid General Housing Allowance if you are entitled to the Student Housing supplement but it is not payable for a certain period (such as the summer break).

Living with a spouse or partner

If you live together with your spouse or partner, half of the rent or maintenance charge for your home is calculated as your share of the housing costs. If both of you are students, you must apply for the student housing supplement separately.

Living with a child

If you live with a child of your own or of your spouse or partner, you are eligible for the General Housing Allowance. If you are receiving student housing supplement, discontinue it and apply for the General Housing Allowance from Kela. However, even if you live with a child you can be paid student housing supplement if you, on account of your studies, have to live in a different town from the rest of your family or if you study abroad. This requires that other members of your family live in your family's principal home. You can be paid General Housing Allowance for the principal home.

Shared accommodation

If you share accommodation with others, your housing costs are considered to be shared equally. However, they can be considered to be shared in some other way (except in the case of cohabitation) if each resident has a separate rental agreement specifying a different way of apportioning the costs.

Dormitory

If your school provides you with a place in a dormitory at no cost to you, you cannot be paid student Housing Supplement or General Housing Allowance. Even if you have been assigned a place in a dormitory, you can still live in rented accommodation and be paid student Housing Supplement if

  • you live in a home that you have had since before you applied to school, and the home is located in the same town as your school
  • you live together with your spouse or partner
  • you cannot live in a dormitory for health or other special reasons
  • the dormitory is closed (or not free) on weekends or holidays. (You can be paid a housing supplement for a rented home but live in the dormitory while school is in session).

Updated 10/22/12