Amount and payment
The amount of the housing allowance for pensioners equals 85% of the housing costs that are taken into account after deduction for the basic deductible and the additional deductible that is determined according to the earnings.
The basic deductible is the same for everyone, i.e. EUR 681.39 per year (appr. EUR 56.78 per month).
The additional deductible is equal to 41.3 % of your income exceeding the specified limits. If your income is less than these limits, the additional deductible is not assessed.
| Marital status | Income limit |
|---|---|
| Living alone | 10,280 |
| Persons who are married or cohabiting or live in a registered partnership and whose spouse or partner is not eligible for a housing allowance | 14,676 |
| Persons who are married or cohabiting or live in a registered partnership and whose spouse or partner is eligible for a housing allowance | 16,783 |
Housing allowances less than EUR 7.46 per month are not paid out. If both spouses/partners receive housing allowance, the smallest amount that can be paid out is EUR 3.73 per month.
The housing allowance for pensioners is calculated according to the following formula:
0.85 x (housing costs taken into account – (basic deductible + additional deductible if applicable))
The housing allowance is not taxed.
You can estimate the amount of housing allowance you would be entitled to with a calculator (in Finnish).
Payment
Kela will pay the housing allowance for pensioners on the 4th of each month or, if banks are closed, on the preceding banking day. Kela sends the data on housing allowances paid out to the national incomes register within five days of the date of payment.
With your authorisation, Kela can pay your housing allowance directly to your landlord. If you have not paid rent for two months, your landlord can ask Kela to have your housing allowance paid directly to him. If your housing allowance is passed on to your landlord, you will receive a decision notifying you of this.
Institutional care
If you are taken into continuous institutional care financed by public means, Kela can pay you housing allowance for pensioners for a maximum of 9 months. One prerequisite is that you still have housing costs.
If your spouse/partner is taken into continuous institutional care and you have received housing allowance, Kela will review your housing allowance. Remember to report the change to Kela. Your spouse's/partner's allowance is withdrawn and you receive housing allowance for pensioners that is based on your incomes and housing costs. Payment of the allowance starts when your spouse/partner has been taken into care (from the beginning of the following month).