How to apply for interest assistance
When you apply for interest assistance you can choose to have it paid either to yourself or to the bank. Find out more about the payment of interest assistance.
- Complete the form Application for interest assistance OT 7 (PDF) (in Finnish).
- Enclose with the application documents that show your income during the 4 full calendar months preceding the interest date.
- The documents must show the gross amount of income (i.e. before taxes) and the date of payment.
- You need not provide any documents about wages, compensations and benefits that show up in the national incomes register.
- If you are applying on your own behalf enclose receipts for the interest payments you have made and the notification costs charged by the bank, or a copy of a bank statement. A notification of direct debit is not sufficient proof of the interest paid. The documents must show the amounts of the interest and the notification costs. If you have been paying interest monthly or every three months, submit certificates for the full six-month interest payment period. No such documentation is needed if you want the interest assistance to be paid to the bank.
- Send the application using the OmaKela e-service:
- Save the completed application form on your device. Note that the form must be in PDF format.
- Log in to OmaKela and select Tee hakemus (Submit an application). Please note that our e-service is only available in Finnish and Swedish.
- Select Opiskelu (Studying) and then Muut opintoetuudet - tee hakemus (Other benefits for students - submit an application).
- Upload the application form from your device and press Lähetä (Submit).
- When you send your application online you do not need to sign it.
- If you have supporting documents, send them via OmaKela after you have submitted your application. If they are paper documents, you can photograph or scan them.
Another option is to send the application by mail:
- Sign the application and mail it along with the supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
- A written decision on your application will be sent to you by post. You can also view the decision in the OmaKela e-service.
When to apply
The deadline for submitting the application depends on whether you are applying for the interest assistance to be paid to yourself or to the bank.
Interest assistance paid to you
The following table shows when you need to submit the application to Kela:
Interest and expenses paid for the period | Report income for the following period | Application must reach Kela by |
|---|---|---|
January-June | 1 February - 31 May | 31 August |
July-December | 1 August - 30 November | 28 February (29 February) |
Interest assistance paid to the bank
The following table shows when you need to submit the application to Kela:
| Interest and expenses for the period | Report income for the following period | Application must reach Kela by* |
|---|---|---|
January-June | 1 February - 31 May | 5 June |
July-December | 1 August - 30 November | 5 December |
* If the day in question is not a business day, the application must reach Kela by the previous business day.
Kela can pay the interest assistance to the bank even if you apply late. Your application must reach Kela by the final date that applies to cases where the interest assistance is to be paid to the applicant. You will have to pay any late charges yourself.