Credit for medicine costs
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Kela grants credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit) to persons with a small income to help them pay their maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs (vuosiomavastuu) for prescription medicines reimbursed by Kela. You can get the credit if the medication you need to buy costs so much that you have to pay the full maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs in one go or within one calendar month.
The medicine cost credit is a loan that you have to pay back to Kela within 12 months. Kela grants the credit as part of a pilot study that will begin on 27 October 2025 and run for 3 years. You can get the credit for medicine costs starting from the first day of the pilot study.
The pilot will start on 27 October 2025
You can apply for credit for medicine costs starting from 27 October 2025 onwards.
Can you get the credit for medicine costs?
Kela can grant interest-free credit to you to help you pay your maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs (vuosiomavastuu). If you are the parent or guardian of a minor child under the age of 18, Kela can grant the credit to you to help you pay for your child’s medication.
You may qualify for the credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit) if you meet the following criteria:
- Your income does not exceed EUR 1,800 per month.
- The income limit is higher if you have dependent children.
- You do not have the right to social assistance.
- Use our online calculator (in Finnish) to see if you can get social assistance. If you qualify, Kela can pay you social assistance to cover the costs of prescription medicines that are prescribed for the treatment of an illness.
- You have to pay the full maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs in one go or within one calendar month.
Kela cannot grant the medicine cost credit to you if a court has granted you the right to debt adjustment. If you do not pay the medicine cost credit back to Kela in accordance with the payment plan, Kela will not grant the credit to you again in the next year.
When you apply for the medicine cost credit, Kela will check the Incomes Register to see how much income you have. Kela will take into account how much income you had in the month before you applied for the medicine cost credit, unless your income in that month is very different from your usual income. Kela will ask you for more information on your income if it is necessary.
Income limit (gross income before taxes) for the medicine cost credit
- no children – EUR 1,800 per month
- 1 child – EUR 1,900 per month
- 2 children – EUR 2,000 per month
- 3 children – EUR 2,100 per month
- 4 children – EUR 2,200 per month
- 5 children or more – EUR 2,300 per month.
Kela will assess whether or when you will reach the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs based on what medicines you plan to buy. You can apply for the credit to pay the costs of up to 10 different medicines. Kela may also grant you the medicine cost credit if you have already paid up to EUR 70 in out-of-pocket costs for your medicine during the year and you then have to pay the rest of the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs in one go or within one calendar month in the same year.
When can you apply for the credit?
You have to apply for the credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit) in advance. This means that you have to apply for the credit before you buy your medication. The earliest that you can submit an application for the credit is 2 months before you buy your medication. For example, if you plan to buy your medication in December, you can apply for the medicine cost credit starting from 1 October.
Example: Applying for the credit for medicine costs
Ville plans to buy an expensive prescription medicine. Although the pharmacy will apply the basic rate of reimbursement (40%) at the moment of purchase, Ville would still have to pay the full maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs (vuosiomavastuu) (EUR 633.17) when buying the medicine. Ville applies for the medicine cost credit before he buys the medicine. Because Ville’s income is below the income limit and because he would have to pay the full maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs in one go, Kela grants Ville the credit.
Ella bought medicine in January and reached the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs for the year. Ella applies for the medicine cost credit after she has bought her medication. Kela cannot grant Ella the medicine cost credit because she did not apply for the credit before she bought her medicine.
How much is the credit?
Kela can grant you credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit) up to the full amount of the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs (vuosiomavastuu) (EUR 633.17 in 2025). If you have already bought prescription medication reimbursed by Kela and paid out-of-pocket costs for them during the year, Kela can grant you the rest of the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs as medicine cost credit in the same year. Kela will not grant you any medicine cost credit if you have already paid more than EUR 70 in out-of-pocket costs for your prescription medication during the year.
Example: How earlier purchases affect the medicine cost credit
Tiina bought medication in January and paid EUR 35 in out-of-pocket costs for them. In November, her doctor prescribes a new, expensive medicine for her. Although the pharmacy will apply the 65% reimbursement rate at the moment of purchase, Tiina would still have to pay EUR 598.17 in out-of-pocket costs when buying the medicine. Because Tiina’s income is below the income limit and because she would have to pay the rest of the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs in one go, Kela grants Tiina the medicine cost credit. The amount of credit Tiina can get is the rest of the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs minus the out-of-pocket costs she already paid for her medication in January (EUR 35).
Mika has to buy the same expensive medicine as Tiina. However, Mika has already paid EUR 80 in out-of-pocket costs for his medication earlier in the same year. As the maximum limit for already-paid out-of-pocket costs is EUR 70 and Mika has paid more than that, Kela cannot grant medicine cost credit to Mika.
Which medicines count towards the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs?
Prescription medicines that are reimbursed by Kela count towards the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs (vuosiomavastuu). These are medicines that are included in the reimbursement scheme and have been prescribed for the treatment of an illness.
Visit the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish only) to check how much you have already paid in out-of-pocket costs and how much you have left of the maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs.
If you cannot buy all of your medication at once
If Kela has granted you the credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto), you can also use it in situations where you cannot buy all of your reimbursable medicines in one go or where the pharmacy does not have all of your medication in stock and has to order it for you.
How to apply for the credit
The pilot will start on 27 October 2025
You can apply for credit for medicine costs starting from 27 October 2025 onwards.
When will the credit be paid to your bank account?
If Kela grants you the credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit), it will be paid to your bank account on the last business day of the month before the month in which you plan to buy your medication.
If Kela grants you the credit in the same month in which you plan to buy your medication, the credit will be paid to your bank account within 2 business days of Kela granting you the credit.
Example: When will Kela pay the credit to you?
Ritva plans to buy prescription medicines in January. The medicines are so expensive that she will have to pay the full maximum annual limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs (vuosiomavastuu) in one go. Ritva applies for the medicine cost credit in the OmaKela e-service in November. Kela grants Ritva the credit. Kela pays the credit to Ritva’s bank account on the last business day in December.
If you have any questions about how to apply for the medicine cost credit, please call Kela at 020 634 2650.
How do you repay the credit?
You have to pay back the credit for medicine costs (lääkeluotto, medicine cost credit) to Kela in 12 monthly instalments of the same size. You can also repay the credit faster if you want to. Kela does not charge any interest on the credit or any other costs. You do not have to pay the first instalment immediately in the month after Kela has paid the credit to you. You will have to pay it in the month after that. For example, if Kela pays the credit to you in January, you have to pay the first instalment in March.
After Kela has paid the credit to your bank account, Kela will give you the following information:
- the size of the monthly instalment
- the repayment schedule and other instructions for payment.
You can view this information in the OmaKela e-service. You will also get a copy of the information by post if you have not opted out of paper mail.
Please contact Kela if you cannot repay the credit in accordance with the repayment plan. You can call us at 020 634 4940 or send us a message in OmaKela. Select Liikamaksut ja perintäasiat (Overpayment and recovery) and then Muu perintäasia (Other recovery matter) as the subject of your message.
If you do not pay the instalments, Kela may not be able to grant you the credit for medicine costs again. We may also have to ask a District Court to issue a payment order and refer your debt to collection through an enforcement order. If this happens, you will have to pay extra costs.
If you have any questions about the repayment of the medicine cost credit, please call Kela at 020 634 4940.