If you become ill while enrolled in higher education
On this page
If you become ill and cannot study, you can take sick leave. If your sick leave lasts for more than 10 working days (Monday to Saturday), you can apply for sickness allowance. You need a medical certificate to qualify for sickness allowance.
How do you apply for sickness allowance and how much can you get?
When your illness affects your study progress
If you are enrolled in higher education and you cannot make progress in your studies because you are ill, you should consider not using your remaining student financial aid months. You have a limited amount of financial aid months. It may be a better option for you to take sick leave and get sickness allowance instead.
If you do not make enough progress in your studies because you are ill, we may have to ask you to explain your lack of progress. If we do, you will need to submit a medical certificate or some other corresponding proof of your illness. You may also need to submit a medical certificate if you run out of financial aid months and have to apply for an extension to your student financial aid.
If you have to take sick leave, you may be able to get an extension to the maximum time you can take to complete your degree and still qualify for student loan compensation. We can grant the extension only if you have been paid sickness allowance or infectious disease allowance or a pension, compensation or rehabilitation subsidy that is paid to you because you are completely unfit for work.
You cannot be paid student financial aid and sickness allowance at the same time
If you apply for sickness allowance, you can be paid student financial aid right up until we grant you sickness allowance. You cannot be paid student financial aid and sickness allowance at the same time. We will stop the payment of your student financial aid automatically, so you do not need to ask us to stop paying it to you.
If your student financial aid has included the student housing supplement, you can apply to be paid general housing allowance instead for the duration of your sick leave. The housing supplement for students is part of your student financial aid. You cannot be paid student financial aid at the same time as sickness allowance. That is why you cannot get housing supplement during your sick leave.
You can be paid student financial aid if you study and work at the same time and you have to take leave from work due to your illness. We will pay your employer sickness allowance in compensation for the sick pay your employer pays you during your sick leave. The sickness allowance we pay to your employer does not affect your student financial aid. However, you must make sufficient progress in your studies if you are paid student financial aid.
From student financial aid to sickness allowance
If you are paid sickness allowance for at least 18 days (Monday to Sunday) in the first month of your illness, we will stop the payment of your student financial aid from the beginning of the month and deduct any study grant that has already been paid to you in that month from your sickness allowance.
If you are paid sickness allowance for under 18 days in the first month of your illness, we will stop the payment of your student financial aid from the beginning of the next month. The amount of study grant paid to you during the same period of time as you are paid sickness allowance will be deducted from your sickness allowance.
Example
19-year-old Aino breaks her wrist. A doctor prescribes 8 weeks of sick leave for her from 2 November onwards. Aino applies for sickness allowance immediately on 2 November.
Kela grants Aino sickness allowance from 14 November onwards after she has completed the waiting period of ten working days that applies to sickness allowance.
Aino is paid both student financial aid and sickness allowance in November. Because Aino is paid the study grant and sickness allowance during the same period of time, Kela deducts the study grant from the sickness allowance paid to her. Kela also stops the payment of Aino's student financial aid from 1 December onwards because Aino will be paid sickness allowance for more than 18 days (Monday to Sunday) in December.
When Aino stops being paid sickness allowance at the beginning of January and can go back to studying full time, she applies for student financial aid again.
Studying during your sick leave
You can study while you are on sick leave and get sickness allowance, as long as you only progress at a rate of about 3 credits per month.
When you are ready to go back to studying full time, tell us about it. If we have completely stopped paying you student financial aid, apply for it again.
What else is going on in your life?
Do you need help with your housing costs during your sick leave?
If we have stopped the payment of your student financial aid because you are paid sickness allowance, you can apply to be paid general housing allowance for the duration of your sick leave.
Do you need support with achieving your goals?
If your daily life feels challenging and you need support with your studies, you might benefit from rehabilitation. What kind of rehabilitation can you get?
Are you unable to study due to illness or issues with your mental health?
If your daily life is a struggle due to illness or issues with your mental health, you can get help. Find out what kind of rehabilitation and financial assistance you can get.
Do you have a disability or a chronic illness?
You may have the right to disability allowance if you have a disability or chronic illness that slows down your studies for over a year. Read more about disability allowance for adults.