How parental income affects student financial aid in upper secondary school or vocational education
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Your parents’ income may affect your right to student financial aid and how much you can get.
If you are under 18 or if you live in the same house or apartment with your parents, their income may increase or reduce your financial aid or prevent you from getting it.
Your parents’ income does not affect your student financial aid if
- you are 18 or older and you live independently at a different address than your parents
- you are married
- you are the guardian of a child under 18.
Whose income affects your student financial aid?
Your parents’ income affects your student financial aid if you are under 18 or if you live with your parents. The income of foster parents or grandparents does not affect financial aid.
If your parents are divorced, we will take into account the income of the parent you are living with or who you last lived with. If you are under 18 and you last lived with both of your parents, we will take the income of both your parents into account.
If you are under 18 and you live in the same house or apartment with one of your parents and their new spouse, the income of the new spouse also affects your financial aid. If your parent is not married to their new partner, the income of your parent’s new partner does not affect your student financial aid.
What types of income affect financial aid?
Financial aid is affected by your parents'
- taxable earned income and capital income. Taxable income usually refers to gross income. This means income from which no deductions have been made. If one or both of your parents are paid a study grant, it will count as parental income that affects your student financial aid. Read more about what types of income are taken into account in the annual income check.
- income from abroad that would be taxable in Finland. Report the income your parents have been paid from abroad in your application for financial aid or notification of changes (OmaKela e-service).
More information on taxable income is available on the Tax Administration’s website (vero.fi).
If you live with your parents
Your parents’ income affects your student financial aid if you live with them. Your parents’ income may also prevent you from being paid student financial aid. How your parents’ income affects your financial aid depends on how old you are.
If the amount of student financial aid you can get after your parents’ income is taken into account is under EUR 8.40 per month, you will not be paid any student financial aid at all.
The majority of students in upper secondary education do not qualify for the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials. You cannot get the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials for example when you have the right to a free education. Read more about the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials.
Parental income per year | How does it affect your financial aid? |
| EUR 41,100 or under | You can get the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials. |
| over EUR 41,100 | You cannot get student financial aid. |
If Kela does not pay child benefit to your parents for you, you qualify for the study grant and a government guarantee for a student loan. Read more about what kind of student financial aid and housing benefits you can get.
If you are under 18 and you live with your parents and you do not qualify for the study grant, you also cannot get a government guarantee for a student loan.
| Parental income per year | How does it affect your financial aid? |
EUR 41,100 or under | You can get a student loan, the study grant at an increased rate and the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials. |
| EUR 41,101–44,069 | You can get the study grant and a student loan. |
| EUR 44,070–64,399 | You can get a student loan and the study grant at a reduced rate. |
| EUR 64,400 or over | You cannot get student financial aid. |
If you are under 18 and you live with your parents and you do not qualify for the study grant, you also cannot get a government guarantee for a student loan.
| Parental income per year | How does it affect your financial aid? |
EUR 41,100 or under | You can get a student loan, the study grant at an increased rate and the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials. |
| EUR 41,101–44,069 | You can get the study grant and a student loan. |
| EUR 44,070–64,399 | You can get a student loan and the study grant at a reduced rate. |
| EUR 64,400 or over | You can get a student loan but not the study grant. |
| Parental income per year | How does it affect your financial aid? |
| EUR 41,100 or under | You can get a student loan and the study grant at an increased rate. |
| over EUR 41,100 | You can get the study grant and a student loan. |
If you live independently
If you do not live with your parents, their income does not reduce the amount of student financial aid paid to you or prevent you from getting it.
However, your parents’ income will affect the following even if you live independently:
- whether you qualify for the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials if you are under 18
- whether you will be paid the study grant at an increased rate if you are 17
- whether you qualify for a government guarantee for a student loan if you are under 17.
The majority of students in upper secondary education do not qualify for the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials. You cannot get the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials for example when you have the right to a free education. Read more about the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials.
| Parental income per year | How does it affect your financial aid? |
EUR 41,100 or under | You can get a student loan, the study grant and the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials. |
| EUR 41,101–64,400 | You can get the student housing supplement and a student loan. |
| EUR 64,400 or over | You can get the student housing supplement. |
If Kela does not pay child benefit to your parents for you, you qualify for the study grant and a government guarantee for a student loan. Read more about what kind of student financial aid and housing benefits you can get.
| Parental income per year | How does it affect your financial aid? | |
| EUR 41,100 or under | You can get the student housing supplement, a student loan, the study grant at an increased rate and the supplementary allowance for the purchase of study materials. | |
| over EUR 41,100 | You can get the study grant, the student housing supplement and a student loan. |
Your parents’ income does not affect your student financial aid if you are 18 or over and live independently. You can get the standard amount of study grant, student housing supplement and student loan.
Reporting income
Neither you nor your parents need to report your income to us. We get information about your parents’ income from the Tax Administration. We will take your parents’ income into account based on their latest final tax decision. For example, Kela will take your parents’ income in 2023 into account when we carry out the annual income check in 2025.
We will automatically adjust the amount of student financial aid you will be paid each year based on tax information. Tax information is updated at the beginning of each year. For example, information for tax year 2024 will be used starting from January 2026.
If your parents’ combined income has decreased, you can apply for student financial aid based on your parents’ current, lower income. Their income must be at least 20% smaller than in their latest final tax decision.
Do as follows:
- State the reason why your parents’ income has decreased in your application for financial aid or notification of changes (OmaKela e-service), such as your parent becoming unemployed or being laid off. Tell us about both parents’ current situation.
- We usually check income for the coming 12 months. We get information on salary and benefit payments from the Incomes Register. We will use this information when we process your application, and we will ask you for more information if necessary.
- If your parent is insured under the Self-Employed Persons' Pensions Act (YEL) or the Farmers' Pensions Act (MYEL), no documentation is needed about their current income from self-employment. In such case, we will use the reported YEL or MYEL income.
If your parents’ income is now higher than it was before, you do not have to report it to Kela.