Self-employed persons

Self-employed persons are entitled to the same benefits as employees. The reported income under the YEL (Self-Employed Persons’ Pensions Act) or MYEL (Farmers’ Pensions Act) pension insurance schemes for self-employed persons affects daily allowances, unemployment allowances and pensions.

See the quick guide for self-employed persons

In which situations are benefits available?

The coronavirus outbreak and unemployment: During the coronavirus outbreak, self-employed persons who become unemployed can apply for unemployment benefits on exceptional grounds.
Rehabilitation and occupational healthcare: As a self-employed person you can arrange occupational health services for yourself and get reimbursements for the related costs from Kela. You can also maintain your work capacity by participating in rehabilitation.
Parenthood: If you become a parent, you can get parental allowances. It is also possible to get childcare allowances. The allowance is determined on the basis of the reported income under the YEL or MYEL pension insurance schemes.
If you fall ill: If you fall ill, you may be entitled to sickness allowance. The allowance is determined on the basis of the reported income under the YEL or MYEL pension insurance schemes.
Assistance with housing costs: If your income is small, you can apply for general housing allowance. Kela pays housing allowance to low-income households.
Retirement: You can get a national pension from Kela if your earnings-related pension is small.

Kela at your service

Apply for benefits: You can apply for almost all Kela benefits online (in Finnish or Swedish).
Send attachments: Scan or photograph the attachments.
Phone service in English: Open weekdays 9–15.
Information about occupational health services for self-employed persons (in Finnish): Contact us by phone or by e-mail. You can ask about reimbursements for occupational health services, application for reimbursements and reimbursements paid out.
Contact information for employers (in Finnish): Are you handling Kela-related matters for your employee? Contact us via the chat service, by phone or by e-mail.

Benefit calculators

Benefit calculators let you see whether you might be eligible for various Kela benefits and how much you could expect to get.

Current topics

Read the most recent notices about Kela benefits and Kela’s services for private persons.

InfoFinland - Finland in your language

Information about social security benefits in Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian, Estonian, French, Somali, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, Persian and Arabic.