Basic amount of social assistance to be reduced for everyone aged 18 or over as of 1 March
Due to a legislative amendment affecting social assistance that entered into force at the beginning of February, the basic amount of all persons aged 18 and over will be reduced by 2–3% as of 1 March. This change is motivated by savings targets established for central government finances.
The basic amount of social assistance will be reduced for all adults aged 18 or over as of 1 March 2026. The basic amount of persons aged 18 or over who are living alone or living with their parents will be cut by 3% and the basic amount of other customers aged 18 or over by 2%. For example, if you are 18 or over and you live alone, your basic amount will be almost EUR 18 per month less than before.
Change in the basic amount of social assistance
| Applicant or family member | Basic amount before 1 March EUR per month | Basic amount after 1 March | EUR per month |
| Person living alone | 596.32 | 578.43 | –17.89 |
| Person aged 18 or over living in a shared household | 506.87 | 497.45 | –9.42 |
| Single parent | 679.80 | 665.19 | –14.61 |
| Person aged 18 or over living with their parent(s) | 435.31 | 422.25 | –13.06 |
| Child aged 10–17, oldest sibling | 417.42 | 417.63 | +0.21 |
| Child aged 10–17, second oldest sibling | 387.61 | 388.70 | +1.09 |
| Child aged 10–17, third oldest sibling and every subsequent sibling, each | 357.79 | 359.78 | +1.99 |
| Child under 10, oldest sibling | 375.68 | 375.98 | +0.30 |
| Child under 10, second oldest sibling | 345.87 | 347.06 | +1.19 |
| Child under 10, third oldest sibling and every subsequent sibling, each | 316.05 | 318.14 | +2.09 |
Aim of the reform to improve the employment rate and boost public finances
The reform of social assistance is included in the Government Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government. The purpose of the reform is to reduce long-term dependency on social assistance and to clarify its status as a last-resort form of assistance intended for those who need help and support in order to achieve a life of human dignity.
The reform has introduced stricter obligations to apply for benefits that take precedence over social assistance (primary benefits) and to look for full-time work at the risk of a reduction to the basic amount of one’s social assistance. As such, one of the goals of the reform is to enable Kela to instruct customers who rely solely on social assistance to apply for the primary benefits they may have the right to, and generally to direct these customers to the services they need.
However, the reform also seeks to improve the employment rate and boost public finances. The goal is for the reform to help reduce social assistance expenditure by EUR 70 million.