Changes in Kela’s benefit payments and customer service opening hours during Easter

Because of Easter, the dates for filing unemployment status reports are earlier than usual and unemployment benefits are also paid earlier than usual. Customers who want to have their social assistance payments for April deposited into their bank accounts before Easter need to make sure that the application and all the required supporting documents arrive at Kela by 20 March 2026. On Maundy Thursday, 2 April 2026, regular customer service will be available until 13.00, while service for customers in urgent need of social assistance will be available until 16.00.

Changes affecting unemployment benefits

Because of Easter, the dates for filing unemployment status reports are earlier than usual and unemployment benefits are also paid earlier than usual. You can check the date when you can file your unemployment status report either in OmaKela or on the unemployment status report form.

If the period covered by the unemployment status report ends on 31 March or 1 April 2026,  

• you can submit the report on 31 March 2026
• the unemployment benefit will be deposited into your account on 2 April 2026 at the earliest.

If the period covered by the unemployment status report ends on 2 April 2026,

• you can submit the report on 1 April 2026 
• the unemployment benefit will be deposited into your account on 7 April 2026 at the earliest.

If the period covered by the unemployment status report ends on 3–5 April 2026,

• you can submit the report on 2 April 2026  
• the unemployment benefit will be deposited into your account on 8 April 2026 at the earliest.

We recommend filing your unemployment status report in OmaKela first thing in the morning, so that the report can be processed as soon as possible.

How Easter affects applying for social assistance

The last payment date for April’s social assistance payments before Easter is Maundy Thursday, 2 April 2026. If a customer’s application for social assistance and all the required supporting documents arrive at Kela by 20 March 2026 at the latest, they will have their social assistance payment deposited into their bank account by 2 April 2026.

For customers in urgent need of social assistance, Kela will operate a helpline and maintain a presence at selected service points until 16.00 on Maundy Thursday, 2 April 2026. Examples of urgent situations include situations where customers urgently need a voucher to buy food or medicine.

If you have an urgent need of social assistance outside Kela’s opening hours, you can contact the social services of your wellbeing services county. They may provide preventive social assistance to you at their discretion. In urgent crises during the holidays, you can contact the emergency social services of your wellbeing services county. You can find the contact information in the Suomi.fi service by searching for social and crisis emergency services at www.suomi.fi/map.

Opening hours for customer service over Easter

On Maundy Thursday, 2 April 2026, customer service specialists will answer questions in the OmaKela chat service between 12 and 13. Remote service will be available between 9.00 and 13.00. Kela’s phone service will be open 9.00–13.00, but the customer service number for social assistance, 020 634 2550, will take calls concerning urgent situations until 16.00. You can look up Kela’s customer service numbers online at www.kela.fi/call-kela.

Service points that are open on Maundy Thursday, 2 April 2026, will have different opening hours than usual. The service points that are open that day will close at 13.00 at the latest, but some of them will provide service to customers in need of urgent social assistance until 16.00.

The following service points will provide service to customers in need of urgent social assistance:

• Helsinki (Kamppi)
• Joensuu
• Jyväskylä
• Kuopio
• Lahti
• Lappeenranta
• Oulu
• Rovaniemi
• Tampere
• Turku

Check the opening hours and street addresses of all service points at www.kela.fi/visit-kela.

The Centre for Interpreter services for persons with disabilities will be open from 07.30 to 15.00 on Maundy Thursday, 2 April 2026. Remote service will be available from 9.00 to 13.00. The opening hours of the Centre for Interpreting Services for the Disabled are available on our website at www.kela.fi/interpreter-service-for-the-disabled-contact-information. 

Kela’s service points, customer service numbers and the chat in OmaKela will be closed on the following days:

• Good Friday, 3 April 2026
• Easter Saturday, 4 April 2026
• Easter Sunday, 5 April 2026
• Easter Monday, 6 April 2026.

Customers can use Kela’s e-service, OmaKela, to apply for benefits, send supporting documents and notify Kela of changes at any time of the day, any day of the week. OmaKela is available in Finnish and Swedish. In OmaKela, customers can also check the status of their application and the payment dates for their benefits. To log in to OmaKela, users need their online bank credentials or a mobile ID.

Kela has a chatbot that answers questions about benefits around the clock, but only in Finnish and Swedish. The chatbot is available on the main kela.fi website and in OmaKela.  

Easter opening hours for partner organisations

On Maundy Thursday, 2 April 2026, Kela's customer service numbers for partner organisations close by 13.00 at the latest. However, in matters concerning urgent social assistance, service will be provided until 16.00. Kela's phone service for physicians (lääkärilinja) is closed on Maundy Thursday 2 April and on the Tuesday immediately following Easter, 7 April.

All service numbers for partner organisations will be closed on 3–6 April 2026. You can find the service numbers and e-services for partner organisations at www.kela.fi/yhteistyokumppanit-asiakaspalvelu (in Finnish).