New application form introduced for general social security benefit and general housing allowance

Kela has implemented a new online application form that customers can use to apply for the general social security benefit granted on the basis of unemployment (yleistuki) and general housing allowance (yleinen asumistuki) at the same time. You can also use the form to apply for just one of the benefits if you do not need to apply for both.

The application is available in Finnish and Swedish. You can use a computer or a mobile device to fill it in.

Report changes on the same form 

You can also use the same application form to tell Kela about changes that affect your general social security benefit or general housing allowance. You can use the form to submit an unemployment status report, apply for a review of your general housing allowance or stop the payment of your housing allowance.

You can also apply for basic unemployment allowance (peruspäiväraha) or labour market subsidy (työmarkkinatuki) retroactively.

You can find the form for general social security benefit and general housing allowance in OmaKela by going to Tee hakemus (Submit an application) and then selecting either Asuminen (Housing) or Työttömyys (Unemployment).

Add supporting documents directly to your application 

The new application form uses information available from Kela and its partner organisations to a greater extent than before. For example, part of the application will be pre-filled with your tax information or information from the Incomes Register.

You can now add the required supporting documents directly to your application when you are filling it in. If you cannot do so for some reason, you can still submit supporting documents later in OmaKela after you have submitted your application.

You will get separate decisions on your general social security benefit and general housing allowance even if you apply for both benefits at the same time. You may get the decisions at different times.

General social security benefit is a Kela-paid unemployment benefit

General social security benefit is a new benefit that replaced previous unemployment benefits available from Kela, namely labour market subsidy and basic unemployment allowance, at the beginning of May. 

The benefit is intended for unemployed persons who do not qualify for earnings-related unemployment allowance or who have used up the full amount of their earnings-related unemployment allowance.

General housing allowance can help you with housing costs 

Kela can pay general housing allowance to low-income households that need help with their housing costs. General housing allowance is available for rental, right-of-occupancy and part-ownership housing.