Summer and Kela
How does summer affect Kela’s benefits and services? Read on for a list of things to remember if you want to contact us or access our services during the summer.
There are changes in the opening hours and other services of Kela service points during the summer.
Kela’s website kela.fi provides comprehensive information about benefits and how to apply for them. A chatbot answers questions around the clock, but the chatbot is only available in Finnish and Swedish. Kela also provides advice on general Kela-related matters on Facebook, Instagram and Jodel, Mondays to Fridays between 9.00 and 16.00.
OmaKela
You can handle almost all Kela-related matters in the OmaKela e-service. In OmaKela you can apply for benefits, submit supporting documents, see your decisions and payment dates and send messages to Kela. You can also get customer service in the chat, but only in Finnish. During the summer, OmaKela’s chat is available from 12.00 to 15.30 on weekdays (Monday to Friday).
Log in to the OmaKela e-service (in Finnish and Swedish)
Phone service
Kela’s phone service has normal opening hours during the summer. Customer service by phone is available on weekdays (Monday to Friday) between 9.00 and 16.00. The phone service is closed on Midsummer’s Eve, 19 June 2026. Customers who want faster service can identify themselves in advance in OmaKela before calling Kela. You can call Kela without confirming your identity in advance. You can also submit a call request for customer service by phone in Finnish, Swedish or English in OmaKela.
Check Kela's phone service numbers
Visit Kela
There are changes to the opening hours of many Kela service points during the summer. Some service points will be closed, while others will operate by appointment only. If you cannot use our e-service or call us and your closest Kela service point is closed, you have a number of other options that will help you access Kela’s services. In many locations, general advice on Kela-related matters is also provided at the joint service points of the municipality or wellbeing services county. Many service points and other premises of partner organisations, such as One-Stop Guidance Centers (Ohjaamo) and Lähitori service centres, offer access to Kela’s remote service. In the remote service, customers can use a video connection to talk to a Kela customer service specialist and handle the same matters as they would at a Kela service point.
Check the up-to-date opening hours and addresses
Paper mail
Applications and other Kela-related documents can also be sent by paper mail to the following address: Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA
Interpreter services for persons with disabilities
During the summer, the Centre for Interpreting Services for the Disabled serves customers from 7.30 to 20.00 on weekdays (Monday to Friday). The Centre is closed on Saturdays in July. In June and August, the Centre also serves customers on Saturdays between 8.00 and 15.00. The Centre closes at 16.00 on 18 June, which is the day before Midsummer's Eve. On Midsummer's Eve, 19 June, and Midsummer’s Day, 20 June, the Centre is closed. Remote service is available from 9.00 to 13.00 between 22 June to 31 July.
Were you granted a place of study? Apply for interpreter services for students in time.
Service in the Sámi languages
Kela normally provides phone service and remote service in Northern Sámi on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9.00–11.00. This service is closed 6 July–31 July 2026. Service by phone and remotely in Skolt Sámi is normally available on Thursdays, 9.00–11.00. This service is closed 15 June–3 July 2026 and 3 August–14 August 2026. Customers who need service in Sámi can send a request for Kela to contact them to saame@kela.fi.
Kela-related matters can also be handled in the Sámi-language e-service MuKela (Northern Sámi) or MuuKela (Inari and Skolt Sámi).
You can use our services even if you plan to travel during the summer. Check our list of six handy tips for a carefree summer with all your Kela-related matters in order.
- Use the OmaKela e-service or give us a call. You can also do it while you are travelling.
- Register your phone number with us so we can also reach you wherever you are. You can do this in the OmaKela e-service on the page Update your personal data (Päivitä omia tietojasi).
- If you have forgotten to send us a supporting document, the processing of your application may be delayed. However, in that case we will contact you either by sending you a message on the OmaKela e-service or by phone.
- You can check the average processing times and the payment dates for your application on our website. You can check the status of your own application in the OmaKela e-service.
- If you want to visit a service point, check the opening hours on our website first. The opening hours of the service points may change for the summer season, while some service points shut for the summer entirely.
Get your Kela affairs in order before the holidays if you can. There is often a backlog in the processing of applications at the end of July and August, when the holidays are coming to an end.
You can find decisions and letters Kela has issued to you in the OmaKela e-service. You will get a notification in your Suomi.fi Messages when you have a new decision or letter available in the OmaKela e-service.
How we send decision notices and letters
MyKanta travels with you even on holiday and helps you manage your health matters easily – whether you are at the cottage, on the move or abroad. You can check your personal health data and prescriptions even while sitting on a pier. Download the MyKanta application to your phone free of charge or log in to the service at kanta.fi.
Download the MyKanta application
Are you planning a trip this summer? Make sure you’ve packed your passport, toothbrush, and a valid European Health Insurance Card. Also check out our other tips before you set off!
By taking care of health matters before your trip and familiarising yourself with the healthcare services in your destination country in advance, you can make your holiday more carefree and safer. Use the tips provided by the Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare and make sure your health matters are in order before you travel.
Make sure your health matters are in order before you travel (eu-healthcare.fi)
Short trips abroad will usually not affect your right to Kela benefits, and you do not need to tell Kela about them. However, leaving Finland for a longer time may have an impact on your right to Kela benefits.
When to tell Kela about your stay abroad
Do you dream about moving to the Sun Coast, Estonia or elsewhere in Europe after retirement? In this article, we tell you what you should know about how your move will affect your Kela benefits, medical care and prescription medicines before you leave Finland behind.
Moving abroad after retirement? Check how your move will affect your Kela matters
Kela processes applications as usual during the summer. However, sometimes we get so many applications that it takes us longer to process them. In addition, some applications will always be processed more quickly than the average, while others will take longer.
Check our average processing times for different applications
We may also take longer to process your application if you do not provide all the information or supporting documents we need. Kela will call you or send you a message in the OmaKela e-service if we need more information or supporting documents.
You can check the status of your application easily in OmaKela. You can also use OmaKela to send us messages or to submit supporting documents electronically. If you cannot send your supporting documents to us in OmaKela, you can send paper copies of them to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
New students
Are you starting higher education studies? Congratulations on your admission! Remember to apply for Kela benefits in time. We may take longer than usual to process applications for student financial aid in the summer because we get so many of them.
If you start a new course of study in higher education in autumn, you can apply for the student housing supplement after you have accepted your offer of admission and know where you will be living during your studies.
However, you should first apply for student financial aid in the OmaKela e-service. You can apply for the student housing supplement after you have signed your lease or right-of-occupancy agreement. Remember to also pay the healthcare fee for students in higher education.
Higher education studies usually start in late August or early September. This means that you can get student financial aid and the housing supplement for students from 1 September 2025 onwards.
Read our tips for new students.
Returning students
Remember to check that your affairs with Kela are in order before you go back to school. Now is a good time to figure out if there is anything you need to do before you dive back into your studies.
Read our tips for students in upper secondary school and vocational education.
Read our tips for students in higher education.
Check how much income you got from your summer job at the beginning of the autumn term. If you have already exceeded your annual income limit, you can pay back some or all of your student financial aid by the end of April in the following year at the latest. We do not recommend cancelling your financial aid for the last months of 2026 because if you do so, you will not be paid the student housing supplement either. If you want to raise your annual income limit, we recommend that you pay back student financial aid you were paid in the first half of 2026.
How do I successfully combine student benefits with other income?
Are you worried about your finances in the summer? We have put together some tips for students on how to successfully navigate through the summer months.
How to ensure your financial security in the summer.