Interruption in online customer service 26 September 06:00-17:00 More information

Looking for this?

Update on the coronavirus situation

This page contains concise information on how the coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19) affects Kela’s benefits and services. During the epidemic, there may be delays in the processing of applications. The page will be updated as the situation evolves.

Reimbursement for the costs for face masks
The benefits you can get in different situations
Temporary compensation due to an epidemic outbreak for basic social assistance clients
Application and supporting documentation
When are decisions due?
Recovery of overpayments
Customer service
Press releases

Reimbursement for the costs for face masks

According to the recommendation on the use of face masks, everyone should obtain the face masks themselves. If a recommendation on the use of face masks is in force in the municipality, the municipal authorities must make sure that those in the most vulnerable position get face masks free of charge.

Kela does not pay any separate reimbursement to cover the costs for face masks. The costs for face masks are included in the basic amount of the social assistance.

The benefits you can get in different situations

I am in an employment relationship and I have to take unpaid leave

You can get temporary financial assistance due to an epidemic outbreak if you are in an employment relationship and you have to take unpaid leave of absence from your work because

you care for a child
you arrived in Finland from abroad before 14 May 2020 and were placed in conditions equivalent to quarantine

Temporary financial assistance due to an epidemic outbreak is normally not available during self-isolation because it does not require the person undergoing self-isolation to take a leave of absence from their job. For more information, see this Government press release (valtioneuvosto.fi).

You cannot receive temporary financial assistance due to an epidemic outbreak if you are for instance unemployed or on maternity, paternity or parental leave. Read more about the effects on other benefits.

Self-employed persons are not eligible for financial assistance. However, if you are in paid employment alongside the self-employment activity and you have taken unpaid leave from the paid employment, you may be entitled to financial assistance. If the coronavirus outbreak has had a negative effect on your self-employment activity, read more about temporary unemployment benefits for self-employment persons.

Certificates needed: Certificate from the employer confirming that you have taken unpaid leave due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The physician responsible for infectious disease control has ordered me into quarantine

You can receive infectious disease allowance to compensate for the loss of income, if the physician responsible for infectious disease control in the municipality or hospital district has ordered

you into isolation or quarantine
your child aged under 16 years to stay at home to prevent the spreading of an infectious disease.

You cannot receive infectious disease allowance if you have followed the Government’s recommendation to stay in conditions equivalent to quarantine. However, you may be entitled to temporary financial assistance due to an epidemic outbreak.

The infectious disease allowance is paid to the employer insofar as the employer has paid a wage or salary for the time of absence from work.

Certificates needed: Certificate on quarantine from the physician responsible for infectious disease control in the municipality or hospital district. For persons in an employment relationship, also needed is a certificate from the employer verifying the loss of income, i.e. the wage that you would have earned if you had not been ordered into quarantine or isolation.

Read more about the infectious disease allowance

I have fallen ill but I have not been tested for the corona virus

If you have fallen ill and a physician has determined that you are incapable of work, you can apply for sickness allowance. If you are in an employment relationship, your employer will apply for the sickness allowance for the period for which the employer pays you wages.

If you have fallen ill with a coronavirus infection, you can apply for infectious disease allowance. Please note that an order from the physician responsible for infectious disease control in the municipality or hospital district is needed.

Certificates needed: You need a medical certificate to qualify for sickness allowance.

Temporary compensation due to an epidemic outbreak for basic social assistance clients

The Government has submitted a bill on temporary compensation due to an epidemic outbreak to Parliament. The Act has yet to be adopted.

According to the bill, Kela will pay a new benefit to social assistance clients in autumn 2020 due to the coronavirus situation. The benefit is called temporary compensation due to an epidemic outbreak.

The purpose of the temporary compensation is to support the most vulnerable persons and families who have incurred extra costs as a result of the restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus epidemic.

Kela grants compensation due to an epidemic outbreak automatically to all clients who are entitled to it. It is thus not necessary to apply for the compensation separately.

Application and supporting documentation

If possible, send your applications and supporting documents online.

Documents photographed with a phone are accepted if the picture is clear and legible.
Online you can also see if any supporting documents are missing or if the application must be supplemented in some other way.
If information is missing from your application or if you are expected to do something, we will contact you. Remember to state a phone number where you can be reached.

You can also send applications to Kela by mail to the address

Kansaneläkelaitos
PL 10
00056 KELA

The application forms can be printed from Kela’s website.

If you do not have a device or Internet connection of your own, you can call Kela’s telephone service.

When are decisions due?

Online you can check up to date information about average application processing times per benefit.

For information about the processing of your application, sign in to Kela’s online service (available in Finnish or Swedish).

Kela’s customer service can help you with filling in or completing your application. The customer service does not have more exact information about when you will get a decision to your application.

Recovery of overpayments

Kela and the customer can agree that the recovery of overpaid benefits or guaranteed student loan debt is suspended. The recovery can be suspended by 6 months if you experience economic hardship because of the exceptional situation caused by the coronavirus outbreak. However, the recovery of child support debt cannot be suspended.

If you would like the recovery process to be suspended temporarily, you must ask for it by 31 December 2020. After the temporary suspension is over, you will continue to pay back the debt as agreed with Kela’s Overpayment Recovery Centre.

Overpayment Recovery Centre

Customer service

In Kela's online service you can send messages and ask questions. The service is available in Finnish and Swedish.

By telephone you can handle most Kela-matters.

The services in Finnish and Swedish are open weekdays 9 am–4 pm.
The service in English weekdays 9 am–3 pm.
The services in Arabic, Somali and Russian are open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9 am to 12 noon. The phone numbers are the following:
- Arabic 020 6344 902
- Somali 020 6344 905
- Russian 020 6344 901.

Book a phone appointment, if you have several issues to discuss.

Most customer service points are open, but some of them are only open by appointment.

Please check in advance in the customer service locator whether the customer service point in question is open.
When necessary, we can book an appointment for you.
If it is absolutely necessary to visit a customer service point, please maintain good hand hygiene and keep a safe distance to others.
Please do not visit a customer service point if you have flu symptoms, you are in quarantine, you have travelled abroad in the last two weeks or you have been exposed to the corona virus.
The customer service points apply effectivised cleaning and hygiene.

Please note: the customer service staff cannot speed up the processing of applications and they do not know when you will get a decision.

What's new

Go to news archive