COGNICURRENT

Last year, Vantaa had the highest number of recipients of basic social assistance in Finland, as new statistics show an increase in both the number of recipients and the payments made.

Finland's Kela aims to automate up to 80% of benefit application processing using a new Salesforce system, potentially reducing its workforce by over 10%.

The amount of basic social assistance distributed by Kela significantly increased from the previous year, with 6.4% of the population receiving support in 2025.

Income limits for student loan interest aid in Finland will rise in March, according to the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela).

The income limits for student loan interest assistance in Finland will rise in March, according to the Finnish Social Insurance Institution (Kela).

Kela reports that the payments for drug reimbursements in Finland have increased to almost 2 billion euros, rising by 4% over the past year.

In 2025, Kela's medicine reimbursements increased to nearly two billion euros due to the rise in the number of people using expensive new medications.

Reimbursements for medications by Kela rose by 4% to a total of 1.98 billion euros in 2025, driven by more patients using new and expensive medications.

A Finnish professional union criticizes Kela for attempting to conduct a complex medical rehabilitation tender process solely based on price.

A little-known financial support from Kela is underutilized by recent graduates, offering significant benefits for those with low incomes and high debt.

Finland's pension security agency has announced that partial early retirement pensions will now be considered income for the new basic income support starting in May, significantly impacting some retirees' finances.

New Kela support aims to alleviate financial burdens for Finns struggling to afford medications, with specific eligibility criteria.

Several welfare regions and Helsinki's child protection aftercare have reported Kela to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, claiming unfair denial of benefits for young people seeking financial support.

The number of recipients of national pension in Finland decreased by six percent last year compared to the previous year, according to Kela.

Changes to Finland's Kela benefits have caused widespread shock among students receiving aftercare support, forcing many to consider taking out student loans or risking their education.

Kela warns that under-25s may face severe cuts in benefits if they do not apply for education opportunities.

Kela encourages certain under-25 youth to apply for vocational education or face consequences for unemployment benefits.

In 2025, Finland saw a significant increase in unemployment benefit recipients, with over 338,000 individuals receiving support from Kela.

Finland will reduce social assistance payments by 2-3% for all adults starting from March, affecting approximately 377,000 recipients.

Growing financial burdens from rising student loan interest rates are causing increased distress among Finnish students, leading to significant amounts of unpaid loans.

The Finnish social security institution Kela will reduce basic income support for 257,000 households starting in March, affecting around 278,000 adults and 88,000 children.

Estimates suggest that the upcoming tightening of social assistance will significantly impact approximately 49,000 people in Finland who are currently without income.

Over 28,000 students in Finland could be required to pay back their study grants due to exceeding the annual income limit in 2024.

More than 28,000 students in Finland may have to repay overpaid student grants if their income exceeds annual earnings limits set by Kela.

Kela is set to reclaim support funds from over 28,000 students whose incomes exceeded the annual threshold in 2024.

Finnish students are seeking clarity from Kela regarding the recent changes to social assistance, particularly concerning the application for student loans and unemployment benefits during the summer.

The article discusses the rising incidents of aggressive behavior towards employees of Kela, Finland's social insurance institution, particularly during phone interactions, and the measures taken to document these occurrences.

Kela has announced that students can receive full social assistance during the summer without having to terminate their studies, countering previous guidance that required students to register as unemployed and halt their education to obtain support.

Students are inundating Kela with questions regarding the impact of changes to the social assistance law effective February 1, 2026, particularly about student loans and unemployment benefits during summer.

Last year, over 100 million euros in student loans went unpaid, affecting nearly 9,000 borrowers, prompting Kela to step in as a guarantor.