Kela, that is the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, may give you financial support when you are not employed. You can get Kela benefits, for example, if:

• you are unemployed
• you are studying
• your earnings are not enough to cover your housing costs
• you are taking care of children at home
• you cannot go to work because of illness.

You can get a Kela housing allowance if your earnings are not enough to cover your housing costs.

If you get so little money that it is not enough to live, you can apply for social assistance. Social assistance is generally granted only in exceptional cases. For example, when for some reason you cannot get all the benefits Kela offers. You can also get social assistance, for example, if you fall ill and you then have to pay a lot of bills for which you have no money.