Pensioner Housing Allowance Finland : kela.fi

Organization : The Social Insurance Institution of Finland
Facility : Housing Allowance for Pensioner
Country : Finland
Website : http://www.kela.fi/web/en/housing-allowance-for-pensioners

Pensioner Housing Allowance :

You are eligible for housing allowance for pensioners if you are living permanently in Finland, you have a low income and you receive a pension which entitles you to housing allowance for pensioners.

Related : Apply for Disability Pension & Rehabilitation Subsidy Finland : www.statusin.org/27932.html

The allowance is available for both permanent rental and owner-occupied homes. You can claim housing allowance for pensioners
** if you live alone

** if you live with your spouse/partner, or
** if everyone living in your home is being paid a pension that qualifies them for a housing allowance for pensioners.

** In other cases, check your entitlement to general housing allowance. If both your spouse/partner and yourself are paid pensions or other benefits that make you eligible for the housing allowance for pensioners, you must file a joint application for the housing allowance for pensioners.

** Kela will split the allowance between the two of you. If you are married or live in a registered partnership and only either one of you is entitled to the housing allowance for pensioners, Kela will pay all of the allowance to that person.

** The housing allowance can be backdated for a maximum of 6 months from the application. Kela reviews the amount of the housing allowance at the latest after 2 years of the award. Notify Kela if your circumstances change before that.

Pensions that entitle to housing allowance for pensioners include for instance :
** old-age pension, early old-age pension, years-of-service pension, disability pension (including rehabilitation subsidy paid for a fixed period) or spouse’s pension paid by Kela or an authorised pension provider

** guarantee pension paid by Kela
** pension or spouse’s pension paid as a result of an occupational or traffic accident and on the basis of full disability

** pension or spouse’s pension paid under the Military Injuries Act or the Act on Injuries Sustained in Military Service and based on full disability
** comparable benefits from abroad.

You do not qualify for the housing allowance for pensioners if you are only paid :
** partial disability pension
** part-time pension
** partial early old-age pension

General housing allowance :
** The general housing allowance is intended to help low-income households with their housing costs.
** Students to be covered under the general housing allowance scheme
** Students will be transferred to the general housing allowance scheme on 1 August 2017.

** They will become eligible for general housing allowance on the same terms as everyone else. This means that months of study or the maximum time limits for financial aid will not be considered when awarding housing benefits.

** Kela pays the housing allowance to the household as a whole.

Persons who are considered to part of the same household :
** married and cohabiting couples or minor children living in the same or different dwelling
** close relatives (grandparents, parents and children) living in the same dwelling

** persons renting a home under a joint rental agreement
** persons renting a home under separate rental agreements if collectively they pay rent for the entire home.

Persons who are not considered to be part of the same household :
** persons renting part of a home under separate rental agreements, if they are not close relatives and they are not collectively responsible for paying rent for the entire home
** a tenant and a subtenant unless they are close relatives.

About Us :
Supervised by the Finnish Parliament, Kela is an independent social security institution with its own administration and finances. The parliamentary supervision is exercised by a group of Trustees appointed by the Parliament.

The Trustees approve the financial statements and accounting principles based on the recommendation of the Board of Directors and issue decisions on releasing the Board from liability. The Trustees also submit an annual report on their operations to the Parliament.