Kela informs: Approximately 34,500 students exceeded their annual income limit last year – pay back student financial aid by the end of April to avoid recovery
AI-generated summary of Kela’s press release:
Approximately 34,500 students exceeded their annual income limit for student financial aid in 2025.
Students who exceeded the income limit can voluntarily pay back excess aid received in 2025 by 30 April 2026 to avoid recovery and a 7.5% increase (penalty). Repayment is easily made via the OmaKela e-service, where students may select the months for which they wish to return aid. Repayment can be made through online banking. University students who repay on their own initiative will have the repaid months of financial aid restored for later use.
Housing benefits for students changed in August 2025, so some students may need to repay not only their study grant but also the student housing supplement for late 2025.
If repayment is not made by the deadline, Kela will recover the excess aid in February 2027 with a 7.5% increase, and the repaid aid months will be lost.
Last year, over 22,000 students made voluntary repayments totaling €18.3 million. This figure is expected to increase in 2026.
Students can check their annual income limit in OmaKela or Kela’s website. Those who exceed the limit according to preliminary tax data will receive a text message or email reminder from Kela.