KELA informs: 2025 overpaid student financial aid can be paid back voluntarily before the end of April

In 2025, approximately 35,000 students exceeded their income limit for student financial aid.

These students have until the end of April to pay back financial aid they received in 2025 if they want to avoid the recovery process that will add a 7.5% increase to the amount they owe Kela.

These students can voluntarily pay back student financial aid they received in 2025 by Thursday, 30 April 2026 at the latest. Students enrolled in higher education who voluntarily pay back student financial aid will gain back the months of financial aid they have voluntarily repaid and use them again at a later date.

Students whose income exceeds the annual limit and who do not return excess aid by the end of April 2026 at the latest will be required to pay back the aid to Kela in February 2027. At that point, an increase of 7.5% will be added to the amount that Kela will recover from these students, and the students will not be able to reuse the recovered months of financial aid.

Students can check their annual income limit in the OmaKela e-service or by visiting Kela’s website.

Students free to choose the months for which they pay back student financial aid

The housing benefits available for students changed on 1 August 2025 when students were transferred under the student housing supplement scheme and no longer qualified for general housing allowance. As this change came into effect mid-year, we recommend that students pay back student financial aid they received in early 2025 on their own volition because they will only have to pay back their study grant in that case.

Student financial aid can be paid back quickly and easily

The Tax Administration provides Kela with the income data recorded in students’ pre-completed tax returns. If the preliminary tax information indicates that the student has exceeded the annual income limit, Kela will notify the student of this via text message or email at the beginning of April. Kela sends notifications to all students who have received student financial aid and given Kela permission to send them messages.

Kela compiles a summary of the preliminary tax information for each student. This summary is available in OmaKela. Students can check the summary to see how much income they received in 2025 and pay back excess student financial aid directly.

OmaKela will tell each student which months of financial aid they can return and how much their annual income limit will increase if they voluntarily return aid for those months. Repayment can be made online immediately or by the end of April at the latest.