Income requirement for family members of a person who has been granted a residence permit in Finland
When you apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties, you are usually required to have sufficient financial resources. In other words, you and your family members must have enough money for living in Finland.
You may secure your financial resources earned by you or your family member who lives in Finland through employment or income earned through business activities. We also take into account some of the benefits received from Kela. However your income cannot be based on social assistance, labour market subsidy or basic unemployment allowance paid by Kela.
The required income is calculated from your net income, that is, from income that remains after tax and after employer’s and employee’s pension and insurance contributions.
The amount of money that is required is based on the basic social assistance granted to beneficiaries of social assistance by Kela and on the housing costs and healthcare expenses that are observed when granting social assistance.
The amount of money that you must have depends on where you live, since there is regional variation in housing costs.
Required income: Income thresholds for families as of 1 November 2024
1. Helsinki metropolitan area: Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen, Vantaa
| Person |
€/month (net) |
€/year (net) |
| 1 adult |
1,210 |
14,520 |
| 2nd adult living in the same household |
610 |
7,320 |
| 1st child |
610 |
7,320 |
| 2nd child |
480 |
5,760 |
| 3rd child |
360 |
4,320 |
| 4th child |
360 |
4,320 |
| 5th child |
360 |
4,320 |
The income threshold for a family increases by 360 euros per each child starting from the third child.
2. Other large municipalities: Hyvinkää, Hämeenlinna, Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Järvenpää, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Kuopio, Lahti, Lohja, Nokia, Nurmijärvi, Oulu, Porvoo, Raisio, Riihimäki, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki, Sipoo, Siuntio, Tampere, Turku, Tuusula, Vihti
| Person |
€/month (net) |
€/year (net) |
| 1 adult |
1,090 |
13,080 |
| 2nd adult living in the same household |
550 |
6,600 |
| 1st child |
550 |
6,600 |
| 2nd child |
430 |
5,160 |
| 3rd child |
320 |
3,840 |
| 4th child |
320 |
3,840 |
| 5th child |
320 |
3,840 |
The income threshold for a family increases by 320 euros per each child starting from the third child.
3. Other municipalities:
| Person |
€/month (net) |
€/year (net) |
| 1 adult |
1,030 |
12,360 |
| 2nd adult living in the same household |
520 |
6,240 |
| 1st child |
520 |
6,240 |
| 2nd child |
410 |
4,920 |
| 3rd child |
310 |
3,720 |
| 4th child |
310 |
3,720 |
| 5th child |
310 |
3,720 |
The income threshold for a family increases by 310 euros per each child starting from the third child.
Examples:
- For a family consisting of 1 adult and 1 child who live in Helsinki (group 1), the income threshold is EUR 1,210 + EUR 610 = EUR 1,820 per month.
- For a family consisting of 2 adults and 2 children who live in Tampere (group 2), the income threshold is EUR 1,090 + EUR 550 + EUR 550 + EUR 430 = EUR 2,620 per month.
- For a family consisting of 2 adults and 4 children who live in a municipality that belongs to group 3, the income threshold is EUR 1,030 + EUR 520 + EUR 520 + EUR 410 + EUR 310 + EUR 310 = EUR 3,100 per month.
- For a family consisting of a student and of a second adult (a spouse) who live in Kuopio (group 2), the income threshold for the student is EUR 800 per month, and the income threshold for the family is EUR 800 + EUR 550 = EUR 1,350 per month.
Some social benefits are considered income
Certain social benefits reduce the amount of financial resources required. These are called ‘social security benefits compensating for expenses’. For example the following benefits belong to this category:
- child benefit
- child care allowance
- child maintenance allowance
- study grant
- housing allowance
Exceptions to the income requirement
See the page Income requirement to check if you must meet the income requirement. In some situations, family members may not have to meet the income requirement.
For families with children, we may deviate from the required sums on a case-by-case basis if the family’s income is slightly below the income threshold. Making an exception to the income requirement is possible if there are exceptionally weighty reasons or if a derogation is in the best interest of a child. If you are requesting an exception to the income requirement, submit an explanation and documents supporting your claim.
