As an informal carer for a loved one

Informal care support is a package that includes :   

• a carer’s allowance  
• services needed by the cared-for person
• carers’ support services and respite care. 

Informal care support is organised by the cared-for person’s wellbeing services county. In Helsinki it is organised by the The City of Helsinki Social Services and Health Care Division.

Informal care support can be granted for both long-term and short-term needs. For example, short-term care might be needed in a palliative and end-of-life care phase. There are differences between wellbeing services counties in the granting of short-term informal care support.

Procedures and criteria for informal care support by wellbeing services county (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.

How to apply for informal care support

After you have submitted an application for informal care support, the person responsible for informal care support in the wellbeing services county will organise a home visit. The purpose of the visit is to assess the level of commitment and difficulty of your family member’s care needs. After this, other services supporting informal care will be planned according to the carer’s and cared-for person’s needs. A care and client plan will also be drawn up.

Carers Finland Service guide Opens in a new window.offers information in Finnish on the services available for supporting you in your work as an informal carer.

If informal care is not a suitable solution for you and your loved one, you can also consider other ways to get the help you need.

Possible alternative care options include e.g.:  

• support services and home care
• regular institutional respite care periods
• family care
• day and work activities
• personal assistant
• communal housing

If your family member can and is willing to discuss their care, talk to them about their wishes. Discuss your needs and suitable care options with the social worker at your wellbeing services county. If your family member is an elderly person, you can ask for needs assessment.

The carer’s allowance could have an effect on certain other benefits you may receive. If you receive other benefits in conjunction with the carer’s allowance, check with Kela whether the additional income affects the benefits you receive.

The carer’s allowance can affect e.g.:

• rehabilitation allowance
• basic social assistance
• student financial aid 
• parental allowance 
• sickness allowance.

The carer’s allowance does not affect:

• housing allowance 
• care and disability allowance
• employment or national pension or other pension provision. 

If you are a student, you can still become a carer and receive informal care allowance. Informal care allowance will affect student financial aid, so you may lose your student financial aid. Check with Kela. 

If you decide to apply for an informal care allowance, you will agree with the representative of your wellbeing services county how the care of your loved one will be arranged during your studies.  

Also ask your place of study what kind of flexibility to your studies you can get as an informal carer. 

If the wellbeing services county (for Helsinki residents, social services of the City of Helsinki) grants you an allowance for informal care, notify Kela immediately.

If you are a pensioner, you can act as a carer and receive an informal care allowance. An informal care allowance and a fee do not affect old-age pension, but it may affect a disability pension.

You can enter into an informal care agreement even if you are registered as a jobseeker at the TE Office. You must notify the TE Office of your informal carer status as soon as you become one.   

Your entitlement to unemployment benefits depends on the employment nature of your informal care role. The TE Office will assess whether you can accept full-time work as an informal carer. If you are tied to full-time or 24-hour care, it is usually not possible to accept full-time work. In this case, you are also not entitled to unemployment benefit.   

If you enter into an informal care agreement as an unemployed jobseeker, you may be entitled to an unemployment benefit for four months. After four months, the TE Office will assess whether you are still entitled to unemployment benefit. Contact the TE Office for personal advice about your situation. 

The TE Office may ask for additional information when assessing your entitlement to unemployment benefit. 

For example, the TE Office may request you to provide:  

• the care and client plan of the informal care agreement. Substitute care arrangements should be clearly recorded in the plan.  
• your description of how and how soon alternative care can be organised if you find a job. If other family members or friends are able to help with the care, make sure you mention it. You can also ask your care worker to provide a statement on care arrangements which your wellbeing services county will provide if needed.  

Contact the unemployment security helpline for advice about the terms and conditions, or see the Entrepreneur and unemployment security pageOpens in a new window. on the TE Services website.

If you are employed or self-employed running your own business, you can still become a carer and receive informal care support. The carer’s allowance is granted based on the level of commitment and difficulty of the care duties, taking into account your situation as a whole.   

If you have a full-time job, you can apply for various services for your family member to help them with everyday tasks when you are at work. These include e.g. home care, day activities, meals on wheels and transport services. Depending on the circumstances, your family member could also be entitled to a personal assistant. Discuss your service needs with the social worker at your wellbeing services county  

The informal care agreement will state that you can have a full-time job outside the home. The care and client plan will specify the alternative care arrangements during the carer’s working hours.  

Further information about balancing work and home life is available on the Perheystävällinen työpaikka pages (in Finnish)Opens in a new window. of the Family Federation of Finland. The same rules can be applied in informal care settings.  

You can negotiate different types of leave and flexibility with your employer if it is necessary in your care situation. 

Additionally you are entitled to an unpaid Informal care leave for a maximum of five days during the calendar year to provide personal assistance or support to a family member or a person you have a relationship with and lives in the same household with you. A prerequisite for the leave is that the person needs significant assistance that requires your immediate presence or support due to a serious illness or injury that has significantly reduced their functional capacity. You are also entitled to a similar leave due to participation in the terminal care of the above-mentioned person. 

You must notify your employer of the informal care leave and its estimated length as soon as possible and at your employer’s request show proof of the grounds for the leave. The wellbeing services county's social welfare services can provide a statement to your employer explaining why you need leave.  If your family member lives in Helsinki,  social services of the City of Helsinki provides the statement.

In some cases, compensation for the loss of earnings can be applied for from Kela.