Money when times are tight — legal and safe ways
When money runs short, the internet is full of bad advice and expensive "solutions". This page contains only ways that don't take your benefits, don't break the law and don't deepen the spiral.
1. Sell your own things — the safest method, which many fear needlessly
In cupboards, storage and the garage, almost everyone has hundreds of euros' worth of things they don't use: clothes, sports equipment, children's items, dishes, furniture, tools.
The key fact that makes many people not sell: when you sell your own used belongings, you are not earning income — you are converting your property into money. Selling ordinary household goods is tax-free (capital gains are tax-free up to 5,000 euros per year, and used items are almost always sold below the purchase price, so no profit arises at all). Nor is it the kind of income that would take away your unemployment benefit the way a wage would. You don't need to fear or hide anything.
Cash sales are also completely legal — it's the most common way at flea markets and pickup sales, and you get the money straight away. What matters for benefits is what you sell, not the method of payment: selling your own used goods is not earned income, whether the buyer pays in cash or by bank transfer. So you don't need to choose the payment method for the sake of benefits — selling is equally safe with both.
A selling tip: start with things that are always in demand — children's clothes and items, sports equipment, tools, working household appliances. Price fairly, and they'll sell quickly.
2. Check that you receive everything you are entitled to
Every year Finns leave a huge amount of benefits unclaimed that they would be entitled to — the most common reason is simply not knowing about them. A two-minute anonymous survey tells you what you should check.
3. Social assistance and money in your account — what's true in the forum talk
On forums people often advise: "Empty your account before applying, don't even keep rent money in the account, or you'll get nothing next month." Here is what's true about that and what can take you from the frying pan into the fire:
This is true: social assistance is a last-resort benefit, and Kela counts money in your account as available funds that reduce the benefit. In practice you therefore cannot save with social assistance — and this comes as a shock to many.
But you don't need to fear rent money: in Kela's calculation, the same month's rent is an expense that is covered — the rent money waiting in the account and the rent bill meet each other in the calculation. Money set aside for rent does not, on its own, take away your benefit.
And here the forum advice becomes dangerous: deliberately wasting money or moving it out of the account just before applying can backfire. Kela requests bank statements for about two months and can ask about large withdrawals and transfers — and if it looks as though funds have been disposed of in order to obtain the benefit, they can still be counted as having been available. At worst you lose both the money and the benefit.
4. Reduce your expenses — it's the same money as income
A saved euro is the same as an earned euro, but tax-free and without affecting any benefit. The quickest ways: surplus food and evening markdowns, affordable community meals, flea markets and recycling centres for purchases, and the city's affordable surplus meals.
It's worth checking your electricity contract especially in a block of flats: when heating is included in the rent or the maintenance charge, you only pay for household electricity yourself — and then spot-price electricity is often clearly the cheapest option, because your consumption is small and winter price spikes don't hit the heating. The saving arises almost by itself, and grows if you schedule the washing machine and dishwasher for cheap hours. (In an electrically heated detached house, spot pricing is a different matter — there winter can get expensive, so consider more carefully.) At the same time, check the price of your phone plan and any streaming services you don't really use.
5. Gig work — worth it on paper, but watch out for a payment gap
Here is the honest full picture, because both sides are true:
On paper, work still increases your income: half of the gig wage reduces the general benefit (yleistuki) (e.g. a 500 € wage takes 250 € from the benefit), so the bottom line is more than without working.
But in practice there is a risk no one tells you about in advance: the earnings disregard was removed (2024), so every euro of wages triggers adjustment — and adjustment means processing. The benefit may go to review, wage details are awaited, and payment may be delayed by weeks. If you have no buffer at all, accepting a gig can therefore mean that you are temporarily left completely without money — even if the end result on paper is positive. This is many people's experience, and it's worth knowing before you say yes to a gig.
If you take a gig, reduce the risk like this:
- Report the work and wage immediately to Kela or your unemployment fund and submit your continued application on time — delays get worse if information arrives late. (Failing to report is benefit misuse and is always revealed by the income register.)
- Ask for the payment date in advance from the employer and assess whether you can manage until then. The wage affects the benefit in the month it is paid.
- Beware of full-time work lasting more than 2 weeks — it cuts off the adjusted benefit entirely for that period.
- If payment is delayed and money runs out, apply for social assistance for the gap and look at food aid near you — the in-between period is exactly the situation they exist for.
Gig work can be found via municipalities' gig pools, shops' extra-staff lists and staffing agencies.
6. Social credit — a legal alternative to payday loans
If you need a small loan for an essential expense but can't get one from a bank, for example because of low income or a payment default entry, don't turn to a payday loan before you look into social credit (sosiaalinen luotto). It's an affordable loan granted by the wellbeing services county, which has been a statutory task of the wellbeing services counties since August 2023. Its purpose is precisely to prevent over-indebtedness and help you get back on your feet.
The credit can be used, for example, for essential purchases, a rental deposit, arranging debts or other expenses that help you get by independently. The loan amount is, depending on the region, typically around 200–10,000 euros, and the repayment period at most five years. The interest is low — the reference rate under the Interest Act, which in early 2025 was about 3.5 per cent — and no other costs or default interest are charged. It is therefore a fraction of a payday loan's real interest.
Important to know: social credit does not affect your right to receive social assistance. Getting the credit does, however, require repayment capacity — a calculation of your ability to pay is made for you — and there is no unconditional right to it; the wellbeing services county grants it within the limits of its funds.
7. How to contact debt counselling
Financial and debt counselling (talous- ja velkaneuvonta) is a free service that helps sort out your debt situation and find solutions. It is organised by the National Legal Services Authority (Oikeuspalveluvirasto) (previously the service was provided by legal aid offices, so old instructions online may direct you to the wrong place). You can get help from any office, regardless of your home municipality. You can get in touch in several ways:
- E-services at oikeuspalveluvirasto.fi work well as a first point of contact. You log in with bank credentials or a mobile certificate, and counselling replies within a week at the latest. After that, the service continues in the way that suits you — electronically, by phone or in person.
- By phone to your area's office on weekdays 9–12. You'll find the nearest office's number at oikeuspalveluvirasto.fi.
- Book an appointment for a personal meeting if you want to go through things face to face. Most offices serve by appointment.
- Financial guidance without an appointment — some offices hold drop-in sessions you can attend without booking. Some also have a chat where you can talk anonymously.
It's worth seeking help as early as possible — already when you notice difficulties with bills, not only when the situation has escalated. The earlier you make contact, the more options are available. You can also contact counselling proactively, before actual over-indebtedness has occurred.
The Guarantee Foundation (Takuusäätiö) also offers concrete solutions, not just someone to talk to. Everything below is free of charge and can be used anonymously even if you already have a payment default entry:
- Velkalinja, tel. 0800 9 8009, Mon–Thu 10am–2pm — talk through your own or a loved one's money or debt situation with a financial expert.
- Ask about money chat at takuusaatio.fi/neuvonta, Mon–Thu 12.30pm–3pm and also Wednesdays 5pm–7pm — useful if you can't call during the day.
- Debt consolidation loan guarantee — the Guarantee Foundation guarantees a bank loan that combines all your unsecured debts and overdue bills into one loan (2,000–34,000 €, up to 45,000 € for couples). The interest stays low because the guarantee is solid security for the bank.
- Small loan, 200–2,000 € for example for a rental deposit or essential household purchases, repayment period up to 2 years — a legal, affordable alternative to a payday loan.