Municipalities, wellbeing services counties and Åland's public healthcare services can be reimbursed for the following items based on actual costs:

• social assistance 
• costs of preparing for reception
• support for children and young people living unaccompanied in the country
• special costs related to healthcare and social welfare
• other costs incurred for special reasons 
• return assistance
• compensation for victims of human trafficking 

In addition, wellbeing services counties are compensated for certain costs of volunteers in the Finnish wars.

Some of the reimbursements based on actual costs require a decision made by the Economic Development Centre. Municipalities, wellbeing services counties and Åland's public healthcare services  apply for the reimbursement of special costs from the Economic Development Centre through the local government e-service.

Social assistance 

Municipalities, wellbeing services counties and Åland's public healthcare services can be reimbursed for the costs of social assistance paid to persons belonging to the target group based on actual costs. The maximum reimbursement period is one year. Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland) pays and grants basic social assistance. Wellbeing services counties pay and grant preventive and supplementary social assistance.

Reimbursement of municipalities for preparing for reception

Municipalities can be reimbursed for necessary costs from preparing for the reception of quota refugees, meaning individuals received under the country's refugee quota, and individuals transitioning from the reception system to the municipality, if such costs were incurred before the individual arrived in Finland or moved to the municipality. Examples of costs of preparing for reception include costs related to housing, such as rent, electricity, home insurance or necessary furnishing costs. 

A decision on the reimbursement of costs made by the Economic Development Centres is required. When the municipality makes a decision on the reception of a person and the ELY Centre assigns the person to the municipality, the municipality reserves an apartment for the person. However, it may take a few months before a quota refugee arrives in the municipality after the Economic Development Centre has made the assignment. 

The municipality can be reimbursed for a maximum of four months of necessary current expenses. Expenses can be reimbursed for a maximum of eight months on reasonable grounds. For example, this may be the case if the person’s arrival in Finland is delayed due to reasons not attributable to the person and the municipality or to other unforeseeable reasons, and the municipality’s housing situation requires this.

As a rule, furnishings and supplies for the apartment should be purchased after the person has arrived in the municipality and can participate in the purchases. After the person has arrived in the municipality, the municipality must nevertheless assist the person in purchases, if required. In this case, purchases can be financed with a payment commitment linked to social assistance issued by the wellbeing services county or a municipality in the province of Åland. If a person requires special support due to obvious healthcare and social welfare needs, they may need assistance from a person with professional qualifications in social welfare from the wellbeing services county or a municipality in the province of Åland.

However, sometimes it is necessary to arrange the necessary furnishings (such as a bed) and supplies for the first few days (such as food, toilet paper, linen, cooking utensils, basic set of dishes, phone subscription, lights and curtains) in advance. On reasonable grounds, the municipality can be reimbursed for the costs of furnishing the apartment or providing supplies for the first few days as costs of preparing for the reception. If required, the municipality and wellbeing services county can also agree that the wellbeing services county makes the required furniture and supply purchases before the person arrives in Finland with a benefit applied for the person.

Only costs incurred before the person arrived in Finland can be reimbursed as costs for preparation. After the person’s arrival in the municipality, the costs for the apartment, such as rent, electricity and water bills, are transferred to the person, as is the responsibility for their payment. The costs incurred by the municipality and wellbeing services county can be covered by other forms of reimbursement specified in the Integration Act from the date of registration of the home municipality, to the extent that the conditions for such reimbursement are met. They will no longer be reimbursed to the municipality as preparation costs after the person’s arrival in Finland.

From 1 January 2025, the Finnish Immigration Service will pay the interpreting costs related to the reception of quota refugees at the airport. The Finnish Immigration Service's service provider orders interpreters for the airport reception of quota refugees and invoices the municipality with the municipality’s consent. Municipalities invoice the Finnish Immigration Service for interpreter costs during airport reception in accordance with the Finnish Immigration Service’s e-invoicing instructions. 

Support for children and young people living unaccompanied in the country

Under the Integration Act, wellbeing services counties and municipalities belonging to the province of Åland can be reimbursed for the costs incurred from providing support to unaccompanied children and young people who have been issued with a residence permit in Finland through the asylum procedure or who have been received in a refugee quota, and for arranging housing or support for children. The aim is to secure the accommodation, daily upbringing, care and support of children arriving as refugees after they have been granted a residence permit. 

The costs can be reimbursed until the adolescent turns 23 or until they have a guardian in Finland. Costs can also be reimbursed in the case of an unaccompanied child or adolescent who has been granted a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection and who has been assigned a home municipality in accordance with the Municipality of Residence Act. Reimbursement requires a decision on the reimbursement of costs made by the ELY Centre.

As a rule, the accommodation, daily upbringing, care and support of unaccompanied children and young people are provided in family group homes or other residential units or family care. Accommodation can also be arranged in a support housing unit or in an individual apartment.  

Wellbeing services counties can be reimbursed for the costs of providing support and housing and finding a representative for an unaccompanied child in the country, as well as for providing support for a young person who has arrived as a minor. 

Specified government transfer for special costs 

Wellbeing services counties, Åland's public healthcare services and municipalities can be reimbursed for significant healthcare and social welfare costs for a maximum of ten years (Integration Act, section 65). A decision made by the Economic Development Centre is required for the reimbursement. 

Reimbursable costs include: 

• considerable costs incurred by wellbeing services counties and Åland's public healthcare services from the organisation of long-term healthcare required for the injury or illness of persons referred to in section 2, subsections 3 and 4 if the person was in need of care or treatment upon arrival in Finland;
• considerable costs incurred by wellbeing services counties and municipalities in the Åland region from the organisation of long-term social welfare required for the injury or illness of persons referred to in section 2, subsections 3 and 4 if the person was in need of care or treatment upon arrival in Finland;
• for special reasons, other considerable healthcare and social welfare costs apart from those mentioned above that have been incurred by wellbeing services counties, Åland's public healthcare services and municipalities in the province of Åland.

In addition, municipalities other than those belonging to the province of Åland can be reimbursed for the costs of special needs support provided to a person referred to in section 2, subsections 3 and 4 of the Integration Act (described in section 15a, subsection 3 of the Early Childhood Education Act or section 17 of the Basic Education Act), unless the costs are reimbursed under another act. Costs of special support in childcare and primary school provided to a person referred to in section 2, subsections 3 and 4 are reimbursed to municipalities belonging to the province of Åland in accordance with the provincial act (Ålands författningssamling 2020:32, Part II, section 41 or Part III, section 19), unless the costs are reimbursed under another act.

Return assistance

A wellbeing services county or a municipality in the province of Åland can pay reasonable travel and moving costs to a person within the scope of reimbursements who voluntarily returns to their home country or country of departure for non-temporary purposes. In addition, wellbeing services counties or municipalities belonging to the province of Åland can provide return assistance corresponding to the amount of the basic component of social assistance for a maximum of 2 months for one person and a maximum of 4 months for a family.

A prerequisite for providing return assistance is that the person's move away from the country is not intended to be temporary. Evidence of this can be demonstrated with a move notification submitted to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and Kela, indicating a permanent move and the permanent purpose of the stay abroad.

Assistance for travel and moving expenses and return assistance are granted on application by the wellbeing services county or municipality in the province of Åland in whose territory the person in question resides. 

Reimbursement of costs incurred from services and support measures provided to victims of human trafficking

The scope of reimbursement for services and support measures provided to victims of human trafficking under the Integration Act covers victims of human trafficking who:

• are specified in chapter 4 of the Reception Act
• are covered by the assistance system for victims of human trafficking 
• have a home municipality in Finland.

Municipalities and wellbeing services counties can be reimbursed for the costs of services and support measures provided to victims of human trafficking regardless of the kind of residence permit the person has or whether they are a Finnish citizen.

If the victim of human trafficking is also a person referred to in section 2, subsections 3 and 4 of the Integration Act, for whose services and support measures reimbursement can be applied (under sections 63, 64, 65 and 66 of the Integration Act), reimbursement must be primarily applied for on these grounds.

Municipalities, wellbeing services counties and Åland's public healthcare services are reimbursed for the costs incurred from healthcare and social welfare services provided to victims of human trafficking due to the special needs arising from their position, as well as costs from guaranteeing their safety and providing other measures and services addressing the special needs related to the victim’s position (Section 68 of the Integration Act). 

Ordinary healthcare and social welfare services or preventive child welfare work pursuant to the Child Welfare Act cannot be financed based on the Integration Act (section 68), unless the measures are considered to be related to the position of a victim of human trafficking. 

The special needs of a victim of human trafficking may be related to the victim’s mental and physical health or other needs caused by human trafficking / exploitation. The reimbursed costs must be the result of having been a victim of human trafficking. Municipalities, wellbeing services counties and Åland's public healthcare services can organise services for victims of human trafficking as their own activity or as a purchased service. Assistance measures are organised on the basis of the victim’s need for individual support. 

More information:
Instructions on the reimbursement of costs under the Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration (681/2023) to municipalities and wellbeing services counties (available in Finnish)