We will update this page with information on discontinuing adult education allowance as soon as we receive more information.
News concerning the adult education allowance
Prime Minister Orpo’s Government Programme states that adult education allowance will be discontinued in August 2024. It was announced later that the scholarship for qualified employees would also be discontinued. The Government's proposal to end adult education allowance has been submitted to the Parliament on 15th February 2024. In the Government proposal, it is proposed that adult education allowance cannot be obtained under any circumstances for studies starting in the autumn of 2024.
Please note that the content and proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance may still change during the parliamentary process
On this page, we have compiled questions that you may have about the discontinuation of adult education allowance and the scholarship for qualified employees. The situation is causing a great deal of uncertainty and we are very sorry about this. We will keep a close eye on the processing of the legislative amendment from the perspective of impact on customers.
Effects of the discontinuance on granting the allowance
- In order to be eligible for adult education allowance, both your studies and your period of the allowance must have started by 31st of July 2024 at the latest
- The start of the support period no later than 31 July means that all conditions for receiving the allowance must be met no later than 31st of July
- You must also be on either partial or full study leave during the period when you applied for the allowance
- The application for adult education allowance does not need to be submitted by 31 July. You can apply for the allowance no earlier than 4 months in advance and no later than 6 months afterwards. If you would like to receive adult education allowance starting from the 31st of July, an application for this should be submitted by 31st of January 2025 at the latest
- If you are currently receiving adult education allowance, the termination of adult education allowance will not have an impact on your situation as long as you are studying the same studies as you are now. You can apply for more support for the same studies in one or more parts until the end of 2025
- If, according to the current Act, you have been granted adult education allowance for studies beginning in the autumn of 2024, the Government proposal suggests that you could lose the right to receive the allowance already granted to you
The effects of the abolition of adult education allowance on your situation
Yes, you can. We always grant the scholarship for qualified employees in accordance with current legislation.
According to the Government proposal, the scholarship for qualified employees could be granted on the basis of a qualification completed by 31 July 2024. The scholarship should be applied for within one year of completing the qualification, i.e. by 31 July 2025. According to the Government proposal, studies completed on or after 1 August 2024 would no longer entitle to the scholarship for qualified employees.
Please note that the content and the proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation adult education allowance and the scholarship for qualified employees might still change.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education allowance on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
The Government proposal would have different impacts depending on whether you are currently studying on adult education allowance or whether you are planning to apply for adult education allowance.
If you are currently receiving adult education allowance, the Government proposal would not have any effect on you as long as you continue your current studies. Under the proposal, you would be able to apply for an extension to the allowance for your current studies until the end of 2025. If you want to change your studies after 1 August 2024, adult education allowance would no longer be granted for the new studies.
If you are planning to apply for adult education allowance before the Act on discontinuation the allowance enters into force for studies starting no later than 31 July 2024, the Government proposal would not have any effect on you as long as you continue your current studies.
If you would like to apply for allowance for new studies that would begin on or after 1 August 2024, you would not be entitled to receive adult education allowance for your studies, according to the Government proposal. The Government proposal states that under no circumstances would adult education allowance be granted for studies starting on or after 1 August 2024. Despite the fact that we can grant adult education allowance for studies starting in the autumn of 2024 on the basis of the current Act before the Act on Discontinuation of adult education allowance enters into force, the Government proposal states that the right to receive the allowance would, however, be abolished once the discontinuation came into force.
Please note that the content and proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance may still change during the parliamentary process.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education support on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
It depends on when the studies you would need the allowance for begin.
If your studies and applied allowance periods start no later than 31 July 2024, you can still apply for the allowance. According to the government proposal, you could apply for support in one or more parts until the end of 2025. See eligibility criteria on our website.
If your studies and allowance periods begin after 1st of August 2024, you can no longer apply for adult education allowance. The Government proposal states that under no circumstances would adult education allowance be granted for studies starting on or after 1 August 2024. Despite the fact that we can grant adult education allowance for studies starting in the autumn of 2024 on the basis of the current Act before the Act on Discontinuation of adult education allowance enters into force, the Government proposal states that the right to receive the allowance would, however, be abolished once the discontinuation came into force.
Please note that the content and the proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance might still change.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education support on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
Yes, you can. At the moment, it is possible to apply for adult education allowance as previously, i.e. for a maximum period of 15 months. The applied entitlement to allowance may also extend beyond August 2024.
According to the proposal, the Act on discontinuation adult education allowance would enter into force as soon as possible, but no later than 1 June 2024 and after this, adult education allowance could be granted until the end of 2025 for those whose studies and applied entitlement to allowance would begin by 31 July 2024.
Please note that the content and the proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance might still change.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education support on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
I have received a decision on adult education allowance, but I am working at the same time and am not applying for the payment of the allowance for all allowance months. Will the remaining allowance months be automatically transferred to my use later or will I lose them completely in the discontinuation?
No, the allowance months will not become available to you automatically. However, you will not lose them either, but you can apply for them by submitting a new allowance eligibility application in the online service. Under the Government proposal, eligibility for the allowance could be granted until 31 December 2025 for studies that have started no later than 31 July 2024 and for which adult education allowance has already been granted.
If you would like to apply for allowance for new studies that would begin on or after 1 August 2024, you would not be entitled to receive adult education allowance for your studies, according to the Government proposal. The Government proposal states that under no circumstances would adult education allowance be granted for studies starting on or after 1 August 2024. Despite the fact that we can grant adult education allowance for studies starting in the autumn of 2024 on the basis of the current Act before the Act on Discontinuation of adult education allowance enters into force, the Government proposal states that the right to receive the allowance would, however, be abolished once the discontinuation came into force.
Please note that the content and proposed implementation schedule of the Act discontinuation of adult education allowance may still change during the parliamentary process.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education support on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
You couldn't, according to the Government proposal. If you would like to apply for allowance for new studies that would begin on or after 1 August 2024, you would not be entitled to receive adult education allowance for your studies. The Government proposal states that under no circumstances would adult education allowance be granted for studies starting on or after 1 August 2024. Despite the fact that we can grant adult education allowance for studies starting in the autumn of 2024 on the basis of the current Act before the Act on Discontinuation of adult education allowance enters into force, the Government proposal states that the right to receive the allowance would, however, be abolished once the discontinuation came into force.
Please note that the content and proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance may still change during the parliamentary process.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education support on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
Your right to receive adult education allowance depends on when the studies you would need the allowance for begin.
If are applying for the allowance for studies that start no later than 31 July 2024 and the applied eligibility for the allowance starts by that date, you are eligible for the benefit.
If you would like to apply for allowance for new studies that would begin on or after 1 August 2024, you would not be entitled to receive adult education allowance for your studies, according to the Government proposal. The Government proposal states that under no circumstances would adult education allowance be granted for studies starting on or after 1 August 2024. Despite the fact that we can grant adult education allowance for studies starting in the autumn of 2024 on the basis of the current Act before the Act on Discontinuation of adult education allowance enters into force, the Government proposal states that the right to receive the allowance would, however, be abolished once the discontinuation came into force.
Please note that the content and proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance may still change during the parliamentary process.
This is not true. Adult education allowance is set to be discontinued for everyone regardless of educational institution or field of study. The clients who have been granted the entitlement to the allowance before the deadline to the discontinuation can still receive allowance during the transition period. New entitlements to the allowance could no longer be granted. This could lead to differences between students.
According to the proposal, the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance would come into force as soon as possible, but no later than 1 June 2024. According to the proposal, adult education allowance could be paid until the end of 2025 for those whose studies and allowance period would begin by 31 July 2024. According to the proposal, allowance could no longer be granted for studies starting on or after 1 August 2024.
Please note that the content and the proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance might still change.
The main effects of the Government proposal are the same for the recipients of employee’s and entrepreneur’s adult education allowance. The Government proposal would have different impacts depending on whether you are currently studying on adult education allowance or whether you are planning to apply for adult education allowance.
If you are currently receiving adult education allowance, the proposed amendments contained in the Government proposal would not have any effect on you as long as you continue your current studies, and you will be eligible for the allowance until the end of 2025. Under the proposal, you would be able to apply for an extension to the allowance for your current studies until the end of 2025.
If you are planning to apply for adult education allowance for a period starting no later than 31 July 2024 for studies starting no later than 31 July 2024 before the entry into force of the Act on discontinuation of the allowace, the Government proposal would not have any effect on you as long as you continue in your current studies. Under the Government proposal, the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance would enter into force as soon as possible, but no later than 1 June 2024.
If you would like to apply for allowance for new studies that would begin on or after 1 August 2024, you would not be entitled to receive entrepreneur’s adult education allowance for your studies. According to the Government proposal, studies starting in the autumn of 2024 are not eligible for support under any circumstances.
In addition, according to the proposal, the allowance can be granted until 31 December 2025 at the most. According to the Government proposal, under no circumstances will it be possible to grant allowance for 2026 or beyond. Please note that prior to the entry of the Act on dicontinuation we may grant allowance for studies starting in the autumn of 2024 for a support period that could extend to 2026. However, the entitlement would be abolished because, according to the Government proposal, it is not possible to receive support for studies starting in the autumn of 2024 and it cannot be granted for the year 2026 or after acccording to the proposed Act on dicontinuation of adult eduaction allowance.
Please note that the content and proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance may still change during the parliamentary process.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education support on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
The discontinuation of adult education allowance does not have direct impacts on study leaves. The amendment does not have an impact on prepared agreements on study leaves and they can also be made in the future. If study leave has been applied for to complete studies that are intended to be financed through adult education allowance, we recommend reading through the Government proposal on the discontinuation of adult education allowance.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education support on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
Prime Minister Orpo’s Government Programme states that adult education allowance will be discontinued in August 2024. It was announced later that the scholarship for qualified employees would also be discontinued. The Government's proposal to end adult education allowance has been submitted to the Parliament on Thursday 15th February.
The discontinuation will be enacted with a legislative amendment that is currently being processed by Parliament. You can also stay up to date on the amendment on the project site of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The processing by Parliament will start with a referral debate. From there, the proposal will progress to one or more committees for the drafting of a report. The amendment will be processed in the Parliament in two separate readings on the basis of the committee reports. If the parliament approves the bill, it will be delivered to the president for ratification.
According to the proposal, the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance would come into force as soo as possible, but no later than on 1 June 2024 and after this, adult education allowance could be paid until the end of 2025 for those whose studies and applied entitlement to allowance would begin by 31 July 2024.
Please note that the content and the proposed implementation schedule of the Act discontinuation adult education allowance might still change.
If your studies and allowance period have started before 31 July 2024, you cannot lose your eligibility for the allowance.
On the other hand, if your studies and entitlement to adult education allowance started on or after 1 August 2024, the government proposal suggests that you could lose the entitlement already granted to you. According to the Government proposal, studies starting in the autumn of 2024 are not eligible for support under any circumstances. Despite the fact that we can grant allowance for studies starting in the autumn of 2024 on the basis of the current Act before the Act on discontinuation of the allowance enters into force, the Government proposal states that the right to receive allowance would, however, be withdrawn once the discontinuation of the allowance Act came into force.
Please note that the content and proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance may still change during the parliamentary process.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education support on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
According to current information, adult education allowance would end on 1 August 2024 and the Act of discontinuation of adult education allowance would enter into force as soon as possible, but no later than 1 June 2024.
According to the transition rules contained in the Government proposal, adult education allowance could be paid until 31 December 2025 if the studies and the allowance period have started no later than 31 July 2024.
Please note that the content and proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance may still change during the parliamentary process.
If your studies and allowance period have started before 31 July 2024, adult education allowance could be granted until the end of 2025. You can submit the payment application retroactively for 6 months, in which case the payment application should be submitted no later than 30 June 2026.
If you would like to apply for support for new studies that would begin on or after 1 August 2024, you would not be entitled to receive adult education allowance for your studies, according to the Government proposal. The Government proposal states that under no circumstances would adult education support be granted for studies starting on or after 1 August 2024. Despite the fact that we can grant aid for studies starting in the autumn of 2024 on the basis of the current Act before the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance enters into force, the Government proposal states that the right to receive aid would, however, be abolished once the new Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance came into force.
Please note that the content and proposed implementation schedule of the Act on discontinuation of adult education allowance may still change during the parliamentary process.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education support on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
You can receive adult education allowance if your entitlement starts no later than 31st of July 2024. If you apply for adult education allowance so that your entitlement would begin on or after 1st of August 2024, according to the Government proposal, you would not be eligible for adult education allowance.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education support on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
We have always given advice to our customers based on the current knowledge. As the preparation of the Act progresses, the information regarding studies starting in the autumn of 2024 has been specified and we have updated our instructions and guidance accordingly. We are sorry that the details of the discontinuation have been uncertain and some of them have been confirmed very late from the point of view of our customers'.
If you are currently receiving adult education allowance, the legislative changes contained in the Government proposal would not affect your situation as long as you are studying the same studies as before. According to the proposal, you could apply for more allowance until the end of 2025 for the same studies you are currently studying. You could apply for more entitlement in one or more parts. If, on the other hand, you changed your studies after 1st of August 2024, the adult education allowance would no longer be granted for your new studies under any circumstances.
Example 1: You have a valid decision for nursing studies for the period 1.1.-31.5.2024. You work in the summer and do not need adult education allowance. You will return to your nursing studies from 1st of September 2024 and would like to receive adult education allowance for the period 1.9. to 31.12.2025. This extension of entitlement could be granted when all other eligibility conditions are met, as you are applying for entitlement to the same studies as you previously studied.
Example 2: You have a valid decision for basic studies in psychology for the period from 1.4.-30.6.2024. You will start intermediate studies in psychology from 1.9.2024, and you would also like to receive adult education support for these studies. Basic and intermediate studies in the same subject are considered to be the same studies, so you could be granted support for the time you applied for if all other eligibility conditions are met.
Example 3: You have a valid decision for three individual courses at the Open University for the period from 1st of May to 31 July 2024. After completing previous courses, you would like to continue your studies and apply for support for new individual courses starting from 1st of August 2024. You would like to apply for support for 1.8.-30.9.2024. However, you could no longer be granted adult education allowance as of 1 st of August, as individual courses are always considered to be new studies.
Example 4: You have a valid decision for three individual courses at the Open University for the period from 1 May to 31 August 2024. One of the courses would not start until 1st of August 2024. You could be paid on the basis of courses starting before the 31 July 2024. On the basis of a course starting on or after the 1 st August 2024, the allowance cannot be paid, as individual courses are always considered new studies.
We have tried to clarify the effects of the abolition of adult education support on your situation with the images below. Click on the image to see it larger.
Prime Minister Orpo’s Government Programme states that adult education allowance will be discontinued in August 2024. It was announced later that the scholarship for qualified employees would also be discontinued. The Government's proposal to end adult education allowance has been submitted to the Parliament on 15th February 2024. In the Government proposal, it is proposed that adult education allowance cannot be obtained under any circumstances for studies starting in the autumn of 2024.
According to the proposal, the Act on discontinuation adult education allowance and the scholarship for qualified employees would would enter into force as soon as possible, but no later than 1st of June 2024. After this, adult education allowance could only be granted for studies that begin before 1 August 2024. The transition period would last until the end of 2025, during which it would be possible to apply for more allowance entitlement and payment if both the studies and the allowance period start no later than 31 July 2024.
The scholarship for qualified employees could be granted on the basis of a qualification completed by 31 July 2024. The scholarship should be applied for within one year of completing the qualification.
We will grant and pay adult education allowance and scholarships for qualified employees according to current legislation until Adult Education Act is amended. However, please note that the Government proposal proposes that the Act on Discontinuation of adult education allowance would also have an impact on the allowance rights already granted before the Act has come into force if the studies begin in the autumn of 2024.
The discontinuation will be enacted with a legislative amendment that is currently being processed by Parliament. You can also stay up to date on the amendment on the project site of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The processing by Parliament will start with a referral debate. From there, the proposal will progress to one or more committees for the drafting of a report. While the proposal was circulated for comments before being discussed by the Parliament, some observations were raised that require processing by the Constitutional Law Committee to ensure that the legislative proposal is compliant with the Constitution. The amendment will be processed in the Parliament in two separate readings on the basis of the committee reports. If the parliament approves the bill, it will be delivered to the president for ratification.