Finland Family Reunification Income Requirement 2026: Net Income, Kela Benefits, Family Size and Municipality Groups

1. Core rule: the calculation uses net income

Gross salary alone does not determine family-reunification eligibility. Migri uses the amount left after taxes and compulsory pension/insurance contributions.

A EUR 3,000 gross salary therefore cannot be assessed in isolation; actual net pay, family size and municipality group must be calculated together.

2. Thresholds by municipality group, in force since 1 November 2024

3. What income can be used?

Employment income and business income are the main qualifying sources. Income may come from the sponsor or applicant; the key question is whether the family's livelihood in Finland is reliably secured.

For business owners, company turnover or account balance alone is not the same as personal net income available to support the family.

4. Which Kela benefits count and which do not?

Migri can count certain expense-compensating social benefits, including child benefit, child-care allowance, child-maintenance allowance, study grant and housing allowance.

Social assistance, labour-market subsidy, basic unemployment allowance and the general social security benefit replacing the latter benefits from 1 May 2026 cannot form the basis of the required income.

5. Practical 2026 calculation examples

Helsinki, two adults: EUR 1,210 + 610 = EUR 1,820 net/month. Helsinki, two adults + one child: EUR 1,210 + 610 + 610 = EUR 2,430 net/month.

Migri's official example for Tampere is EUR 2,620 net/month for two adults and two children. For the third municipality group, the official example for two adults and four children is EUR 3,100 net/month.

6. Different calculation for a student sponsor

A student sponsor's own income requirement can differ from the standard first-adult family amount. Migri's official Kuopio example uses EUR 800/month for the student plus EUR 550/month for the second adult, total EUR 1,350/month.

The family table should therefore not always be applied mechanically from the first-adult figure; the sponsor's permit ground matters.

7. Can families with children receive a derogation?

Migri states that a case-by-case derogation can be possible for families with children when income is slightly below the threshold, but this is not automatic.

The assessment is based on exceptionally weighty reasons or the best interests of the child and should be supported by a written explanation and evidence.

8. What evidence matters in the income file?

9. Common income-calculation mistakes

10. Which municipalities are in group 2?

Migri names 24 municipalities in its second group, "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. Every municipality not on that list or in the capital-region group falls in group 3.

Migri's grouping is not the same as Kela's housing-cost groups, so a city that is large or expensive is not automatically in group 2. Vaasa, Pori, Lappeenranta, Kouvola, Mikkeli and Kajaani, for example, are not on Migri's list and use the group 3 figures. Use the municipality where the family will actually live, which is normally the one in the sponsor's DVV address.

11. Proposed change: amounts set by decree and expected to rise

The euro amounts above are set in Migri's own guidance, not in law. On 1 September 2026 the Ministry of the Interior sent out for comment a proposal under which the amounts would in future be laid down in a Government decree; the consultation closed on 2 October 2026. The ministry states that the amounts will not be lowered and that increases are expected when the decree is issued, and the government bill is planned for Parliament's autumn 2026 session.

As of 13 October 2026 no new figures have been published and nothing has entered into force, so the table in section 2 is the one Migri applies. A family that is close to the threshold should not plan on today's figure lasting: leave a margin, and check Migri's page again before filing and before an extension.