Kela to recover excess grant from 47,000 students

About 47,000 students receiving financial aid had income in excess of the annual income limit in 2021, announced the national social insurance institution - KELA in a press release.

They have received a preliminary decision on the recovery of the overpaid financial aid. The number of recipients was higher this year than it was last year.

Kela has sent out proposal letters concerning the recovery of overpaid financial aid to 46,949 students whose income in 2021 exceeded the maximum limit allowed under the student financial aid scheme.

The annual income limit varies according to the number of months for which a student takes out financial aid. Students who took out financial aid for nine months in 2021 were permitted other earned income of up to EUR 12,498.

The average amount of financial aid that students are required to pay back is EUR 976. The total amount of financial aid proposed to be recovered under the preliminary decisions is EUR 45.8 million. In 2021, about 320,860 students received financial aid.

Last year, Kela sent repayment proposals to 40,946 students and this year, the number of recipients increased by 6,003 persons.The annual income check performed now only concerns student financial aid for instance, study grants and housing supplements. The annual income check does not concern general housing allowance.