After-school activities are always subject to a full month’s fee even if the child attends after-school activities on only one day during the calendar month or if the child starts after-school activities in the middle of the month.
Exceptions to monthly fees
- In August, the fee is half of the normal monthly fee.
- Any activity days in June are free of charge.
The autumn break, Christmas holiday and winter break of the schools do not affect the monthly fee.
The normal monthly fee is charged for October, December, January and February.
After-school activities are always subject to a full month’s fee even if the child attends after-school activities on only one day during the calendar month or if the child starts after-school activities in the middle of the month.
Child's absences:
- If your child is absent from after-school activities due to illness for 11 or more days during a calendar month, the fee is half of the monthly fee.
- The monthly fee is not charged at all if the child’s absence due to illness lasts for the entire calendar month.
- If your child does not participate in after-school activities for an entire calendar month due to reasons other than illness, the fee is half of the monthly fee. As a guardian, you must notify the group instructor of the absence in advance.
- If you need changes in the time of the activities, please contact the service provider, i.e. the organiser of the activities.
- The place must be terminated in writing at least one full calendar month before the start of the change.
Read more about terminating a place
If your 3rd–9th-grader with an intellectual disability has a special care programme that includes after-school and holiday activities, participation in the activities is free of charge.
If your child has been granted free after-school activities as part of a special care programme, please submit the decision to the client fees unit by mail or secure email (for instructions on how to send a secure email, see the end of this page). Information about the child’s special care programme is not automatically transferred to the client fees unit, and after-school activities are invoiced if the necessary documents have not been provided.
Invoicing
When your child participates in after-school activities, you will receive a monthly invoice. The invoice is sent to the guardian whose credentials were used for authentication at the application stage or whose contact details were indicated on the paper form.
You can contact the organiser of the activities indicated on the invoice, which may be the City of Helsinki or another service provider.
After-school activities organised by the City of Helsinki.
Financial administration services
tel. 09 310 25300
talpa.asiakaspalvelu@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)
If the organiser (service provider) is not the City of Helsinki:
Please contact the organiser’s invoicing department.
If the monthly fee has not been paid by the due date, it may be subject to interest for late payment in accordance with the Interest Act. Please note that unpaid fees may lead to recovery proceedings.
If you have applied for a fee reduction or exemption, you can choose from the following options:
- Pay the invoice normally and wait for the reduction decision. If you receive a positive decision, you will be refunded.
- Or: You can request a postponement of the due date, but please also inform the service provider that you have applied for a fee reduction from the City of Helsinki.
If you would like to know more about the grounds for payment for after-school activities under the Basic Education Act or about the reduction of the fee, you can contact us:
City of Helsinki, Education Division, Customer Fees and Invoicing:
Email: kasko.iphuojennukset@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)
Telephone: +358 9 310 43250
The telephone service is open Mon–Fri at 9:00–11:00.
Apply for a fee reduction based on your income
You can apply for a fee reduction based on your income, in which case the monthly fee is half of the normal fee, or exemption from the fee, in which case the fee will not be charged at all.
- Reductions or exemptions from fees must be applied for annually.
- You can apply for the whole school year in the autumn and only for the spring term in the spring.
- Reductions or exemptions from fees are granted retroactively from the beginning of the current school term at the earliest.
- Changes in fees for children of the same family are processed separately for each child.
The income limits for a fee reduction can be found in the table below. The income limits are based on the income limits for early childhood education fees.
Gross income limits from 1 August 2024 until further notice
| Number of people in the family | Income limit for exemption, EUR | Income limit for halving the fee, EUR |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4066 | 5517 |
| 3 | 5245 | 6696 |
| 4 | 5956 | 7407 |
| 5 | 6667 | 8118 |
| 6 | 7376 | 8827 |
If the number of people in the family is more than 6, EUR 275 per each additional person will be added to the family’s minimum income limits. For example, if there are 8 people in the family, the sum to be added is 2 x EUR 275 = EUR 550.
How to apply for a fee reduction
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Apply in August at the earliest
Do not apply for a fee reduction until your child has started in the after-school activities, in August at the earliest.
Please note that applications submitted before August will not be processed, as up-to-date income information must be enclosed with the application.- If you are applying for a fee reduction for the whole school year or for the autumn term, the application must arrive at the Education Division by 31 December. If the application arrives after the turn of the year, it will only be processed for the spring.
- If you are applying for a fee reduction for the spring term only, the application must arrive by 31 May.
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Be sure to attach the necessary documents to your application
- Attach information about income (salaries, benefits, etc.) and copies of statements to the application.
- We receive information about Kela benefits directly from Kela. There is no need to attach copies of Kela decisions.
- For all income other than benefits paid by Kela, you must attach copies of statements. Please note, that the previously used option of giving us permission to check income information from the Tax Administration's Incomes Register is no longer valid from 1 December 2023.
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Submit your application and attachments using the online form
- Prepare for strong authentication.
- Authentication acts as your signature for the application.
- Once you have successfully submitted the application, you will se a confirmation notification on your screen. You will not receive an email or personal e-services folder confirmation that your application has been sent. You can check that we have received your application by sending us an email at kasko.iphuojennukset@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) .
Complete the online form to apply for a fee reduction (in Finnish)(Link leads to external service)
Complete the online form to apply for a fee reduction (in Swedish)(Link leads to external service)
If you cannot use the online form or strong authentication, see alternative ways to submit an application.
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Wait for the decision
Applications are processed in order of arrival. When a decision is made to reduce or not to charge the fee, information about this is automatically forwarded to the after-school activities organiser’s invoicing department.
Please let us know if there are any changes to the family income or family size during the operating period.
You can contact us regarding fee decisions by email at kasko.iphuojennukset@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) .
Alternative ways to submit an application form and attachments
You can also apply for a reduction in the after-school activities fee using a paper form.
- You will need to attach copies of your current income statements.
- We receive information about Kela benefits directly from Kela. There is no need to attach copies of Kela decisions.
Fees and application for after-school activities 2024-2025 (PDF)(Link leads to external service)
You can submit your application in the following manner:
- By post with appendices to City of Helsinki, Education Division, Customer Fees and Invoicing, After-school activities for schoolchildren, P.O. Box 51301, 00099 City of Helsinki. Please ensure that your letter has sufficient postage.
- By bringing it personally to our office at Työpajankatu 8, Kalasatama, weekdays at 8.00–16.00.
- By sending a secure email. Please note that this requires strong authentication.
Go to secure email(Link leads to external service)
Prepare for strong authentication. Authentication acts as your signature for the form.
- Download the attachments on your computer as PDF, Word or image files.
- Complete the form and save it with the pupil’s name, lastname_firstname_customerfee.
- Close and open the form again. Check that the information has been saved. Close the form.
- Go to the secure email page and send the form by secure email.
- Enter your email address in the From field. Continue to authentication.
- Continue the process until you reach the Uusi viesti (New message) view. In the Aihe (Subject) field, add the text “Customer fee”. At the bottom, under Liitetiedostot (Attachments), press the Choose Files button. Browse to and select the form you have completed on your device. Press the Liitä (Attach) button. Add the any additional attachments in the same way.
- Finally, click the Lähetä (Send) button.
Contact information
Customer Fees
Email: kasko.iphuojennukset@hel.fi (Link opens default mail program)
Telephone: +358 9 310 43250 (Mon-Fri 9-11)
