Kela to phase out paper mail – letters will be delivered only via OmaKela

There will be changes to the delivery of decision notices and letters from Kela as of 15 January 2026. Customers who use OmaKela and who have provided their e-mail address or phone number will receive their decision notices and letters only in the e-service OmaKela. Kela will no longer send paper copies of letters that have already been delivered in the e-service. When a new decision or letter is available in OmaKela, the customer will get a notification via Suomi.fi Messages or by email or text message.

This change is due to the reform in November 2025 of the law governing Kela’s operations, and it supports adoption of digital services. In 2025, Kela sent approximately 6 million letters as paper mail while 9 million letters were delivered electronically. This decrease in paper mail saved Kela approximately EUR 6 million in printing and mailing costs during the year. 

“Decisions and letters have been available in OmaKela for a long time by now, and more than 1.5 million Kela customers have opted out of paper mail. For many, the fastest and easiest way to be notified of a decision is electronically. Delivering decisions and letters only via OmaKela will reduce unnecessary paper mail and speed up the flow of information,” says Anu Lantonen, Head of Section at Kela’s Benefit Document Production.

Notifications of decisions and letters in OmaKela will be sent to Suomi.fi messages

Notifications are sent to customers to make sure that they know immediately when a decision or letter becomes available in OmaKela. Notifications of new decisions or letters in OmaKela are sent to the email address the customer has registered in the Suomi.fi service. Customers who use the Suomi.fi application will also receive a notification via the application. Customers who do not use Suomi.fi Messages will get a notification from Kela by email or text message.

Paper mail will still be used in some situations

Customers who do not use OmaKela will continue to get decision notices and letters as paper mail. Customers who use OmaKela can also still choose to get their decision notices and letters by mail. To do this, the customer must set their preference in OmaKela or contact Kela’s customer service.

This change will not apply to customers who do not personally log in to OmaKela but who have instead authorised another person to act on their behalf. However, the authorised person can opt out of paper mail in OmaKela on the behalf of the person who authorised them.

Certain letters will continue to be delivered both via OmaKela and by paper mail. This includes letters concerning survivors’ pensions, child increases paid for pensions, pension assistance and disability benefits. Additionally, payment vouchers granted as part of social assistance and letters concerning death estates will only be sent as paper mail.

In 2026, other public authorities will also begin to prioritise digital communications after the Act on the Primacy of Electronic Services and Communication in the Public Sector enters into force. The timeline for this will be confirmed later during the parliamentary proceedings.

Enquiries

• Decision notices and letters delivered primarily via OmaKela as of January 2026
• Amendment of Kela’s governing law: the names of claims determination specialists to be removed from decisions, increase in online contacts and more extensive access to information for Kela
• From the beginning of 2026, mail from the authorities will primarily arrive electronically