Social and health services client fees

The fee for a doctor’s appointment at Espoo health centres is EUR 16.40 per appointment on weekdays. The fee will be charged for the first three appointments during a calendar year. Any further appointments during the calendar year will be free of charge.

Appointment fees are not charged from the following groups:

• persons under the age of 18
• recipients of a full national pension
• refugees covered by an imputed reimbursement paid by the state
• full-time students
• recipients of a guarantee pension
• recipients of pension assistance
• recipients of basic unemployment allowance, labour market subsidy or integration allowance
• groups entitled to the Espoo veterans’ services
• Conscripts and persons doing non-military service

The exemption from appointment fees only applies to Espoo residents and Espoo’s own health centres on weekdays. In order to be exempted from the fees, you have to show the patient office staff proof of belonging to one of the above-mentioned groups when you visit the health centre. You will then be exempted from the fees starting from the date on which you present the required certificate.

• If you are a student, you need to show a valid student card or a certificate of your student status. Depending on the proof shown, your exemption will be in effect until the end of the semester or school year.
• If you receive basic unemployment allowance, labour market subsidy or integration allowance, please show a Kela document of the benefits paid. You may show the document as a printout or on a smartphone, for example. Exemption can be granted for three (3) months on the basis of a document that is no more than four weeks old.
• If you receive a full national pension or a guarantee pension, you need to present the pension decision.
• If you are a member of a veteran group, present a front veteran’s badge, a life annuity decision or a certificate from the Military Archives.

Appointment fees are not charged from Espoo residents if the reason for a doctor’s appointment is health guidance or a health check-up. Free doctor’s appointments include:

• visits to a maternity and child health clinic as well as school and student health care
• medical examination appointments to obtain a driving licence or a T certificate
• a conscript’s preliminary examination
• family planning visits (if no medical treatment is provided)
• visits under the Communicable Diseases Act (e.g. treatment of salmonella or sexually transmitted diseases) or
• an assessment of the need for a referral for observation based on the Mental Health Act.

Appointments with nurses are free of charge. If a doctor’s assessment is required in connection with a nurse's appointment, a fee will be charged in accordance with the above-mentioned principles.

Health centre fees count towards the annual ceiling for social and health care client fees.

See fees for medical certificates (in Finnish).(extrernal link)

On weekdays between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm, the fee for visiting a general practitioner at Jorvi is EUR 16.40.

This fee is not charged from persons under the age of 18 and members of the veteran groups. Once an Espoo resident has paid the fee for an emergency care visit with a general practitioner at Jorvi or the appointment fee charged Espoo health centres a total of three times during a calendar year, these fees will no longer be charged during that year.

On weekdays between 8:00 pm and 8:00 am and on weekends around the clock, the fee for visiting the emergency services at Jorvi is EUR 32.70.

This emergency care fee is charged for every visit and there is no annual ceiling. This fee is not charged from persons under the age of 18 and members of the veteran groups.

The outpatient clinic fee for specialised emergency care at Jorvi is EUR 32.70 around the clock.

This fee is charged for every visit and there is no annual ceiling. The fee is also charged from patients under the age of 18. Veteran groups are exempt from the outpatient clinic fee.

HUS is fully responsible for the emergency care operations and the related patient fees.

The fee for a dental hygienist’s appointment is EUR 10.20 and for a dentist’s appointment EUR 13.10. In addition, fees are charged for various dental procedures. The fee depends on the procedure.

The fee for a specialised dentist’s appointment is EUR 19.20.

The fee for an uncancelled appointment is EUR 50.80 and it applies to everyone aged 18 and older.  You can cancel your appointment online(extrernal link) or by leaving a message through our 24-hour voicemail service (tel. 09 816 30300).

Municipal dental care is free of charge for persons under the age of 18. However, a fee is charged for orthodontic appliances that are lost or damaged due to incorrect use or negligence.

Dental care fees are also not charged from individuals who have a front veteran’s badge, a front-line service badge, a front-line badge, a veteran badge or a certificate of participation in certain mine clearance operations. Municipal dental care fees apply to everyone with the exception of the above-mentioned groups. Dental care fees do not count towards the annual ceiling.

The dental care client fees are based on the national decree on client fees. The invoice for dental care is sent to the client’s home address after the appointment.

The fee for certificates that are not related to the actual treatment (e.g. certificates for an insurance company) is EUR 50.80.

Contact the dental clinic for more information about the fees. You can ask for a cost estimate before your treatment begins. You may also want to check the final amount after your treatment has been completed. Kela will reimburse approximately 35% of private dental care costs.(extrernal link) Please remember that Kela reimbursement is not available for municipal dental care.

• Appointment fee EUR 10.20, EUR 13.10 or EUR 19.20, depending on the appointment
• Examination EUR 8.40, EUR 18.90 or EUR 37.50, depending on the scope of the examination
• X-ray EUR 8.40 per image, dental panoramic radiograph (OPTG) EUR 18.90
• Local anaesthesia EUR 8.40
• Removal of calculus EUR 37.50–54.90
• Dental filling from EUR 18.90, depending on the filling size
• Root canal treatment, from EUR 18.90 per visit, depending on the appointment duration
• Tooth removal, from EUR 18.90 per visit, depending on the degree of difficulty
• Removable dentures EUR 183.50 + laboratory costs
• Removable metal-framed partial dentures EUR 222.70 + laboratory costs
• Procedure fees vary from EUR 8.40 to EUR 222.70, depending on the degree of difficulty
• Uncancelled dental care appointments and last-minute cancellations EUR 50.80

If you have any questions regarding dental care invoices or fees, please send an email to hammashoito.asiakaspalvelukeskus@espoo.fi.

The fee for uncancelled, missed appointments is EUR 50.80.

The penalty fee will not be charged if you have an acceptable reason for not cancelling your appointment. Contact your local health centre to explain your reason.

The fee is charged for uncancelled dentist’s appointments, oral and dental examinations and treatment as well as expensive imaging appointments. The penalty fee applies to everyone aged 18 and older. Cancellations must take place by 2:00 pm on the weekday before the scheduled appointment.

Appointments can be cancelled 24/7 online(extrernal link) or by telephone. 

Even if the service in question is free of charge, the penalty fee for uncancelled appointments still applies. No fee will be charged for an uncancelled service if you have an acceptable reason for not cancelling your appointment.

The fee for individual physiotherapy is EUR 9 per session.

The fee for group sessions is based on the physiotherapy period.

Group sessions based on an individual plan:

• 1 to 3 group sessions EUR 9.00 in total
• 4 to 6 group sessions EUR 18.00 in total
• 7 or more group sessions EUR 27.00 in total

Group sessions are free of charge for persons under the age of 18.

Espoo Economic Management will send your invoice to your home address.

The fee for serial treatments is EUR 9.00 per treatment. This fee is charged for a maximum of 45 visits per calendar year. The fee is not charged for treatments given to persons under the age of 18.

The fee for short-term institutional care is EUR 38.80 per day.

If the client spends full days away from the facility at some point during the care period, the fee will not be charged for those days. The fee is also charged for the departure day, unless the client continues to receive care in another facility on the same day. If the customer will immediately move to another facility, the original facility will not charge a fee for the day on which the client moves out.

After the client reaches the payment ceiling, they will be invoiced EUR 17.90 per day as an upkeep fee for short-term institutional care (not applicable to persons under 18).

The fee for short-term psychiatric institutional care is EUR 17.90 per day.

The fee for day and night care is EUR 17.90 per day.
This fee will only be charged if the client only receives care during daytime or at night.

If the client is under 18 years old, the fee is only charged for a maximum of seven days of care per calendar year.

A person is considered to be in long-term institutional care if the duration of institutional care is estimated to be longer than three months from the start of the care period or their round-the-clock institutional care has continued for three months and their functional ability has deteriorated to the extent that they still require institutional care.

If the client is under 18 years old, the fee is only charged for a maximum of seven days of care per calendar year.

If the person in institutional care has a higher income than their spouse, the maximum fee for institutional care is 42.5% of their combined monthly net income. However, the person in long-term institutional care must have a minimum amount of EUR 110.00 per month at their disposal.

If long-term institutional care is interrupted for more than five days, fees will only be charged for the first five days. If the interruption continues for an entire month, no fees will be charged (Act on Client Charges in Healthcare and Social Welfare, section 32). A month refers to an uninterrupted period of at least one month.

Individuals in institutional care are entitled to care allowance from Kela. If an Espoo resident independently seeks care at a private facility, they are liable to pay the costs.

• The fee for a certificate/statement by a doctor or a dentist is EUR 50.80.
• The fee for a certificate required for a driving licence is EUR 61.00.
• No fees are charged for treatment-related certificates or statements in primary health care.

The fee for individual physiotherapy is EUR 9.00 per visit.

The fee for serial treatment and medical rehabilitation (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, neuropsychologist, speech therapy) is EUR 9.00 per visit.

If a client receives different types of therapy or treatment during one visit, only one serial treatment fee will be charged. The serial treatment fee is charged for a maximum of 45 visits per calendar year.

The fee for group therapy sessions is based on the number of sessions as follows:

• 3 group sessions, client fee for the period EUR 9.00
• 4 to 6 group sessions, client fee for the period EUR 18.00
• 7 group sessions, client fee for the period EUR 27.00

For more information about the fees, please contact the staff responsible for client fees within the Sector Management of Social and Health Services, tel. 09 816 21 (switchboard).

Contact information for invoicing:
Espoo Economic Management
Client invoices
P.O. Box 668
02070 CITY OF ESPOO

Tel. (09) 8162 9500
Mon–Fri 9 am – 3 pm

The fee for hospital services at home is EUR 17.90 per day for the period during which the client is registered as a patient.

The client will not be separately invoiced for hospital services at home if they already are a regular home care client or in short-term or long-term institutional care or in a round-the-clock housing facility for the elderly.

The fee for an individual visit to a patient’s home is EUR 17.90 in cases where the visit does not lead to an actual period of hospital care at home.

The fee for hospital services at home covers:

• Staff visits during the treatment period.
• Medication required to treat the patient’s acute illness that caused the patient to need hospital services at home, e.g. intravenous antibiotics or acute pain medication. If the patient needs long-term or permanent medication, the patient will be given a prescription. In this case, the patient will pay the medication costs. If the patient is given new medication to treat a chronic illness as part of the hospital services at home (e.g. medication for heart disease or hypertension), the patient will be given a prescription and will pay the costs of the permanent medication.
• Vitamins, fluids and nutritional products given intravenously or as injections (not preventative products).
• Medical supplies and assistive devices required by the patient, based on the same principles that apply to other Espoo residents in home care (e.g. diapers, stoma products, wound care products, insulin syringes).
• Rehabilitation assessment at home for a patient who has started rehabilitation with the help of hospital services at home (e.g. after hip replacement surgery). A patient who needs long-term rehabilitation at home has to apply for medical rehabilitation, just like all other patients staying at home.
• Laboratory tests, X-ray and other examinations prescribed by a physician responsible for hospital services at home if they do not include a doctor’s appointment at a hospital or health centre.
• A safety alarm device during treatment if necessary.
• If necessary, transport of the body of a deceased person for the purposes of a clinical autopsy (forensic autopsies are paid for by the state).

The fee charged for hospital services at home does not cover:

• The patient’s permanent medication (i.e. prescription medication that the patient started using before receiving hospital care at home, new medication prescribed during hospital care at home or any medication other than the above-mentioned medication included in the patient fee).
• X-ray or other examinations at an outpatient clinic or health centre if not prescribed by a physician responsible for the hospital services at home.
• Transport home from the hospital or other transport services during hospital care at home.
• Transport of the body of a deceased person for burial (e.g. hospice patients).

For the duration of hospital services at home, the patient is entitled to the same Kela benefits as other outpatients (e.g. care and housing allowance).

• The fee for a doctor’s appointment at the geriatric outpatient clinic is EUR 16.40 per visit.
• The fee for a home visit by a doctor from the geriatric outpatient clinic is EUR 15.00 per visit.
• The fee for a home visit by another staff member is EUR 9.50 per visit.

The discharge team’s escort and assessment visits are free of charge. After these visits the fee is EUR 9.50, which is the same as the fee for temporary home nursing. Only one fee will be charged per day, even if several visits are required. If the patient already uses home care or hospital services at home, the assistance offered by the discharge team is free of charge.

Social workers for units and care facilities:
Tel. 09 816 21 (switchboard)

Further information about fees:
For more information about the fees, please contact the staff responsible for client fees within the Sector Management of Social and Health Services, tel. 09 816 21 (switchboard),
the staff responsible for checking in patients at the units or the social workers.

For more information about the payment ceiling, please contact the Special Services of Espoo Economic Management, tel. 09 8162 9500, Mon–Fri 9 am – 3 pm

Espoo Economic Management
Client invoices
P.O. Box 668
02070 CITY OF ESPOO

Tel. 09 816 29500
Mon–Fri 9 am – 3 pm

The fees apply to home nursing, home services and related support services (e.g. safety alarm system), daytime activities, support for informal care and a temporary stay in a sheltered housing unit. Home care fees do not count towards the annual ceiling for social and health care client fees. The fees are based on a government decree and the City Board’s decision.

A monthly fee is charged for regular and continuous home services and home nursing. The amount is based on the quality and quantity of services, the service user’s financial situation and the size of the family. The fee is calculated in accordance with the attached table, on the basis of the amount of income exceeding the income threshold. The fee will not be charged if the monthly fee for home care services is less than EUR 6.00.

The fee for temporary home services is based on the duration of the visit (see fees in detail under home care and home nursing fees). The fee for a home visit by a nurse or another person is EUR 9.50 per visit. The fee for a physician’s home visit is EUR 15.00 per visit.

Domestic services for families The fee for temporary domestic services for families with children is based on the duration of the visit.

The fee for regular domestic services is based on the size of the family, gross income and need for services.

From the beginning of July 2021, the Act on Client Charges in Healthcare and Social Welfare includes the fees for long-term housing services arranged under the Social Welfare Act. In the past, the fees have been based on the decisions of the Espoo City Board. 

According to the Social Welfare Act, in 24-hour service housing (care homes for the elderly, disability services and substance abuse services), a maximum of 85% of the client’s or 42.5 per cent of the spouses’ net monthly income will continue to be charged. In principle, 15% of the income is retained for the client’s own use (57.5% for spouses). Starting from 1 July 2021, the Act provides for so-called minimum available funds to be left to the client, amounting to at least EUR 164 per month for 24-hour service housing instead of the previous EUR 257.07. As a change from before, the client’s medical expenses are deducted from income, when previously the medical expenses had to be covered by the minimum available funds left after the client fee. In addition, the housing costs resulting from 24-hour service housing is deducted from the client’s income when previously this cost was deducted from the client fee. The Act also defines other income deductions in the future.

In so-called ordinary service housing, client fees will be charged in the same way as in regular home care. The fee is based on the number of service hours recorded in the service decision, the client’s ability to pay and the size of the family. The fee is based on gross income (income before taxes) less the income limit according to the size of the family. The fee must not exceed 35% of the gross income.

In future, clients of service housing will pay EUR 247 per month for meal services included in the service housing on top of the income-related client fee. Before, the client fee covered the entire service received by the client. After the client fee and meal fee, there will no longer be separate defined minimum available funds. Clients pay the costs related to housing themselves, and these costs are not deducted when the fee is determined.

The client fee for short-term care in a sheltered housing unit is EUR 26 per day. The fee does not count towards the annual payment ceiling.

For more information about the fees, please contact the social workers for the units and care facilities, tel. 09 816 21 (switchboard).

Information about the city’s own housing services (Kauklahti Life and Living Centre for Senior Citizens, Viherlaakso memory service centre and Taavi memory service centre) is also provided by the staff responsible for client fees within the Sector Management of Social and Health Services, tel. 09 816 21 (switchboard).

Telephone
Inquiries Mon–Fri 9 am – 3 pm
09 816 29500

Postal address
Espoo Economic Management
Housing Servicest
P.O. Box 668
02070 CITY OF ESPOO

Email
talouspalvelut@espoo.fi

The housing costs of an elderly person as well as the related benefits are different from regular housing costs in the following cases:

The purpose of the care allowance is to support pensioners with an illness or disability living at home as well as their care at home. The allowance also helps cover special expenses related to a person’s illness or disability.

For more information about housing allowance, contact Kela.(extrernal link)

You are entitled to the tax credit for ordinary household work, nursing and care as well as maintenance and modernisation work at your home or holiday home.

The tax credit is not available to individuals living in the city’s own facilities or the city's sheltered housing units arranged as an outsourced service.

For more information about tax credit, contact the Tax Administration.(extrernal link)

Subsidies are granted for the renovation of homes which are in permanent residential use throughout the year and where at least one of the residents is over 65 years old or has a disability. In addition, household income must not exceed the established income limits and the household must not have the funds to renovate the home without the subsidy.

The maximum amount of a renovation subsidy is 50% of the approved renovation costs. In exceptional situations, the subsidy may cover up to 70% of the costs if the applicant is a front veteran or a veteran’s widow or if the elderly or disabled person would otherwise have to move out of their home immediately and permanently due to a lack of accessibility or because the required social and health care services cannot be provided there.

For more information about subsidies, contact ARA.(extrernal link)

Most of the mental health and substance abuse services are provided to clients free of charge in the form of guidance, advice and support services.

The client fee for rehabilitative residential treatment as part of substance abuse services is EUR 38.80 per day. The fees count towards the annual ceiling for social and health care client fees. After reaching the ceiling, the fee for rehabilitative short-term residential treatment is EUR 17.90 per day.

The fee for short-term psychiatric institutional care is EUR 17.90 per day.

The fee can be reduced or eliminated if charging the fee could jeopardise the livelihood of the client or their family.

The City of Espoo offers services to people with intellectual and other disabilities. Some services are produced by the city and others by external service providers and joint municipal authorities. Joint municipal authorities and other municipalities determine and charge client fees for their own services. The fees established by the Espoo City Board apply to all other services.

A fee is charged for the services, unless Finnish legislation requires that these services must be free of charge. If a client uses services where fees are based on the client’s financial situation (long-term institutional care and housing services based on the Social Welfare Act), Finnish legislation defines the sum of money that needs to remain at the client’s disposal after they have paid the service fees.

If necessary, clients can apply for an extension of payment deadlines. The client fee can also be reduced or waived if this is necessary due to the client’s financial situation or other discretionary matters related to the client’s care.