Budget proposal

A financial plan is drawn up for three years. This plan guides the City of Helsinki’s operations and finances. The associated budget proposal is drawn up every year. The City Council must approve next year’s budget proposal by the end of the year.

Preparation of the budget proposal

There are many steps associated with preparing the budget proposal for the next year. The City Board decides on the budget proposal framework in June. After that, the preparation of the budget proposal continues in the city’s administrative divisions. Political negotiations on the budget proposal take place in October, after which a draft budget is announced. In November, the draft budget proceeds to the City Board, and from there on to the City Council for approval.

After the recent nationwide reform of social and health services, the City of Helsinki’s budget proposal preparations have been altered so that the current city operations are now divided in the budget proposal into two entities: the Municipality of Helsinki and the state-funded Social Services, Healthcare and Rescue Division. Funding of the latter division is composed from general funding received from the Finnish State, as well as income from customer fees and other operating income. The Municipality of Helsinki then represents the rest of the City of Helsinki operations – the Education Division, the Urban Environment Division, the Culture and Leisure Division and the City Executive Office – and does not include Social Services, Healthcare and Rescue Division expenditures.

Political groups represented in the Helsinki City Board held negotiations on the 2024 budget in late October. A coordinated calculation of the boards’ budget proposals, investment proposals and tax financing estimates was prepared to facilitate the negotiations.

Preparation of the budget proposal 2025

Negotiations between the groups in the City Board on Helsinki’s budget for 2025 are about to begin. Budget negotiations will take place in October, after which the Mayor’s budget proposal will be published. Read more here.

Preparation of the City of Helsinki budget proposal 2025.
Preparation of the City of Helsinki budget proposal 2025.