If you are an entrepreneur or otherwise employ yourself part-time, you may be entitled to adjusted unemployment security, but your income will affect its amount.
The employment official find out on a case-by-case basis whether you are entitled to unemployment benefits. Apply for unemployment allowance from the unemployment fund for entrepreneurs or from Kela.
If your business runs out or is significantly reduced, you can receive unemployment benefits. Unemployment benefits include earnings-related unemployment allowance, basic unemployment allowance and labour market subsidy.
You are entitled to earnings related unemployment allowance if you are a member of an unemployment fund for entrepreneurs and you meet the employment requirement for entrepreneursOpens in a new window.. You meet the requirement if you have worked as an entrepreneur for at least 15 months during the four years preceding your unemployment, and the income on which your pension insurance is based has been adequate (at least 15,481 euros a year in 2026).
If you are not a member of an unemployment fund or you do not meet the requirements of the unemployment fund for entrepreneurs, you can receive general social security benefit from Kela.
The amount of the general social security benefit is approximately 800 euros per month. However, it is lower if you receive more than 311 euros per month in total from any of the following:
If the employment official regard you as an entrepreneur, you may receive adjusted unemployment benefit, in other words, unemployment allowance or general social security benefit reduced by the entrepreneur's income. Usually, you can receive unemployment allowance for up to 400 days.
If you terminate all your business activities, you can immediately register as an unemployed jobseeker at the employment servicesOpens in a new window. (online service is available in Finnish and Swedish, see also regional service pointsOpens in a new window.).
Provide the employment services with documentation proving that you have finished your business activities. Based on the documents, the employment official shall determine whether your business activities have really ended. It is usually sufficient that you have finished all your business activities, terminated your YEL insurance and removed your company from the Tax Administration registers. The sale, bankruptcy or liquidation of the company or the parties’ agreement to terminate your company is also interpreted as your business operations ending. For example, as soon as a corporate acquisition has been concluded or a bankruptcy application has been filed, you can register as an unemployed jobseeker and apply for unemployment benefit.
Unemployment is deemed to begin from the day you register as an unemployed jobseeker. The employment official provide a statement to your unemployment fund or Kela on whether they support the payment of unemployment allowances to you. Apply to your unemployment fund for earnings-related allowance within three months of the start of your unemployment. Send the application for earnings-related allowance to your unemployment fund or Kela within three months of the start of your unemployment. You are entitled to unemployment benefits after a waiting period of seven days.
If your business is reduced so much that it no longer provides you with a livelihood, you can ask the employment services about your possibilities of receiving an unemployment benefit.
The employment official will first determine whether you are an entrepreneur according to the Unemployment Security Act. If the employment official regard you as an entrepreneur, they will determine whether you are a full-time or part-time entrepreneur.
Working as a full-time entrepreneur is usually defined based on workload and income. Entrepreneurship is considered full-time when it takes so much time that it prevents you from accepting full-time employment.
If the employment official evaluate that you are a full-time entrepreneur, you can no longer be paid unemployment benefits.
If you are a part-time entrepreneur and your main employment ends, you can register as an unemployed jobseeker at the employment servicesOpens in a new window.. Based on the information provided by you, the employment official will first determine whether you are an entrepreneur according to the Unemployment Security Act. If the employment official regard you as an entrepreneur, they will assess whether you are a full-time or part-time entrepreneur.
If the employment official evaluate that you are a full-time entrepreneur, you can no longer be paid unemployment benefits.
If you become unemployed, the employment official determine whether your partial ownership makes you an entrepreneur. In general, the employment official regard you as an entrepreneur, if you hold a leading role in the company, and either one of the following is true:
The employment official will also regard you as an entrepreneur, if you work in the company and either one of the following is true:
If the employment official regard you as an entrepreneur, they will assess whether you are a full-time or part-time entrepreneur.