Applying for unemployment benefit and subsidies

The employment official will contact you within ten days and arrange an interview with you. In the interview, you will map your skills, strengths and needs so that you can be offered as suitable jobs and services as possible. You also agree on how many jobs you must apply for per month.

In addition, the employment official may send you a request for clarification. For example, the request for clarification may concern your previous employment relationship, studies or business operations. You may also be asked to provide copies of your work or study certificates. 

Respond to the request for clarification and send copies or images of the certificates within the requested time. You can respond to the request for clarification and monitor the progress of the processing of your unemployment benefit online in the E-services at Job Market Finland. If you are unable to use the online service, you can ask about the progress of your matter by calling the Job Market Finland’s e-services helpline.

If you need help in registering as a jobseeker in the Job Market Finland's E-services, call the Job Market's E-services advice number.

The unemployment security advice number provides advice on how to respond to the request for clarification.

Digital support for the use of official services is also offered at several municipal service points, libraries and adult education centres.

Read more about digital support on the Suomi.fi website.

You can apply for earnings-related unemployment allowance from your unemployment fund if you have been in paid employment for 12 months and have been a member of an unemployment fund during the work.

In connection with the processing of applications, Kela or an unemployment fund will determine whether the work you have done has met the employment condition of the wage earner. 

The employment condition is as follows: 

• one month is accrued if you have received a salary of at least EUR 930 during the calendar month 
• half a month is accrued if you have received a salary of EUR 465-929 during the calendar month. 

If you are not a member of an unemployment fund or you cannot receive earnings-related unemployment allowance, you can apply for general social security benefit from Kela.

Apply for unemployment benefit from your unemployment fund or Kela's e-services. If you cannot use e-services, apply for unemployment benefit on a paper form. Remember to attach to the application copies or pictures of documents such as the employment contract, notice of termination and pay certificate requested by the fund or Kela. 

In the future, fill in the applications and notifications every four weeks or monthly. You should submit an application for an extension immediately when the previous payment term comes to an end. For more detailed instructions on applying for a benefit, contact your unemployment fund or Kela.

Contact details and customer service of unemployment funds - Federation of Unemployment Funds in Finland TYJ.fiOpens in a new window.

Kela's digital support can help you fill in your applications online - Kela.fi (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.

Yes, they do. If you have unused holidays at the end of your employment relationship, the compensation paid for these days will postpone the start of the right to earnings-related allowance. Holiday compensation that is equal to one month’s wages will postpone the start of the right to earnings-related allowance by about one month. The start time of unemployment benefit is therefore affected by the amount of unused holiday someone has.

Before the unemployment benefit starts, there will also be a seven-day waiting period after any holiday compensation period.

You can use calculators to estimate the amount of your unemployment benefit

• Daily allowance calculator - Federation of Unemployment Funds in Finland TYJ.fiOpens in a new window.
• Calculator for the general social security benefit - Kela.fiOpens in a new window.

Find out from Kela or the unemployment fund whether other social benefits reduce the amount of your unemployment benefit or prevent it from being paid. The payment of the benefit is affected by such factors as parental allowance, child home care allowance, sickness allowance and pensions. 

Additional information on the impact of social benefits on unemployment benefit

• Other social benefits and unemployment benefit – Kela.fi Opens in a new window. 
• Impact of social benefits on daily allowance - Federation of Unemployment Funds in Finland TYJ.fiOpens in a new window.

Unemployment benefits are paid for five days a week.

You can receive earnings-related unemployment allowance from an unemployment fund

• for about 14 months (i.e. 300 days) if you have exactly three years or less of work history
• for about 18 months (i.e. 400 days) if you have more than three years of work history
• for about 23 months (i.e. 500 days) if you are aged 58 or over and have at least five years of work history from the previous 20 years.

There is no limit for the duration of Kela's general social security benefit. If your fund's earnings-related unemployment allowance ends, apply for Kela's general social security benefit. 

If you resign without a valid reason, the mandatory waiting period will be 30 or 45 days from the end of your employment, depending on the length of your employment. In a mandatory waiting period (in Finnish: karenssi), a job seeker temporarily loses the right to unemployment security.

If the work would have lasted no more than five days, the waiting period is 30 days. If the work would have lasted more than five days, the waiting period is 45 days.

Read more about situations in which you may be subject to a waiting period at the JobMarket Finland website.Opens in a new window.

Half of the pay for part-time or gig work is deducted from unemployment security. Small-scale business operations also reduce income in the same way.

Calculate your unemployment benefit after salary or other income:

• Allowance calculator, effect of earned income on daily allowance - Federation of Unemployment Funds in Finland TYJ.fiOpens in a new window.
• Calculator for the general social security benefit - Kela.fiOpens in a new window.

You may receive adjusted unemployment benefit in the following cases:

• you work part-time for a maximum of 80% of the field's standard working hours 
• you have full-day employment for a maximum of two weeks/month
• you have been laid-off and work for a maximum of 80% of the field's standard working hours 
• you are a part-time entrepreneur
• you carry out business activities for a maximum of two weeks. 

Additional information on the adjusted unemployment benefit:

• Working when receiving allowance - Federation of Unemployment Funds in Finland TYJ.fiOpens in a new window.
• When you find work - Kela.fi Opens in a new window.

Report your employment to

• the unemployment fund or Kela
• the employment official.

You do not need to report your income to your unemployment fund or Kela, as they receive information on your income from the Incomes Register.

If you receive other social subsidies, such as general housing allowance or partial disability pension, also notify Kela of your work as well as other parties paying the subsidies, such as an employment pension insurance company.

You can apply from Kela

• general housing allowanceOpens in a new window.
• basic social assistanceOpens in a new window.
• student loan interest assistanceOpens in a new window.
• exemption from payment of child maintenance allowanceta.Opens in a new window.

You can use the calculators to estimate the benefits granted by Kela.Opens in a new window.

If you have a decision on basic social assistance from Kela, you can also apply for supplementary and preventive social assistance from your wellbeing services county.

In addition, the diaconal work of local parishes assists in emergencies, and many organisations offer food assistance.

You can apply for wage guarantee if your employer has not been able to pay your wages, wage supplements, overtime pay, holiday pay, holiday bonuses or other receivables.

You can apply for wage guarantee in the Regional Administration's e-service or submit a paper form to the KEHA Centre or employment services of your municipality of residence.

To clarify the situation:

• List your income and expenses and at the same time plan how you will pay your debts during unemployment.
• Avoid emergency solutions, such as borrowing at high interest rates. 
• Contact creditors directly, such as a bank, to negotiate payment periods or other arrangements. 
• Make use of instalment-free months and make payment plans. 

You can use various calculators to calculate how you can arrange the payment of debts. For example, make use of the Guarantee Foundation's available funds and arrangement loan calculator (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.. In addition, several banks have calculators on their websites to help you calculate the monthly instalment that you would be able to reduce your loan.

You can also find more information about financial and debt problems on the following websites:

• Help with credit payment difficulties – Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority Kkv.fiOpens in a new window.
• Debt guide - the Consumers’ Union of Finland.fi (in Finnish)Opens in a new window.
• Debt adjustment of a private individual - Oikeuspalveluvirasto.fiOpens in a new window.
• Guarantee Foundation's arrangement loan (in Finnish)Opens in a new window. 
• Enforcement – information for debtors - Ulosotto.fiOpens in a new window.
• Crisis situations in personal finances - Suomi.fi

You can get into debt adjustment for a private individual if

• the debt amount is high and you have already tried to pay the debt through enforcement
• it is likely that you will not be able to pay the debts 
• you have been unemployed for a long time. 

Find out about your possibilities for debt adjustment by contacting financial and debt counselling.