Work in Finland

Depending on the landlord, you may be required to already

• have a Finnish person identity code
• have registered your stay in Finland
• have a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen
• have a residence permit that will be valid for at least one year

before you can conclude a tenancy agreement.

If your employer pays for your accommodation, such as your rent, your housing costs will be taxed as a fringe benefit. This means that the tax authority considers it a similar income as your other salary. You will therefore have to pay income tax on it.

Rental homes are offered by

• municipalities
• private housing agencies
• private individuals.

The rental homes offered by municipalities are usually cheaper. You can search for information on rental homes on the websites of cities and other municipalities.

Rental homes owned by cities and other municipalities are allocated on the basis of means testing. Your chances of getting a municipal rental home therefore depend on your housing needs, wealth and income. When you are applying for a rental home, you must detail these matters in your application.

• The landlord must not discriminate against you on the basis of your citizenship. Citizenship cannot be grounds for not letting the home to you. 
• Landlords often want to check your credit information. 
• In most cases, landlords require a rental deposit. It is a payment that you have to pay to the landlord before moving in. The landlord must pay the rental deposit back to you at the end of your tenancy if you have paid your rent and the home is in the same condition as when you moved in.
• You should always make the tenancy agreement in writing. This way, both parties know what has been agreed.
• A tenancy agreement may be in effect until further notice or for a fixed period of time.  
• In tenancy agreements effective until further notice, the period of notice for the tenant is one month. The period of notice for the landlord is three months in agreements that have lasted less than one year, and six months in agreements that have lasted more than a year.

Read more about renting a home on the InfoFinland websiteOpens in a new window..

Read on the InfoFinland website what to take into account when planning to buy a home in FinlandOpens in a new window..

Consider these in particular:

• You must pay the asset transfer tax when buying a home or a real estate. The asset transfer tax is 3% of the sales price of the property or the building or 1,5% of the price of the housing shares.
• If you are not a citizen of a state in the EU/EEA and intend to buy a real estate in Finland, you have to apply to the Ministry of Defence for a permit for the purchaseOpens in a new window..

Tax on work performed in Finland is usually paid to Finland. 

You do not necessary pay tax to Finland in certain cases, for example, when

• you stay in Finland for less than 6 months
• you work for an employer operating in some other country.

Read more about the taxation of a foreign employee coming to work in Finland on the website of the Tax Administration.Opens in a new window.

In Finland, social benefits are paid by Kela, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Kela provides benefits for many different life events. For example, families with children, unemployed persons, people on a low income, students, people suffering from an illness and pensioners may receive benefits.

Note, that you can receive benefits

• if you live in Finland permanently
• if you reside in Finland temporarily but work in Finland and earn at least EUR 800,02 per month (in 2024).

It is possible to get some benefits, such as social assistance, in other cases as well.   

Read about social benefits in more detail on Kela’s website.Opens in a new window.

1. By browsing job advertisements on the Jobmarket FinlandOpens in a new window. or Jobs in FinlandOpens in a new window..
2. By following Finnish companies of their own field in the social media. Finnish employers often share job advertisements on LinkedIn, Facebook or X, for example.
3. By looking for Finnish companies of their own field online and contacting directly the ones that they are interested in. This way, you will also find the hidden jobs that are not advertised.

TE Services will support your spouse in jobseeking. Integration services are available for unemployed immigrants. For example, they include Finnish and Swedish language studies. Ask about integration services from TE Services or your municipality of residence.

Your spouse should register as a jobseeker with the TE Services at the latest when you arrive in Finland. Only an unemployed person who has registered as a jobseeker can receive unemployment benefit.

In Finland, places in vocational schools, general upper secondary schools, universities of applied sciences and universities are applied for in the so-called joint application system. Some studies may also have a separate application process.

You can browse the places that provide education and apply for a study place in the Studyinfo service.

You can read about applying to education in more detail on the InfoFinland website.Opens in a new window.

The purpose of occupational healthcare is to promote employees’ health and work ability and their safety at the workplace. For example, it may offer regular health examinations to the employees. Some workplaces may have health hazards that require a mandatory health examination.

Occupational healthcare may also include medical care. However, the company can decide whether services such as doctor's appointments or medical care are included in occupational health. Find this out at your workplace.