Work in Finland

In Finland, social benefits, such as housing benefits, are paid to, for example, people with low incomes. If you need financial support for living, follow these steps:

1. Use Kela’s website and phone service to find out if you are eligible for certain benefits.
2. Notify Kela that you have moved to Finland and apply for a benefit at the same time.
3. Based on your application, Kela will decide whether you will receive benefits.

Read Kela’s instructions on how to apply for benefits.Opens in a new window.

Read about Kela's benefits for those fleeing the war in Ukraine (in Ukrainian).Opens in a new window.

The country from which you have been posted to Finland affects the country in which you are covered by social security.

Read more about social security of a worker posted to Finland from the Finnish Centre for Pensions’ website.Opens in a new window.

Kela provides many benefits for families with children.

Apply for child benefit for all your children under the age of 17. The child benefit is a monthly benefit for each child and for all families with children.

You may also receive e.g.

• earnings-related parental allowance, if you care for your child that is aged under 15 months at home
• other child care allowances, such as child home care allowance or private day care allowance.

Read more about benefits for families with children on Kela’s website.Opens in a new window.

Check with Kela if your spouse can receive some social benefits. Your spouse will be eligible for social benefits from Kela, if they, for example,

• are unemployed
• are a student
• have low income
• are a pensioner
• have a sickness.

Your spouse's right to benefits also depends on whether they have moved to Finland temporarily or permanently. Read more about social security coverage for family members on Kela's website.Opens in a new window.

Your workplace must organise free-of-charge occupational healthcare for all employees in the company regardless of the length and form of their employment relationship.

Note that occupational healthcare applies only to you as an employee, not to your family, for example.

Everyone with a municipality of residence in Finland is entitled to the public healthcare offered by their municipality of residence.

Usually, everyone living in Finland for over a year will be given a municipality of residence. 

Public healthcare is usually subject to a charge, but in most cases cheaper than private health services.

Yes, you can. However, in many cases, it may be advisable to use occupational healthcare as the queues may be longer in public healthcare. You usually get help faster through occupational healthcare. In addition, occupational healthcare is free of charge to the employee, whereas public healthcare is subject to a charge.

• If your family member moves to Finland from an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland, they have the same right to medical treatment as you do if you work in Finland.
• If your family member moves to Finland from a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain or Northern Ireland, their right to medical care depends on whether they have a municipality of residence in Finland. If they have a municipality of residence in Finland, they usually also have the right to medical care.

Check your family members’ right to medical treatment with Kela.Opens in a new window.

You can use public healthcare in Finland if 

• you move to live in Finland for over a year 
• you have been posted from an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland 
• you have an A1 certificate issued by the authorities of the country of origin and, in certain cases, an E106 or S1 certificate.

Obtain the necessary documents from the country of origin and deliver them to Kela in Finland.

Read about posted workers’ right to medical care in more detail on Kela’s website.Opens in a new window.

If you are residing in Finland temporarily, meaning for less than a year, you are not necessarily entitled to public healthcare in Finland.

Check with Kela what public healthcare you can receive and on what conditions.Opens in a new window.

If you have a European Health Insurance Card, you will always receive the medically necessary medical care in public healthcare. The doctor will assess on a case-by-case basis what is necessary care.

If you are a citizen of a Nordic country, you will always receive the medically necessary medical care in public healthcare by presenting an official identity card. The doctor will assess on a case-by-case basis what is necessary care.