To get the best help for your situation, first answer the questions on the Preliminary questions page.
Work in Finland
- Preliminary questions
- Before you come to Finland
- When you arrive in Finland
- To do as soon as you arrive in Finland
- Take care of things that help you to settle in Finland
- Remember these when you start working
- Prove to your employer that your residence permit includes a right to work
- Prove to your employer that you have an EU citizens’ right to work
- Familiarise yourself with the rights, obligations, and practices associated with work
- Where do I pay taxes as a posted worker if my stay in Finland is less than 6 months?
- Where do I pay taxes when my stay in Finland is over 6 months and I have a foreign employer?
- A short stay in Finland affects taxation
- You need to pay taxes to Finland when you are staying in the country for more than six months
- Apply for a tax card before payment of salary
- Pay attention to these when you receive a salary
- If you wish, you can join a trade union and an unemployment fund
- Launching business operations
- Check what support and health services you can receive
- Find a place for your child in childcare, in school, or as a student
- Changes and moving from Finland
- Checklist
Remember these when you start working
Prove to your employer that your residence permit includes a right to work
Show your residence permit to your employer. They usually take a copy of it.
Prove to your employer that you have an EU citizens’ right to work
Show your passport or other official travel document to your employer. They usually take a copy of it.
As an EU or EEA citizen, you have an unrestricted right to work in Finland even if you have not yet received a decision on your application for EU registration.
Familiarise yourself with the rights, obligations, and practices associated with work
Find out what rights and obligations you have when working in Finland. For example, you have a right to receive pay according to a collective agreement and an obligation to do your work carefully.
For more information about Finnish working life in several languages, see
- InfoFinland websiteOpens in a new window.
- As a foreign employee in Finland guide (tyosuojelu.fi)Opens in a new window.
- Workers’ rights in Finland webinar (tyosuojelu.fi)Opens in a new window..
You can also download the free Work Help Finland mobile applicationOpens in a new window. to your smartphone. The content of the application has been translated into 26 languages, so you can access the information about your rights and responsibilities as an employee in Finland in your native language.
Get to know the customs and practices that your own workplace has. You can ask for help and advice from your supervisor, the HR representative at your workplace, and your colleagues.
Where do I pay taxes as a posted worker if my stay in Finland is less than 6 months?
You do not usually pay taxes to Finland when
- you are a posted worker
- you stay in Finland for less than 6 months.
There are a few exceptions:
- your foreign employer has a permanent establishment in Finland
- you are a leased employee
- you are a performing artist
Even if you do not pay taxes to Finland from your salary, in certain cases you may have to pay social insurance contributions to Finland. The contributions will be deducted directly from your salary.
Where do I pay taxes when my stay in Finland is over 6 months and I have a foreign employer?
If you live in Finland for more than six months, you will in most cases pay tax to Finland on all your income.
If you make a temporary trip to your home country for example for a vacation, the 6-month period will not be interrupted.
Additional information and instructions on how to pay taxesOpens in a new window..
In certain cases, you may also have to pay social insurance contributions to Finland. The contributions will be deducted directly from your salary.
A short stay in Finland affects taxation
When you stay in Finland for a maximum of 6 months, you are a person with limited tax liability. This means that you will usually have to pay tax at source from income you receive from Finland. Tax at source is usually 35%.
Apply for a tax-at-source card and give it to your employer.
Additional information and instructions on how to pay taxesOpens in a new window..
You need to pay taxes to Finland when you are staying in the country for more than six months
When you stay in Finland for more than 6 months, you are generally liable to pay taxes. This means that you will usually have to pay tax to Finland from all your income.
The tax rate for your salary is progressively determined on the basis of your income for the entire year. You will need a Finnish personal identity code and a tax card.
Additional information and instructions on how to pay taxesOpens in a new window..
Apply for a tax card before payment of salary
Follow these steps:
- Apply for a tax card from the tax office or by calling a service number. Take your residence permit with you if you are not a citizen of an EU Member State, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland. If you do not yet have a personal identity code, you can obtain it from the tax office.
- Give the tax card to your employer. Your employer will pay your income tax in accordance with the tax card when they pay your salary.
Read more about taxation in Ukrainian on the website of the Tax AdministrationOpens in a new window..
Pay attention to these when you receive a salary
- The employer will primarily pay your salary to your bank account. The account can be either Finnish or foreign.
- Check that the pay slip information is in order.
- You should also check the salary information annually in your tax return.
If you wish, you can join a trade union and an unemployment fund
Everyone has the right to join a trade union and an unemployment fund:
- The trade union will help you if problems such as disagreements about the salary or the terms and conditions of work arise between you and your employer. The trade union can also provide you with other support at different stages of your career.
- The unemployment fund may pay earnings-related unemployment benefit if you become unemployed.