Work in Finland

No. Show your passport or residence permit to your employer when they need it for example to verify your right to work. However, always ask the original documents to be returned to you.

• Read about the right to work in more detail on the website of the Finnish Immigration ServiceOpens in a new window..
• Read about proving your right to work in more detail on the website of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in FinlandOpens in a new window..

You can only use the My Tax online service when you are able to use strong electronic identification. Strong identification requires, for example, Finnish online banking ID codes or a mobile certificate. You can obtain online banking codes if you are a customer of a Finnish bank, and a mobile certificate if you are a customer of a Finnish telecommunications operator.

You can identify yourself in MyTax service also with

• the identification tokens of the countries that have been approved for cross-border identification in Europe
• the Finnish Authenticator application which is intended for identification only for those foreigners who cannot use common European identification methods.

Your employer needs your tax card in order to pay you a salary. You can usually start working even if you do not have a tax card yet.

An exception to this are construction and shipyard workers who need to have a tax number already before starting work.

Your employer will check your tax card to see how much tax should be withheld from your salary. If the employer does not have your tax card, 60% of your salary will be withheld as an advance tax.

It is good to have a bank account, but it is not necessary for working. The salary will primarily be paid to a bank account. If this is not possible, it can also be paid in cash. In this case, it is important that both the employee and the employer sign an acknowledgement that the salary has been given and received.

Your employer will provide you with a pay slip at regular intervals. It provides you with detailed information about your salary such as the amount of salary, the amount of tax withheld, the social insurance contributions deducted from your salary, and the pay period. If you receive an hourly rate, also check that the actual number of hours worked is the same as the number of hours displayed in the pay slip.

The employer will deduct tax compulsory social security contributions from your gross salary and pay them to the authorities. The net salary shown on your pay slip shows how much money you will receive on your account.

Contact your employer's payroll clerk to check the matter. If the matter cannot be resolved, you can ask for help, for example, from your trade union.

Early in the year the Tax Administration will always send you a pre-completed tax return either on paper or electronically to the MyTax service. Check that the information related to your salary are correct in the tax return. If you notice an error, correct it in the tax return. Also report the error to your employer.

The practices vary depending on many things, such as what your home country is. In some cases, the matter may be handled through your Finnish bank. Another option is to use an online money transfer service of your choice. Sending money is usually subject to a fee, but the amount of the fee may vary greatly depending on the method of transfer and your home country.

Trade union membership is not public information. There is no need to inform the employer or anyone else about the membership of the union. The employer will be informed of the membership if the employee requests the employer to deduct for the membership fee directly from the salary. You can also pay the membership fee yourself.

The members of the same trade union are usually people who work in the same sector or who have got the same education. For example, employees in the service sector, such as restaurant workers and hotel workers, have their own trade union.  

If you would like to join a trade union, find out what is the trade union for your sector and contact it:

• Affiliated unions of the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in FinlandOpens in a new window.. 
• Affiliated unions of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade UnionsOpens in a new window..
• Trade unions under the Finnish Confederation of Professionals STTKOpens in a new window..

You can join the unemployment fund when you join the trade union. You can also join only the unemployment fund. You will find the contact details of the unemployment funds on the website of the Federation of Unemployment Funds in Finland (TYJ)Opens in a new window..

The trade union promotes the rights of employees. It also organises training and leisure-time activities to its members. In addition, it provides help and advice if you face a difficult situation in working life. 

The trade union takes part in the negotiations concerning the collective agreements of your sector. The terms and conditions of work for the sector, such as the minimum wages and the working hours, are determined in the collective agreement. Trade unions also take part in the preparation of different laws and regulations related to working life. As a member of the union, you can contribute to what kind of matters your union promotes in different negotiations.

You will find more information about trade unions on the InfoFinland websiteOpens in a new window..

The unemployment fund may pay earnings-related unemployment benefit if you become unemployed. If you are not a member of an unemployment fund, you will receive the unemployment benefit paid by Kela if you become unemployed. The earnings-related unemployment allowance is more than the unemployment benefit paid by Kela.

The members of a trade union pay a membership fee to the union and, in return, trade unions promote the rights of workers in the sector and offer them various services and benefits. 

The membership fee may be a specific sum or it may be defined as a percentage from the salary, such as 1–2 percent of your salary. You can deduct the membership fee in your taxation. Usually, the trade union membership fee also includes the membership fee of the unemployment fund.

As a member of an unemployment fund, you pay a fee that is used to finance unemployment benefits and the administrative costs of the fund. The membership fee of the unemployment fund is less than that of the trade union. You will find the membership fees of the unemployment funds on the website of the Federation of Unemployment Funds in Finland (TYJ)Opens in a new window..