How to apply

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Do the following

  1. As soon as you become unemployment, register as a job-seeker via the TE Office’s online service. Registration is valid immediately, but cannot be applied retrospectively to, for example, the previous day. Earnings-related allowance may be paid only for the period in which the registration is valid.
  2. After two weeks, complete the daily allowance application in your own unemployment fund’s online service.

After the initial application, continue to claim daily allowance in four-weekly/monthly cycles. If there is no change in your circumstances, the daily allowance is usually paid a few days after the claim is sent.

Fill in your claim form from the first day of your unemployment. Daily allowance is not paid for the first seven weekdays due to the personal liability period, but this time is taken into consideration by the fund. Be sure to apply for earnings-related allowance no later than three months from the first day of the period for which you are applying!

If you are unsure whether you meet the conditions for earnings-related allowance, please check the terms and conditions here.

The easiest way to start your job search and application for unemployment protection is to use our online service.

By using the online service, you can avoid waiting in line and some of your details may already be entered in the system. In addition, your application will be entered into the fund’s processing queue as soon as you submit it.

Use e-services keyboard-arrow-right Created with Sketch.

Attachments

You will usually be asked to include the following attachments with your application for earnings-related allowance:

  • A copy of your employment contract.
  • A copy of the notice of termination of employment contract or notice of lay-off.

If you receive a benefit, do any work during your period of unemployment, or are engaged in a business activity, report it to the fund and provide any additional information requested in relation to your benefits and employment activities. Further information: Impact of social benefits and Working when receiving allowance

 

Take a picture of your attachments

The easiest way to add paper attachments to an e-application is by taking a picture of them.

Calculate your earnings-related daily allowance

Monthly salary

No daily allowance is paid for the first seven days of unemployment

When a person becomes unemployed, a so-called personal liability period is applied, and daily allowance is not paid for this period. The personal liability period is seven working days (Monday to Friday).

If you are partially employed, your personal liability period only accumulates during an unemployment period. The days making up the personal liability period must accrue during eight successive calendar weeks.

The waiting period is typically reset whenever the maximum entitlement period for earnings-related daily allowance starts anew. The maximum entitlement period resets with approximately six months of work. However, the waiting period is generally taken only once a year.

Holiday compensation and a golden handshakes delay the start of the earnings-related daily allowance

If you have not used all of your annual leave at the end of a full-time employment, you will receive holiday compensation from your employer. Holiday compensation prevents the payment of the daily allowance for a specific period. Holiday compensation equivalent to one month’s salary prevents the payment of the allowance for approximately one month. This is referred to as the accrual period of holiday compensation.

A financial benefit related to the termination of employment (so called golden handshake) affects the entitlement to the earnings-related daily allowance in the same way as holiday compensation.

Example: Your daily wage is €100. You receive holiday compensation of €1,500 at the end of your employment. The holiday compensation accrual period is counted in the bases on your daily wage: €1,500 / €100 = 15. Holiday compensation prevents the payment of the daily allowance for a period of 15 working days from the termination of employment.

Resignation incurs a waiting period

If you have caused the termination of your employment (i.e. you have resigned), this may result in a so-called cooling off period, which is determined by the TE Office and during which you will not be eligible for unemployment benefits. For more information on the cooling off period, the application criteria and durations, please visit the TE Office website.

The decision may be appealed

Once the first application has been processed, the unemployment fund will send you a decision. The decision explains the fund’s decision, namely whether the daily allowance can be paid, the value of the daily allowance, and the reasons for the decision.

If you are dissatisfied with the decision, you can register a complaint within 30 days. When you make a complaint, you must state which decision you are appealing against, the part(s) you are taking issue with, and why the decision was incorrect in your view. Please include your contact information and sign the complaint. Send your complaint to your local unemployment fund so that the fund can investigate whether it can reverse the decision itself. If the fund does not reverse the decision in your favour, it will forward the complaint to the Social Security Appeals Board.

If you are dissatisfied with the decision of the Appeals Board, you can file a further complaint through the Insurance Court. Detailed instructions about the appeals process are included as an attachment to the decision document.

Report changes 

Please remember to contact your unemployment fund immediately if your circumstances change. This may be, for example, regarding your salary, corporate income, or social security benefits that impact on your daily allowance, and you have a duty to report them to the fund.

Get a tax card suitable for benefits

Earnings-related daily allowance is classed as taxable income and you may want to order a tax card that takes your benefits into account so that the correct tax rate is applied. The fund records your tax rate as that which it was at the beginning of the year in relation to your salary, but the tax rate applied to your salary is increased to at least 25% when you are in receipt of earnings-related daily allowance. The fastest way to get a new tax card is online at www.vero.fi/verokortti. Please note that you can also send a tax card directly to your own unemployment fund via the online service.

Receiving a daily allowance despite a cooling off period or personal liability

If you participate in an employability service organised by the TE office, you will receive a daily allowance from the days you spend on the e.g. course even if you have a cooling off period or a personal liability. You can find more information about the employability services here.

Allowance on weekday public holidays

Daily allowance for all unemployed people is also payable for public holidays that fall on a weekday. For example, if your first day of unemployment is on 1st January. (New Year’s Day), you should register as an unemployed job-seeker via the TE Office online service no later than 1st January. This will allow you to receive social security benefit right from the beginning of unemployment.