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Commuting and relocation allowance | Our Services | KelaSkip to content

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Commuting and relocation allowance

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Commuting and relocation allowance (liikkuvuusavustus) compensates for the costs you have to pay if you accept a job or a placement in training that is a prerequisite for finding a job in a place that is far away from where you live. You can also get the allowance if you have to move because of a job. Commuting and relocation allowances are paid by Kela and the unemployment funds.

Can I get commuting and relocation allowance?

You can get commuting and relocation allowance if you sign an employment contract and accept an offer for one of the following types of job that lasts at least 2 months:

  • full-time work with a two-way commute of at least 3 hours a day
  • part-time work with a two-way commute of at least 2 hours a day.

The duration of your commute is calculated based on the fastest means of transport available for you.

If you have access to a car when your employment or training begins and it takes you less time to commute by car than by public transport, Kela will calculate the duration of your commute based on the time it would take you to commute by car. However, this does not mean that you have to buy a car.

If you use public transport, Kela also takes the time you may have to spend switching from one form of public transport to another into account when calculating the duration of your commute.

For example, time you spend taking your children to their day care on your way to work or training is not taken into account as part of your commute.

You receive the allowance for days of work and days of paid annual leave or sick leave. Commuting and relocation allowance can also be paid for jobs outside Finland.

You can get commuting and relocation allowance if you were paid any of the following unemployment benefits before your employment began: general social security benefit, labour market subsidy, basic unemployment allowance or earnings-related unemployment allowance. You can also get commuting and relocation allowance if you were not paid unemployment benefits for example due to a mandatory waiting period (karenssi) or a qualifying period (odotusaika).

You can get commuting and relocation allowance if you move closer to your place of work because of a job that lasts for at least 2 months. To qualify for the benefit, your commute before your move must be at least 3 hours per day for full-time work and at least 2 hours per day for part-time work.

How much is the commuting and relocation allowance?

The amount of commuting and relocation allowance is the same as the basic amount of the general social security benefit. You do not have to complete a waiting period (omavastuuaika) to qualify for the allowance.

You must pay taxes on the commuting and relocation allowance.

You can get commuting and relocation allowance for a maximum of 5 days per week. Commuting and relocation allowance is paid

  • for 30 days if you accept a job that lasts for at least 2 months
  • for 45 days if you accept a job that lasts for at least 3 months
  • for 60 days if you accept a job that lasts for at least 4 months.

However, at most, you can get the allowance only up until your employment relationship ends.

The allowance is not paid for all days of an allowance period

You can get commuting and relocation allowance for a maximum of 5 days per week. However, the allowance period (avustusjakso) covers every day in a calendar month. This means that you are paid the allowance on fewer days than there are days in an allowance period. For example, you will be paid the allowance on 20–22 days in an allowance period of 30 days, depending on the month.

If you work part time, we will pay you the commuting and relocation allowance only for days you have worked. However, even in that case the allowance period covers every day in the relevant calendar month.

If you work part time, you can be paid wages or salary, adjusted unemployment benefit and commuting and relocation allowance at the same time.

The commuting and relocation allowance is paid to your bank account every 4 weeks. Payment is made at the end of each 4-week period. The first payment period is 2 weeks. You can see the payment days in the decision notice you get on your commuting and relocation allowance.

Example 1

Jyrki is unemployed and Kela pays him general social security benefit. He finds a job in Tampere for 3 days per week. Jyrki signs a fixed-term employment contract that lasts for 3 months. Jyrki lives in Espoo, which means that his commute is more than 2 hours. Getting the job requires participation in a 5-day recruitment training in Tampere.

Jyrki is paid a salary for the days he works and adjusted general social security benefit at the same time. For the days of training and the days of work, Jyrki gets commuting and relocation allowance for a total of 45 days. The amount of commuting and relocation allowance Jyrki gets is EUR 37.21 per day. Jyrki’s salary does not affect the allowance.

Example 2

Mirja is unemployed and lives in Oulu. She gets a full-time job in Rovaniemi that lasts for 6 months. The daily commute would be more than 3 hours, so Mirja decides to move to Rovaniemi. Mirja gets commuting and relocation allowance for 60 days due to the move.

How to apply for commuting and relocation allowance

If you are a member of an unemployment fund, send the form to the unemployment fund.

If you apply for commuting and relocation allowance from Kela, submit your application in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish):

 

  1. Complete the joint application form for commuting and relocation allowance (tyj.fi, in Finnish) used by both Kela and unemployment funds.
    • Save the blank form to your device. Do not fill in the form directly in the browser because some of the information may not be saved that way.
    • Open the form with Adobe Reader and fill it in.
    • Save the completed application to your device. Note that the application must be in PDF format.
  2. Send your application in OmaKela:
    • Log in to OmaKela and select Tee hakemus (Submit an application).
    • Then select Työttömyys (Unemployment) and Liikkuvuusavustus (Commuting and relocation allowance).
    • If you send your application in OmaKela, you do not need to sign it.
    • If you have supporting documents, send them via OmaKela after you have submitted your application. If they are paper documents, you can photograph them.
  3. Visit OmaKela to see if your application has been decided, how much you will get and when your benefit will be paid.

If you cannot use OmaKela, mail your application to Kela. Save the form to your device and fill it in after saving it. Print out the completed form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.

You have to apply for commuting and relocation allowance within 3 months of the date starting from which you want to be paid the allowance.

The decision notice is only in Finnish or Swedish. If you need help with something, you can call one of our English language customer service numbers.

Do you still have questions?

Call Kela’s customer service.

020 634 2550
020 634 2550
Last modified 1/5/2026
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