If you are laid off temporarily
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Temporary lay-off means that the employer ends the employee’s work and wage payment temporarily but the employment relationship is still in force. The temporary lay-off may be for a specific period of time or until further notice.
Where can you get financial assistance during temporary lay-off?
You can get unemployment benefits during a temporary lay-off. There are two kinds of unemployment benefits: earnings-related unemployment allowance and the general social security benefit. Unemployment funds pay earnings-related unemployment allowance. Kela pays general social security benefit.
You must register as a jobseeker with the employment services of your municipality of residence (kotikunta) to qualify for unemployment benefits. Your registration as a jobseeker must be valid at the latest starting from the first day of the temporary lay-off.
If you are a member of an unemployment fund (työttömyyskassa) and meet the work requirement, follow the instructions of unemployment fund (tyj.fi) to apply for earnings-related unemployment allowance (ansiopäiväraha). In that case, you do not need to contact Kela in matters related to your unemployment benefits.
If you are not a member of an unemployment fund or if you do not meet the work requirement, apply for general social security benefit from Kela.
How to apply for general social security benefit from Kela
- Register as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment services of your municipality of residence (kotikunta) at the latest on the first day of the temporary lay-off.
- You can get general social security benefit only if you have registered as an unemployed jobseeker.
- Employment services and the KEHA Centre will issue a labour policy statement (työvoimapoliittinen lausunto) to Kela on your right to the general social security benefit.
- Register as an unemployed jobseeker at Job Market Finland (tyomarkkinatori.fi).
- Apply for the general social security benefit in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish).
- Kela can grant you general social security benefit no earlier than starting from the date when you registered as an unemployed jobseeker.
- Take photos of any supporting documents and send them in OmaKela.
- The application form tells you what supporting documents you need to send.
- Kela cannot see or access any supporting documents you have sent to the employment services.
- Kela gets information on your wages or salary from the Incomes Register. We use the information we get when processing applications. We may ask you for more information if we need it.
- Visit OmaKela to see if your application has been decided, how much you will get and when your benefit will be paid.
- You can also see possible reminders concerning any documents that may be missing from your application.
- The decision notice will also be sent to your home address if you have not opted out of paper mail.
If you cannot use OmaKela, mail your application to Kela. Save the application form General social security benefit granted on the basis of unemployment YE 1e (PDF) to your device and fill it in after saving it. Print out the completed form and send it and the supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
What to do if the temporary lay-off continues
If the lay-off continues, you must submit an unemployment status report at regular intervals. For the days of temporary lay-off, write that you have been unemployed. If you work during the lay-off, you must indicate the days and hours of work in the report. Always complete the report for days in the past.
Tell the employment services if your lay-off period changes or your employment ends completely.
If you work part time for another employer during the temporary lay-off, your general social security benefit will be adjusted to account for the salary or wages you get from your part-time work. This means that half of your wages or salary will be deducted from your general social security benefit. We take your wages and salary into account at their gross amount (before taxes).
If you start working full time for another employer, Kela will stop paying you the general social security benefit. Remember to tell Kela and the employment services about any new employment relationships.
The way the temporary lay-off is carried out affects the benefit
If you are laid off full time from a full-time job, meaning that you do not work at all, you can get the full amount of general social security benefit after you have completed a waiting period (omavastuuaika).
Complete an unemployment status report in periods of 4 weeks and indicate for the days of lay-off that you have been unemployed.
Employees can be fully or partially laid off from part-time work. Part-time lay-off means that you work part time for fewer hours because of the lay-off than you usually would. During a full-time lay-off you do not work at all.
Your general social security benefit will always be adjusted based on the wages or salary you get for your part-time work. It may be that your full-time lay-off has already started but you are still paid wages for part-time work you did previously. This affects the amount of your general social security benefit in the month when your wages are paid. Half of your gross wages or salary will be deducted from the general social security benefit.
If you work part-time during the lay-off, indicate the days and hours of work in the unemployment status report. We get information on your wages or salary directly from the Incomes Register.
If you are laid off for one or several days per week but you work full time for the rest of the days, you get the full amount of general social security benefit for the days when you are laid off. You do not get any general social security benefit for the days when you work.
Indicate the days and hours of work in the unemployment status report. For the days of temporary lay-off, write that you have been unemployed.
If you work shorter hours because of a temporary lay-off, your general social security benefit will be adjusted based on your wages or salary. This means that half of your wages or salary will be deducted from your general social security benefit. We take your wages and salary into account at their gross amount (before taxes).
Report the days and hours you have worked in your unemployment status report.We get information on your wages or salary from the Incomes Register.
The lay-off can also be a mixed lay-off, meaning that you work both shorter weeks and fewer hours. In that case, Kela will check in connection with your first application how your general social security benefit will be adjusted based on your wages or salary. We take your wages and salary into account at their gross amount (before taxes). Kela will apply the same adjustment to all decisions Kela issues to you after the first one.
What else is going on in your life?
Do you need help with housing costs?
Housing allowance can compensate for reduced incomes and help with the housing costs.
Are you short of money?
If you are unemployed, you may be really short of money. In that case, social assistance can help you get through the worst.
Did you fall ill?
If you are ill, you should apply for sick leave and sickness allowance instead of unemployment benefit.
Has your income decreased?
Changes in your income may affect Kela benefits.