Guide: What to do if you become unemployed after moving to Finland
Have you recently lost your job or is your employment about to end? This article tells you what you need to do to get unemployment benefits (työttömyystuki) in Finland.
Losing your job can be stressful, especially if you have moved to Finland from another country. You will not get unemployment benefits automatically in Finland. You have to apply for them. Unemployment benefits can be paid to you by Kela or by an unemployment fund (työttömyyskassa) if you belonged to one before your employment ended.
The most important thing is to register as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment services of your municipality of residence (kotikunta) immediately after you become unemployed. This is first step you have to take to qualify for unemployment benefits. You must also make sure your registration stays active at all times. If you let your status as an unemployed jobseeker expire, you cannot get unemployment benefits. The easiest way to register as a jobseeker is to go to the website of Labour Market Finland.
You can get unemployment benefits from either Kela or your unemployment fund (työttömyyskassa). There are three different types of unemployment benefits. You can only get one type of unemployment benefit at a time. You cannot get unemployment benefits from both Kela and your unemployment fund at the same time.
You can get earnings-related unemployment allowance (ansiopäiväraha) if you belong to an unemployment fund and you meet the work requirement. You have to apply for this benefit from your unemployment fund. If you do not belong to an unemployment fund, you can get either labour market subsidy (työmarkkinatuki) or basic unemployment allowance (peruspäiväraha) from Kela, depending on your situation.
In any case, you must first register as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment services and apply for the benefits. You will not get unemployment benefits automatically.
The different roles played by Kela and employment services can be confusing at first. If you become unemployed, employment services will first issue a statement on if you meet the labour market policy prerequisites for unemployment benefits. After that, Kela will check what other prerequisites apply in your case, such as whether your employer paid out your unused vacation days at the end of your employment, whether you have income and if you have to complete a qualifying period (odotusaika).
If you are about to move out of Finland and you want to apply for unemployment benefits in another EU country, you can ask Kela to issue you a U1 certificate. Your U1 certificate will show when and for how long you were employed in Finland (periods of employment), and it may affect your right to get benefits in other EU or EEA countries, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
Do this if you become unemployed
- Register as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment services immediately after your employment ends.
- Apply for unemployment benefits from either Kela or your unemployment fund (työttömyyskassa).
- You can apply for Kela-paid unemployment benefits online in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish). You can also apply for the benefits by completing the right form and sending it to us by mail or by visiting one of our service points.
- Stay registered as an unemployed jobseeker at all times, even if you get sick.
- Submit all necessary supporting documents with your application, such as an unemployment status report (työttömyysajan ilmoitus).
- Be ready to answer the phone if Kela calls you. We may be trying to contact you to ask about missing information.
- Visit OmaKela to see Kela’s decision or check your mail for a printed decision notice. If you get a negative decision, you can contact Kela for advice.
Frequently asked questions about unemployment benefits
How much you can get in unemployment benefits depends on if you get labour market subsidy (työmarkkinatuki) or basic unemployment allowance (peruspäiväraha). Both have the same basic amount, but labour market subsidy is a means-tested benefit. This means that income such as rental income or dividends may affect how much you can get. Before you can qualify for basic unemployment allowance, you have to meet the work requirement (työssäoloehto). This means that you must have worked for 12 months within the past 28 months.
Yes, you can. If you work part time and your hours do not exceed 80% of full-time hours, only half of your wages or salary will be deducted from your unemployment benefits.
Kela bases its decision on whether you can get unemployment benefits on a labour policy statement (työvoimapoliittinen lausunto). The statement tells Kela whether you are an unemployed jobseeker and if there is a reason why you should not be paid unemployment benefits. The statement is issued by the employment services or a KEHA Centre, depending on your situation. After Kela gets the statement, Kela will check what other conditions for unemployment benefits apply in your case before you can be paid the benefits.
You have to have completed vocational education or a higher education degree to qualify for labour market subsidy (työmarkkinatuki). If you do not have a degree, you will have to complete a qualifying period (odotusaika) of 21 weeks (about 5 months). You will not be paid labour market subsidy during the qualifying period. You qualify for labour market subsidy only after the qualifying period is over.
If you have completed vocational education or a higher education degree abroad, you must submit a copy of your degree certificate (diploma) or an extract from a register of completed study credits that shows the name of your degree and the scope of your studies to Kela. The documents must be translated into Finnish, Swedish or English.
You can get unemployment benefits after you have been registered as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment services for at least 7 working days (Monday to Friday). This is called a waiting period (omavastuuaika). You cannot get unemployment benefits during the waiting period.
If your employer pays out your unused vacation days at the end of your employment (holiday compensations), the payment of your unemployment benefits cannot start right away.
If your employer pays you holiday compensations, they will be periodised. Periodisation means that if you have vacation days left when the employment relationship ends, the compensation paid for these days postpones the start of your unemployment benefits. The periodisation of your holiday compensations will not apply at the same time as your waiting period (omavastuuaika). This means that the waiting period starts after the periodisation of any holiday compensations that may be paid to you by your employer is over.
Holiday compensations you get from abroad will also be periodised. We will ask you to submit, for example, a PD U1 certificate to get the information we need.
Kela can issue you a U1 certificate that shows your periods of employment in Finland. You can ask Kela for a U1 certificate if you move to another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom and you want to apply for unemployment benefits in that country. The certificate may affect your right to get benefits in your country of destination.
Work you do abroad can count towards the Finnish work requirement (työssäoloehto) when you apply for unemployment benefits in Finland. You will need a U1 certificate showing your periods of employment abroad that is issued by the employment authorities in your country of employment. Kela can also request this information directly from the authorities of the country you worked in.
Your family members can get Kela benefits if Kela determines that they are moving to Finland to live here permanently. When we check if they are living here permanently, one of the factors we will take into account in our assessment is whether we consider you to be living in Finland permanently. Working is another way to qualify for Kela benefits.
More information about when your family members may qualify for Kela benefits
More information
- Moving to Finland
- Unemployment benefits for persons moving to or from Finland
- Unemployment
- Job search and employment services (Job Market Finland)
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