The general social security benefit is
EUR 37.21 per day
General social security benefit during unemployment
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The general social security benefit (yleistuki) is an unemployment benefit paid by Kela. It gives you financial security while you look for work.
The general social security benefit has replaced the labour market subsidy (työmarkkinatuki) and basic unemployment allowance (peruspäiväraha) previously paid by Kela as of 1 May 2026. The plan is to expand the general social security benefit to cover more benefits later on.
Can you get the general social security benefit?
You may be able to get the general social security benefit if you are unemployed and
- you are 18–64
- you are living in Finland on a permanent basis
- you have registered with the employment services of your municipality of residence (kotikunta) on the website of Job Market Finland (tyomarkkinatori.fi/en)
- you do not qualify for earnings-related unemployment allowance (ansiopäiväraha) or your unemployment fund (työttömyyskassa) has already paid you earnings-related unemployment allowance for the maximum number of days.
Kela can continue to pay you the general social security benefit for as long as you are unemployed. There is no time limit for how many days the allowance can be paid.
Qualifying period for those without a vocational qualification or a higher education degree
If you have not completed a vocational qualification or a higher education degree, you must complete a qualifying period (odotusaika) before you can get the general social security benefit. Upper secondary school education (lukio) is not considered a vocational qualification. The qualifying period applies to jobseekers of all ages.
You do not have to complete a qualifying period if you apply for the general social security benefit immediately after you have been paid earnings-related unemployment allowance (ansiopäiväraha) for the maximum number of days.
How long is the qualifying period?
The qualifying period (odotusaika) is 21 weeks, which is about 5 months. The qualifying period starts after
- you become unemployed and register as an unemployed jobseeker
- you have ended full-time studies and register as an unemployed jobseeker
- you have completed a mandatory waiting period (karenssi) during which you were not paid unemployment benefits
- you have met the obligation to work (työssäolovelvoite).
If you are under 25 and employment services have imposed an obligation to work (työssäolovelvoite) on you, the qualifying period (odotusaika) does not start until you have met the obligation.
Read more about the obligation to work for persons under 25.
Your qualifying period (odotusaika) will be reduced by any full calendar weeks during which you have
- done paid work that counts towards the work requirement (työssäoloehto)
- worked as a self-employed person with the work counting towards the work requirement for self-employed persons
- been paid unemployment benefits (työttömyystuki) in the previous 2 years
- The qualifying period is also reduced by any weeks during which you would have otherwise qualified for unemployment benefits but did not get them due to a qualifying period, means-testing or a waiting period (omavastuuaika).
- been paid unemployment benefits while living in another EU or EEA country or Switzerland in the previous 2 years.
However, if you have worked during a mandatory waiting period (karenssi), a period of obligation to work (työssäolovelvoite) or time of full-time studies, those weeks cannot be deducted from the qualifying period.
How much can you get?
The general social security benefit is paid for 5 days a week (including mid-week holidays). You must pay taxes on your general social security benefit.
You can get the general social security benefit even if you work part time or find a full-time job that lasts for up to 2 weeks. In that case, Kela will adjust your general social security benefit to be smaller based on how much you earn.
Estimate how much you can get
Use our calculator to check how much general social security benefit you might get. The result is an estimate.
Income that reduces the general social security benefit
The general social security benefit (yleistuki) is reduced by
- your earned income (wages and salary)
- your parents’ income if you live with them
- other income that is not wages or salary, such as certain benefits and capital income.
We take your income into account at its gross amount.
Your partner’s income does not affect the amount of general social security benefit you can get.
How your earned income affects the general social security benefit
Any wages or salary you earn, for example from part-time work, will reduce the amount of general social security benefit you can get. In that case, you can get adjusted general social security benefit.
How your parents’ income affects the general social security benefit
If you live with your parents and you do not meet the work requirement, their income may affect your general social security benefit. You can report your parents’ income in your application if you live with them. If you do not report their income, Kela will pay you 35% of the full amount of the general social security benefit.
If you can prove that your parents cannot support you financially, Kela can pay you the full amount of the general social security benefit. This can be the case for example if your parents have large debts to repay.
If you participate in employment-promoting services, you will be paid the full general social security benefit for the period in which you participate in the services, even if you live with your parents at that time.
You will also get the full benefit if your parents’ combined income does not exceed EUR 2,500 per month. Every dependent child under 18 who lives with your parents increases this income limit by EUR 106 per month.
| Parents’ family circumstances | Income limit (EUR per month) |
|---|---|
| No dependent children | 2,500 |
| 1 child | 2,606 |
| 2 children | 2,712 |
| 3 children | 2,818 |
| 4 children | 2,924 |
| 5 children or more | 3,030 |
If your parents’ income exceeds the income limit, you will get less general social security benefit.
You will get a smaller amount of general social security benefit if your parents’ income exceeds the income limit that qualifies you for the full general social security benefit. In that case, half of the amount of your parents’ income that is over the income limit will be deducted from your benefit. However, you will always get at least 35% of the full general social security benefit.
Parents’ family circumstances | Parental income (EUR per month) |
|---|---|
| No dependent children | 3,540 |
| 1 child | 3,646 |
| 2 children | 3,752 |
| 3 children | 3,858 |
| 4 children | 3,964 |
| 5 children or more | 4,070 |
If you live with only one of your parents, only the income of the parent you live with will affect your general social security benefit. Check how your parents’ separation may affect your general social security benefit.
Your parents income may affect your general social security benefit
Use our calculator to check if your parents’ income will affect your general social security benefit. The result is an estimate.
How other benefits affect the general social security benefit
If you are paid other benefits, their amounts will usually be deducted directly from your general social security benefit. If a benefit you get is paid to you monthly, the daily amount of the benefit is calculated by dividing the amount of the benefit for the whole month by 21.5.
If Kela pays you child home care allowance (kotihoidon tuki), it will be deducted from your general social security benefit.
Any child home care allowance paid to your partner may also be deducted from your general social security benefit because the allowance is a benefit that is paid to the family as a whole.
Child home care allowance that is paid to your partner will be deducted from your general social security benefit if your partner
- regularly works part-time
- is a student
- gets income from their own business.
Child home care allowance that is paid to your partner will not be deducted from your general social security benefit in the following situations:
- Your partner is fully unemployed.
- Your partner takes care of the child on a full-time basis and therefore does not qualify for unemployment benefits.
- Your partner is paid one of the daily allowances for parents (vanhempainpäiväraha) in addition to the child home care allowance.
How income other than wages or salary affects the general social security benefit
Capital income and other types of income you get may reduce the amount of your general social security benefit. This is because they are taken into account in the means testing that applies to the general social security benefit.
Capital income means, for example, income from rent, forest holdings, interest and dividends (including dividends on equity savings accounts).
Other types of income that also affect the amount of the general social security include
- informal care allowance (omaishoidon tuki)
- compensations for family caregivers
- copyright royalties
- partial early old-age pension (osittainen varhennettu vanhuuseläke).
Capital income and other income that is not wages or salary may reduce your general social security benefit even if it is paid to you outside the period of unemployment. Regular income, such as dividends, are evenly periodised as income over the period of one year.
Report changes in your income
We get information on your capital income and other types of income from your tax information and the Incomes Register. We primarily use the information available in your most recently completed taxation. If there have been significant changes in your income, tell Kela about it.
Income limits for capital income and other income that is not wages or salary
The income limit that applies to capital income and other income that is not wages or salary is EUR 311 per month. These types of income will not affect your general social security benefit if you do not exceed the limit. If you do exceed the limit of EUR 311 per month, 50% of the amount that exceeds the limit will be deducted from your general social security benefit.
If you have earned income (wages or salary), Kela may adjust your general social security benefit. This means that your earned income is taken into account in the adjustment process, while all other types of income you have affect the means testing.
Because the general social security benefit is a means-tested benefit, your general social security benefit may be smaller than the unemployment benefits you got before 1 May 2026. If Kela pays you general housing allowance (yleinen asumistuki) and your household’s income decreases by EUR 200 per month or more, apply for a review of your housing allowance.
How to apply for the general social security benefit
If Kela pays you basic unemployment allowance or labour market subsidy, Kela will start paying you the general social security benefit instead on 1 May 2026. You do not need to contact Kela because of this change.
Stay registered as an active jobseeker with the employment services and continue to regularly file unemployment status reports (työttömyysajan ilmoitus) in the OmaKela e-service every 4 weeks.
If Kela does not pay you basic unemployment allowance or labour market subsidy, do as follows:
- Register as a jobseeker with the employment services of your municipality of residence (kotikunta) at Job Market Finland. You cannot get the general social security benefit if you do not register as an unemployed jobseeker.
- Apply for the general social security benefit in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish).
- Take photographs of your supporting documents and send them in OmaKela. The application form will tell you what supporting documents you must send.
- Visit OmaKela to see if your application has been decided, how much you will get and when your benefit will be paid. You will also see reminders to submit any missing supporting documents.
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.
Apply for the general social security benefit
Submit your application and supporting documents online.
How long does it take to process an application for the general social security benefit?
Things to remember when you apply for the general social security benefit
In your first application for general social security benefit, report the dates you have been unemployed starting from the first day of unemployment.
After you have submitted your first application to Kela, you must file an unemployment status report that covers a period of 2 weeks to get the first benefit payment.
After that, you must submit an unemployment status report to Kela every 4 weeks.
You can only report days of unemployment that have already passed in your application. You can apply for general social security benefit retroactively for a period of up to 3 months.
Employment services will send a labour policy statement (työvoimapoliittinen lausunto) to Kela. Kela needs the statement to process your application.
We get information on your income from your tax information and the Incomes Register. We use this information when processing your application.
We cannot see or access any supporting documents you have sent to the employment services.
We may ask you for more information if we need it.
Report changes that affect the general social security benefit
If Kela pays you the general social security benefit, tell Kela
- about the number of hours and days that you have worked during your period of unemployment
- if a child is born to your family or any other changes happen in your family circumstances.
Report the information to Kela in the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish) by completing an unemployment status report (työttömyysajan ilmoitus).
Please also let us know if there are changes in your income that we need to take into account in the means test.
If you tell Kela about changes in your circumstances, you will be paid the benefit at the correct rate and not lose out on any benefit due to you.
If you do not report changes in your circumstances to Kela, we may pay you too much benefit and you may have to pay it back to Kela later on.
Check how a change in your circumstances affects other benefits you get from Kela.