Update on the coronavirus situation

You can receive infectious disease allowance to compensate for the loss of income, if the physician responsible for infectious disease control in the municipality or hospital district has ordered 

• you into isolation or quarantine
• your child aged under 16 years to stay at home to prevent the spreading of an infectious disease.        

You cannot receive infectious disease allowance if you have followed the Government’s recommendation to stay in conditions equivalent to quarantine. 

The infectious disease allowance is paid to the employer insofar as the employer has paid a wage or salary for the time of absence from work.

Certificates needed: Certificate on quarantine from the physician responsible for infectious disease control in the municipality or hospital district. For persons in an employment relationship, also needed is a certificate from the employer verifying the loss of income, i.e. the wage that you would have earned if you had not been ordered into quarantine or isolation. 

If you have fallen ill and a physician has determined that you are incapable of work, you can apply for sickness allowance. If you are in an employment relationship, your employer will apply for the sickness allowance for the period for which the employer pays you wages. 

If you have fallen ill with a coronavirus infection, you can apply for infectious disease allowance. Please note that an order from the physician responsible for infectious disease control in the municipality or hospital district is needed. 

Certificates needed: You need a medical certificate to qualify for sickness allowance. 

If you have become unemployed or temporarily laid off, you should always first register as an unemployed jobseeker with the TE Services.

If you are a member of an unemployment fund and meet a specified work requirement, apply for earnings-related unemployment benefit in accordance with the guidelines of your unemployment fund (tyj.fi, The Federation of Unemployment Funds in Finland).

If you are not a member of an unemployment fund, or you do not meet the specified work requirement, you can apply to Kela for unemployment benefits.

• Instructions for persons who have become unemployed
• Instructions for persons who have been laid off

You may be entitled to an infectious disease allowance if the physician specialising in infectious diseases in your municipality or hospital district has ordered a child of yours who is under 16 to stay at home in order to prevent the spread of an infectious disease.