If an employer continues to pay an employee during a leave of absence, the sickness allowance is usually claimed by the employer. In such cases Kela pays the sickness allowance to the employer.
If necessary, Kela will ask you to provide further information or to submit a claim. Visit the OmaKela e-service if you wish to see the information that your employer has provided to Kela. Please note that our e-service is only available in Finnish and Swedish. You will also be given a written decision on any claim submitted by your employer.
The length of the paid sick leave is defined in sectoral collective agreements. If your absence from work continues, and you do not receive sick pay from your employer, Kela pays the sickness allowance to you. If the sick pay provided by your employer is smaller than the sickness allowance available from Kela, Kela pays you the difference.
For further information about paid sick leave, contact the person responsible for pay and compensation matters at your workplace.
If you feel that you are able to work part time despite your incapacity, talk to your employer and your occupational health care provider. You may be eligible for a partial sickness allowance.
Statement from the occupational health doctor is required after 90 days of sickness allowance
You may be able to get sickness allowance based on a statement from a doctor of your choice. In the event of prolonged illness a statement from an occupational health doctor is required as well. The occupational health doctor evaluates your remaining capacity for work. With your cooperation, your employer and occupational health care provider evaluate your ability to continue working.
You must provide Kela a statement from your occupational health doctor by the time you have been paid sickness allowance for 90 working days. The statement is required so that you can continue to be paid sickness allowance after 90 days.
If needed, the occupational health care provider can also assess your ability to continue working once you have received sickness allowance for 150 and 230 days. Submit the occupational health care provider’s statement to Kela. Unlike with the 90-day rule, payment of the allowance can continue even if this statement has not been submitted.