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Unemployment benefit in Finland and the two routes

Kela's general social security benefit is 37.21 euros a day in 2026. Unemployment fund members who meet the work condition get an earnings-related allowance.

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If you lose your job in Finland, you get one of two benefits. A member of an unemployment fund (työttömyyskassa) who has worked 12 months while a member receives an earnings-related daily allowance. Everyone else who qualifies receives Kela's general social security benefit (yleistuki) of 37.21 euros per day in 2026, on average 800.02 euros per month, before tax. Since 1 May 2026 that benefit has replaced the labour market subsidy and the basic unemployment allowance. Both routes start with registering as an unemployed jobseeker, and no benefit is paid for days before you register.

Who gets which benefit

Your route depends on fund membership and work history:

  • Fund member with 12 months of work during membership. You apply to your unemployment fund for the earnings-related allowance.
  • Fund member without enough work, or with the allowance used up. You apply to Kela for the general social security benefit.
  • Not a fund member. You apply to Kela for the general social security benefit, whatever your earlier salary.

Citizenship is not a condition on either route. Foreign citizens qualify on the same terms if they have insured work in Finland, are registered as jobseekers and, for Kela's benefit, live permanently in Finland. Your residence permit must allow you to work.

Registering as a jobseeker

No unemployment benefit is paid for days when you are not registered as an unemployed jobseeker. Since 1 January 2025, public employment services have been run by municipalities, which took over from the former TE Offices. You register online through Job Market Finland (Työmarkkinatori), on your first day without work. For background on the service change, see the glossary entry on TE services.

How notice works before the job ends is covered in statutory notice periods in Finland and termination of employment contract in Finland.

The two routes at a glance

The figures below come from Kela's general social security benefit page and the Federation of Unemployment Funds in Finland (TYJ) pages on terms and duration and calculation:

Earnings-related allowanceGeneral social security benefit
Paid byYour unemployment fundKela
Condition12 months of work as a fund memberAge 18 to 64, registered jobseeker, permanent resident in Finland
Daily amount in 202637.21 euros plus an earnings-related component37.21 euros
Days paid per week55
Maximum durationSet by law, depends on work history; check your fundNo maximum
Waiting period7 working days7 working days
TaxableYesYes

If you are a member of an unemployment fund and meet the employment condition, the fund pays an earnings-related daily allowance calculated from your earlier wages. The allowance is paid for five days a week and is taxable income.

The employment condition

Since 2 September 2024 the employment condition has been 12 months of work while you are a fund member. According to TYJ, a calendar month with earnings of at least 930 euros counts as a full month, and earnings of 465 to 930 euros count as half a month. The months are looked for in a review period of about 28 months, which can be extended for reasons such as studies, military service or caring for a child.

The 2026 calculation

TYJ's calculation page gives the 2026 formula:

  • A basic component of 37.21 euros per day.
  • An earnings-related component of 45 percent of the difference between your daily wage and the basic component.
  • For a monthly salary above 3,535 euros, the earnings-related component for the part above that amount is 20 percent.
  • A deduction of 3.83 percent is made from the wage before the calculation in 2026.
  • The full allowance can be at most 90 percent of the daily wage, and it is never less than the basic component.

Reduction over time

Since 2 September 2024 the earnings-related allowance has been reduced in steps: to 80 percent of the original amount after 40 paid days, and to 75 percent after 170 paid days. The Federation of Unemployment Funds states that the earnings-related allowance is always paid at least equal to the basic component (37.21 EUR/day in 2026), which is not reduced.

Maximum duration

TYJ explains the maximum payment periods: the maximum duration is set by law and depends on your work history, so check your unemployment fund for your situation.

Route two: Kela's general social security benefit

If you do not qualify for earnings-related allowance, or have used it up, you can apply for the general social security benefit from Kela. Kela lists the basic conditions: you are 18 to 64, registered as an unemployed jobseeker, permanently resident in Finland, and not entitled to earnings-related allowance.

Amount and duration

The benefit is 37.21 euros per day, on average 800.02 euros per month, paid for five days a week and taxed as income. It has no maximum duration. Kela can pay it for as long as you are unemployed and meet the conditions.

Means testing

Income affects the amount. Wages reduce the benefit. Capital income above 311 euros a month reduces it by 50 percent of the excess. If you live with your parents, their income can reduce the benefit: it is paid in full if their combined income is at most 2,500 euros a month (plus 106 euros for each dependent child under 18), and it falls to a minimum of 35 percent at higher parental incomes. A spouse's or partner's income does not affect the benefit.

Qualifying period for jobseekers without a qualification

A qualifying period of 21 weeks, about five months, applies to applicants without a vocational or higher education qualification. Kela shortens it by weeks of earlier employment and certain other periods.

The waiting period

Both routes begin with a waiting period of seven working days, during which no benefit is paid.

Applications and payment

Registering as a jobseeker and applying for the benefit are separate steps. For the earnings-related allowance you apply to your unemployment fund. For the general social security benefit you apply in OmaKela or with a paper form, and Kela accepts applications retroactively for up to three months. After the first application you send an unemployment status report every four weeks. Benefits are paid in arrears, so plan for a gap of several weeks between your last salary and your first payment.

Changes from 2024 to 2026

The child increase (lapsikorotus) that used to be paid on top of unemployment benefits was abolished from 1 April 2024. The 12-month employment condition and the stepped reduction of earnings-related allowance both took effect on 2 September 2024. The general social security benefit then replaced Kela's two unemployment benefits on 1 May 2026, and Kela moved people already receiving either benefit to the new one automatically.

Foreign citizens and work abroad

What matters on both routes is insured work in Finland, fund membership for the earnings-related route, registration as a jobseeker, and, for Kela's benefit, being permanently resident in Finland and covered by Finnish social security. Work done in another EU or EEA country can count towards the employment condition under EU social security rules in some cases. Ask your fund or Kela how this applies to you, and see the site's guide to unemployment in Finland.

The law behind it

The earnings-related allowance is governed by the Unemployment Security Act (työttömyysturvalaki 1290/2002), published in Finnish on Finlex. The general social security benefit is paid by Kela under separate legislation that took effect on 1 May 2026.

The date that matters falls on the first day you are out of work and not yet registered with Job Market Finland: no benefit is paid for any day before your registration date.

Frequently asked questions

How much is unemployment benefit in Finland in 2026?

Kela pays 37.21 euros per day, or 800.02 euros a month on average, before tax. Fund members who meet the employment condition receive that basic amount plus 45 percent of the gap between their daily wage and it, falling to 20 percent on monthly pay above 3,535 euros (TYJ, calculation).

What replaced the labour market subsidy in Finland?

Kela's general social security benefit took over from both the labour market subsidy and the basic unemployment allowance on 1 May 2026. People already on either benefit were transferred without a new application (Kela news release).

How long can you get unemployment benefit in Finland?

The earnings-related allowance stops when your maximum duration, set by law and depending on your work history, is used up; check your fund for your situation. Kela's benefit has no end date while you remain unemployed and meet its conditions (TYJ, terms and duration).

You need 12 months of work during fund membership. In 2026 a month with earnings of 930 euros or more counts in full, and a month with 465 to 930 euros counts as half (TYJ, terms and duration).

Can I join an unemployment fund after losing my job?

Joining is open at any time, but only work done during membership counts towards the 12 months. A person who joins after the job ends has to build up a new work history before the fund pays (TYJ, terms and duration).

Sources

Last updated: October 2026

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