Startup Grant

What is the startup grant?

The startup grant is a form of discretionary financial aid for new entrepreneurs. Its purpose is to secure the personal income of those starting out as full-time entrepreneurs:

• for the first six months;
• equal to the amount of Kela's basic unemployment allowance, around €740 per month;
• Child benefit, housing allowance and social assistance do not affect the amount of the start-up grant.
• The amount of the grant may be reduced if the entrepreneur receives income that is not related to the business, such as student financial aid or salary from outside employment.
• paid for up to five working days per week;
• paid afterwards monthly;
• the startup grant can be extended, so that the total duration of grant periods is a maximum of 12 months
• the startup grant is taxable income.

You can only start a full-time business after your startup grant application has been received by Helsinki Employment Services.

Who is eligible for a startup grant?

You can receive a startup grant if you meet the following conditions:

1. You live in Helsinki.
2. You are unemployed or moving from employment, household work, studies or running a business part-time to full-time entrepreneurship.
3. You have sufficient skills for your chosen industry and entrepreneurship: education, work experience and know-how.
4. The conditions are in place to found a company, start doing business and become profitable. For example, the necessary financing, business premises and permits have been acquired.
5. The upcoming business operations will be full-time and continuous.
6. The business operations will be carried out in Finland.
7. You submitted your startup grant application before becoming a full-time entrepreneur.

All company types and industries are accepted, but we do pay attention to the competitive situation. You do not need to register as a jobseeker to apply for a startup grant.

When are you not eligible for a startup grant?

• You were already a full-time entrepreneur before your startup grant application was received by Helsinki Employment Services.
• Your livelihood is secured by other income or a benefit that is equal to or greater than the startup grant amount.
• Your business provides you with a reasonable income.
• You have tax debt or payment default entries; your credit information will be checked. The grant is subject to discretion if the debts have been paid or if a payment agreement has been made with the creditors.

When can you apply for a startup grant?

Submit you startup grant application before starting a full-time business. We recommend that you submit your application around four weeks before the planned start date of your full-time business. Do this especially if you need to know whether or not you are eligible for the grant before you start your business.

Do the following before applying for a startup grant

1. Explore  The Guide to Entrepreneurship(Link leads to external service) .
2. Attend Business Helsinki's business information session remotely (Teams) and the Business Plan and Business Calculations course remotely (Teams).
3. Make a preliminary  business plan(Link leads to external service) and business calculations (financing, profitability and sales calculations). You can use Business Helsinki's document templates or  other tools (Job Market Finland)(Link leads to external service) .
4. You can also book a business advisory session with Business Helsinki free of charge, if needed. You will receive support with planning your business, making calculations and setting up your company through personal business advice. A carefully prepared business plan and calculations, finalised together with a business advisor, typically improve the chances of getting a startup grant and other funding significantly.
5. Finalise your business plan and calculations after your business advisory session and obtain the other written attachments to be appended to your startup grant application before submitting it. Remember to also secure funding.

Business Helsinki's events and  other training (Job Market Finland)(Link leads to external service) help you to enhance your entrepreneurial skills.

Make a startup grant application

Fill in your startup grant application electronically, if possible,  in Job Market Finland's services for private customers(Link leads to external service) by logging in with your suomi.fi ID. After logging in, you can fill in the online application form for a startup grant. Fill in the application form carefully.

Upload the necessary attachments before submitting your application:

• business plan; sales, funding and profitability calculations;
• tax payment certificate/tax debt certificate (vero.fi)(Link leads to external service) ; you can download an electronic certificate from MyTax;
• proof that funding required for the business has been obtained;
• up-to-date CV.

Depending on your business idea and situation, you may also attach copies of the following, if applicable:

• collaboration agreements (a preliminary agreement is sufficient);
• a lease agreement for the premises (a preliminary agreement is sufficient);
• the necessary permits and notifications for starting your business;
• a debt repayment plan if you have civil-law payment defaults or tax debt.

While your startup grant application is being processed, we may also ask you for other documents and further information, depending on your business idea and situation.

If you wish, you can start a full-time business once you have submitted your startup grant application. We will contact you when we begin to process your application.

If you do not have the necessary online banking IDs, mobile authentication or EU identification tools (eIDAS) required for electronic services, you can use the printable application form. Only use the printable application form if you cannot use the online service. You can download and fill in  KEHA Centre's printable form (suomi.fi)(Link leads to external service) . Send the signed form and attachments via a secure service (Secure)(Link leads to external service) to Helsinki Employment Services at  starttiraha@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) .

Guidance in applying for a startup grant

If you have any questions about the startup grant, you can contact Helsinki Employment Services via email:  starttiraha@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) . If your message contains personal information, we recommend that you send it via a secure service (Secure)(Link leads to external service) .

For help with applying for a startup grant online and general questions about the grant, call the Enterprise Finland helpline on +358 (0)295 020 500 on weekdays from 9:00 to 15:00.  More information on support and the grant (suomi.fi)(Link leads to external service)

How to make a payment application

• Apply for startup grant payments with a separate application retroactively, month by month.
• Submit your payment application within two months of the end of the payment period: for example, for the period 1–31 May, the payment application must be submitted by 31 July.
• If you do not apply within the deadline, your payment application will expire and no payment will be made for that period.
• Log in and fill in the payment application for private customers  under "Personal Customers" (Job Market Finland)(Link leads to external service) . If you are unable to use the online service, send your payment application and attachments by email via a secure service (Secure)(Link leads to external service) to Helsinki Employment Services at  tyollisyyspalvelut.maksatus@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) .

The attachments required for the first payment application are:

• A copy of the trade register notification, if your company is required to submit one.
• A copy of the partnership agreement of a general or limited partnership, or the memorandum of association and articles of association of a limited liability company.
• Certificate of registration in the prepayment register, if the company is not required to submit a trade register notification.
• Amended tax card for the benefit (note: not for salary). Without an amended tax card, tax at a rate of 25% will be withheld from the startup grant.

Advice on payment applications

If you have any questions about the payments, you can contact Helsinki Employment Services via email:  tyollisyyspalvelut.maksatus@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) .

For help with applying for startup grant payments online, call the Enterprise Finland helpline on +358 (0)295 020 500 on weekdays from 9:00 to 15:00.  More information and support regarding payment applications (suomi.fi)(Link leads to external service) .

Payment schedule in 2025

18.09.2025, 30.09.2025
17.10.2025, 31.10.2025
18.11.2025, 28.11.2025
18.12.2025, 31.12.2025