Once you have registered as a jobseeker, we will check whether you are entitled to unemployment benefits, i.e. to financial support paid to you. We will issue a statement on your eligibility to the payer of the benefits.
If you need help in matters related to unemployment benefits, you can send a contact request to an employment services specialist in the Job Market Finland E-services(Link leads to external service).
How to apply for unemployment benefits
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First, register as a jobseeker
If you become unemployed or are laid off, register as a jobseeker as soon as possible.
Register as a jobseeker in the Job Market Finland E-services(Link leads to external service)
You can find instructions on how to register on the Job Market Finland website(Link leads to external service).
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Apply for unemployment benefits
Unemployment benefits are applied for directly from the payer, i.e. Kela or your unemployment fund. Unemployment benefits include:
- earnings adjusted daily allowance paid by unemployment funds(Link leads to external service)
- basic unemployment allowance and labour market subsidy paid by Kela.(Link leads to external service)
You are entitled to earnings adjusted daily allowance or basic unemployment allowance if you were employed and meet the work requirement(Link leads to external service) at the time of becoming unemployed. You can receive labour market subsidy if you do not meet the work requirement.
The general social security benefit is a means-tested benefit that combines the basic unemployment allowance and the labour market subsidy. The general social security benefit is paid to unemployed jobseekers who are not entitled to an earnings-related unemployment allowance or whose earnings-related unemployment allowance period has ended. You can apply for the general social security benefit from Kela.
Apply for unemployment benefits from your first day of unemployment. After registering as a jobseeker, an Employment Services specialist will check whether the conditions for unemployment benefits are met for you.
The specialist will issue a statement on your eligibility for unemployment benefits to the payer of the benefits. The payer then decides on the basis of your situation and the statement whether you can receive unemployment benefits and the amount of the benefit.
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Respond to any clarification requests
For the purpose of issuing a statement to the payer of the benefits, you may be asked for further clarifications to which you will have to respond.
If you receive a clarification request, reply within the specified time limit in the Job Market Finland E-services(Link leads to external service). Information on what you need to provide and what kinds of attachments you should submit is given in the e-services.
Reply to the clarification request as accurately as possible, providing all the requested details. You should respond to the request for clarification as soon as possible so that your unemployment benefit can be processed further.
If you do not respond to the request for clarification within the deadline, we will process the statement without your clarification. In this case, we usually have to issue a negative statement to the payer and you will not be entitled to unemployment benefits.
Frequently asked questions about unemployment benefits
We may ask you to provide additional information, missing information or a document, certificate or written description of your situation. We may ask for clarification
- if you have not implemented your employment plan or have neglected the agreed measures
- for the reasons why your employment was terminated
- about starting studies or your current studies
- applying for study places if you are under the age of 25
- on missing documents, such as references or study reports
- on starting a business or being involved in a business
- on work carried out using an invoicing service
- on artistic activities (self-employment).
Once you have provided us with all the necessary information, we will make a statement about your situation as soon as possible.
The payer can only make a decision about your unemployment benefit after receiving the statement. You can find information on the payer's processing times on the website of Kela or your unemployment fund.
You cannot separately appeal against the statement issued by the Employment Services. The statement can, however, be re-processed if you have new information that may be relevant, such as a missing certificate or other attachment.
Submit a contact request in the Job Market Finland E-services(Link leads to external service).
Appealing instructions on decisions made by Kela and the unemployment funds are in the decision you receive from the payer.
According to legislation, an unemployed jobseeker has certain rights and obligations, the purpose of which is to support employment. The unemployment benefit may be interrupted if the obligations are not met.
Failing to fulfil even one obligation will result in the termination of your jobseeker status and the imposition of a mandatory waiting period without benefits.
Learn more about the rights and responsibilities of jobseekers
You may be subject to a mandatory waiting period (karenssi)(Link leads to external service), if you do not fulfil your obligations. This means that during the mandatory waiting period, or unpaid time period, you will not receive unemployment benefits.
The new system of sanctions regarding unemployment security is two-tiered:
- Failing to fulfil your obligations even once will result in the termination of your jobseeker status and a seven-day mandatory waiting period without benefits.
- Failing to fulfil your obligations for a second time or repeatedly will result in the imposition of a six-week work obligation.
Restart your job search by registering as a jobseeker with Employment Services.
If you are unable to start your job search in Job Market Finland’s E-services, you must start your job search by visiting a service point of Helsinki Employment Services.
The work obligation means that your entitlement to unemployment benefits will be restored after you have spent at least six calendar weeks:
- in work that meets the conditions of the work requirement
- in certain services that promote employment
- in voluntary full-time studies
- as a full-time entrepreneur or an independent professional.
If you resign or refuse to work for no valid reason, or if you are given notice for reasons attributable to you, you may be subject to a mandatory waiting period without benefits.
The shortened work requirement applies to work obligations imposed as of 1 March 2026.
The following transitional legislation will be applied when assessing the recurrence of non-compliance:
Non-compliance before 1 March 2026
- If your failure to comply occurred on 28 February 2026 or earlier, the old four-tiered system of sanctions regarding unemployment benefits will be applied.
Non-compliance for which no sanctions have been imposed before 1 March 2026
- If your failure to comply occurred before 1 March 2026 but no mandatory waiting period or work obligation has been imposed on you, this non-compliance will not be taken into account if new failures occur after 1 March 2026.
Non-compliance for which sanctions have been imposed before 1 March 2026
- If a mandatory waiting period or work obligation has been imposed on you before 1 March 2026, this will be taken into account when considering the recurrence of your non-compliance if your new failure occurs within 12 months of the failure that led to sanctions.
You will no longer receive a separate reminder letter regarding non-compliance. Job Market Finland will send you SMS reminders regarding any expiring deadlines.
You will receive an automatic SMS reminder in the following cases:
- The deadline for a clarification request, further clarification request or a hearing is about to expire.
- If you have stated that you will provide us with appendices.
- An obligatory client meeting has been scheduled for you.
- If you have not applied for a job that you have been obligated to apply for.
- The deadline for an obligatory task set in your plan is about to expire.
SMS reminders are sent automatically to all clients with a Finnish mobile phone number in the system. Please enter only one mobile phone number in the phone number field of Job Market Finland in the format 040123456 or +35840123456.
You will receive an SMS reminder:
- 24 h before an obligatory client meeting.
- 36 h before the expiration of a deadline.
The sender of the messages will be TyömarkTori or Jobbmarknad.
- The messages never contain any links.
- The messages never ask you for any personal data.
- The messages cannot be replied to.
You can receive unemployment benefits for the first four months if you start a new business while you are unemployed.
If you start a full-time business, you can choose whether to take advantage of this four-month period of unemployment benefit or apply immediately for the start-up grant to get your business off the ground.
Let the employment services know if you are interested in entrepreneurship and plan to work as an entrepreneur for more than two weeks.
You should also let the Employment Services know if you charge for your work through invoicing services, working as a so-called light entrepreneur. Users of invoicing services are covered by the Self-Employed Persons' Pension Act (YEL) and they are treated as entrepreneurs.
Report to employment services via the Job Market Finland E-services(Link leads to external service)