Unemployment security 2026: earnings-related allowance, general support and waiting period

Who pays: the unemployment fund or Kela

In 2026 Finnish unemployment security has two allowances. The unemployment fund pays earnings-related allowance to its member who meets the membership and employment conditions. Kela pays the basic unemployment allowance to those who are not entitled to earnings-related allowance or whose earnings-related allowance period has ended. You cannot apply for earnings-related allowance from Kela; the application is always made to your own fund.

Kela's basic daily allowance and labour market subsidy were last paid up to 30.4.2026. They were replaced from 1.5.2026 by the general support, which is €37.21 per day, the same amount as the earlier benefits. The difference is that the general support is means-tested: capital income and other income can reduce it. Regardless of unemployment fund membership, the first step is always the same: register as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment area of your home municipality at Työmarkkinatori.

Conditions for earnings-related allowance: 12 months of work and membership

Since 2.9.2024, the employment condition has been 12 months within a review period of 28 months. The condition is calculated on the basis of pay: a calendar month in which gross pay is at least €930 counts as a full month towards the employment condition. Pay of €465–929 a month accrues half a month. The review period can be extended, for example, because of illness, full-time study or childcare.

In addition, you must have been a fund member for at least 12 months before unemployment. Membership is counted in days, so the membership condition may be met later than the employment condition. If you join the fund only when the dismissal is already known, earnings-related unemployment allowance is generally not yet paid. Entrepreneurs have their own employment condition, which is checked with the entrepreneurs' fund.

How much earnings-related unemployment allowance is in 2026

The earnings-related daily allowance consists of a basic part and an earnings-related part. The basic part is 37,21 euros a day. The earnings-related part is 45 per cent of the difference between the daily wage and the basic part, when the monthly salary is no more than the break point of 3 534,95 euros. For the portion above the break point, the earnings-related part is 20 per cent. A statutory deduction, which in 2026 is 3,83 per cent, is subtracted from the salary before calculation.

According to the Joint Organisation of Unemployment Funds (TYJ), the average earnings-related allowance after the tiering was about €1,311 a month before tax in early 2026. The earnings-related allowance is taxable income, so it is worth submitting a tax card to the fund. You can get a precise estimate of your own allowance from your fund's calculator.

The tapering reduces the allowance in two stages

The tapering generally applies to allowance periods that began after the September 2024 change. The allowance falls to 80% of the full amount once it has been paid for 40 days, and to 75% after 170 paid days. In practice, the first cut comes at about two months and the second at about eight months.

According to TYJ, about 88 000 people received earnings-related unemployment allowance in June 2026, and 51 per cent of them received a tapered benefit. The tapering reduced the average benefit by about €330–440 per month. If you meet the employment condition again before the maximum period ends, the new allowance is at least 80 per cent of the previous full amount. Take the tapering into account in your budget from the very start of unemployment.

Waiting period and holiday compensation

Before the daily allowance is paid, there is a waiting period. Since 1.1.2024 it has been seven full working days, which must accumulate within eight consecutive calendar weeks. Up to five waiting-period days can accumulate in the same calendar week. The waiting period is usually once per maximum period. When the earnings-related allowance period ends and you move to Kela's general support, Kela does not set a new waiting period.

Holiday compensation also affects the start date. If full-time work lasting over two weeks ends, the holiday compensation paid at the end of the employment is allocated over time, which postpones the start of the allowance. Child increases and the €300 protected amount were removed for benefit periods starting from 1.4.2024, so part-time pay reduces the adjusted allowance from the first euro.

How long: 300, 400 or 500 days

The maximum duration of earnings-related allowance is 300 days if the work history is no more than three years, and 400 days if it is longer. A person who had turned 58 before the employment condition was met and who has at least five years of work history in the last 20 years can receive up to 500 days. The maximum duration is determined when payment begins and does not change mid-period.

Allowance is paid for at most five days a week. Adjusted allowance usually uses up the maximum period more slowly than full allowance. When the maximum period is used up and you are still unemployed, you can apply to Kela for general support.

How to apply and keep the benefit in force

All benefits require active job seeking. You can find the job-search obligations and the consequences of missing deadlines in the Jobs Radar guide to changes in the TE Services. The benefit is applied for retrospectively.

Register as a jobseeker at Työmarkkinatori no later than on your first day of unemployment.
Apply for earnings-related unemployment allowance from your fund. The application can cover a maximum of three months backwards.
Attach your employment certificate and pay details if the fund asks for them.
If you are not a member of an unemployment fund, apply for basic unemployment allowance from Kela and submit your unemployment notifications in OmaKela every four weeks.
Follow the employment situation and open positions by region in Jobs Radar.

Frequently asked questions

Does basic unemployment allowance still exist in 2026?

No. Basic unemployment allowance and labour market subsidy were paid until 30.4.2026. They were replaced on 1.5.2026 by Kela's general support, which is €37.21 per day and means-tested.

How long is the waiting period for unemployment benefit?

Seven full working days accumulated over eight consecutive calendar weeks. The waiting period usually applies once per maximum period.

When does the phasing begin?

Earnings-related daily allowance falls to 80 per cent after 40 paid days and to 75 per cent after 170 paid days.

Can I join the unemployment fund when the dismissal is already known?

You can, but earnings-related unemployment allowance is only paid once you have been a member for 12 months and meet the employment condition.

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Sources

The article is general information and does not replace the guidance of an authority, a lawyer or an adviser. Check up-to-date information from the sources.