Earnings-related allowance
Duration of the earnings-related allowance
The earnings-related allowance has a maximum duration, which depends on the length of your employment history and your age.
- If the length of your employment history is 3 years or less, the earnings-related allowance is paid for 300 days.
- If the length of your employment history is more than 3 years, the earnings-related allowance is paid for 400 days.
- If you are 58 years old and have 5 years of employment history during the past 20 years, the earnings-related allowance is paid for 500 days.
The allowance is paid to a fully unemployed person for five days a week. The maximum duration of 300 days is thus exhausted in about 60 weeks at the earliest (approx. 14 months), 400 days in 80 weeks (approx. 18 months), and 500 days in 100 weeks (approx. 23 months).
If you do gig work or part-time work, the maximum period is exhausted more slowly. You can also reset the maximum period of the earnings-related allowance by working. Working for 12 months resets the maximum period.
If your unemployment continues after the maximum payment period has been reached, you can apply for general social security benefit from Kela. More information on general social security benefit is available on Kela’s website.
Additional days for older workers
The earnings-related allowance can be paid after the maximum payment period up to the age of 65 as so-called additional days, if:
- you were born in 1961–1962 and turn 62 before your maximum period is reached
- you were born in 1963 and turn 63 before your maximum period is reached, or
- you were born in 1964 and turn 64 before your maximum period is reached.
In addition, you need to have worked for at least 5 years over the past 20 years, and you must have qualified for the earnings-related allowance as a wage earner.
Persons born in 1965 or later are not entitled to additional days after the maximum period of the earnings-related allowance ends.