Secure your income if your employment ends

Unemployment benefits are financial support that you receive when you become unemployed. In Finland, Kela pays basic unemployment allowance to the unemployed, but you can increase the amount of your unemployment benefits by joining an unemployment fund. If you become unemployed or are laid off, as a member of a fund, you can receive earnings-related daily allowance, which is significantly higher than the support paid by Kela. When you become a member of the Professionals of Business and Technology, use the same form to join the fund.

At the Professionals of Business and Technology, your membership includes membership of an unemployment fund to receive an earnings-related daily allowance and personal unemployment security counselling to clarify the legal jungle and your situation. You usually join the fund when you join as a member of the Professionals of Business and Technology. The employees’ fund of the Professionals of Business and Technology is the Unemployment Fund For Highly Educated KOKO.

As an employee, you will receive benefits from the KOKO unemployment fund in the event of changes in working life, such as earnings-related unemployment allowance, mobility assistance and transition security allowance.

In general, you will become a member of the unemployment fund when you join the Professionals of Business and Technology. You can also apply for membership of the fund later during your membership. For example, if you were not employed at the time of joining or were a member of another unemployment fund, and therefore did not immediately join the KOKO unemployment fund as a member of the Professionals of Business and Technology.

You can check the status of your membership in our online service.

If you are a member of the fund through the Professionals of Business and Technology, the “KOKO-fund” and the date on which you joined the fund will appear in the “Membership information” section in addition to your membership type. You can also join the fund as a member in the online service if you are not yet a member of KOKO Unemployment Fund.

Black-level student membership includes unemployment security. If you are a Black-level student member, you are already a member of the KOKO unemployment fund and have possibly accumulated the employment condition.

Working students should always choose the Black level, as work done during studies and summer work accumulate the employment condition. This means that there is a possibility of a better income level in the event of unemployment after graduation.

If you are a Gold or Silver level member, you can join the Black level now if you have a valid employment contract. Graduates should update their membership to the Professionals of Business and Technology full membership!

Also see the employment condition for earnings-related unemployment benefits below.
You can check the status of your membership in our online service >>

If you have any questions about unemployment benefits, you can always contact our unemployment security counselling.

In addition to the employment authority, the KOKO unemployment fund makes decisions on your right to unemployment security and processes your unemployment allowance application. Kela processes your case if you are not a member of the unemployment fund or if you are not entitled to earnings-related allowance paid by the fund.
In addition, the employment authority decides on the impacts of incomplete studies and business activities on unemployment security, as well as on suspension periods, which can be related e.g. to your own resignation or termination of employment during the trial period. However, we can give you advice in this matters and often also an estimate of what kind of decision is to be expected.

Unemployment allowance can be paid to the fully unemployed, completely or partially laid off, and those working part-time with working hours of up to 80% of the working hours of full-time employment in the industry (usually up to 30 hours). Part-time workers are paid adjusted daily allowance, meaning that the earnings from work are then taken into account as earnings that reduce the full daily allowance.
Unemployment allowance cannot generally be received while studies are in progress, but the person applying for the allowance must have already graduated. The financial support for full-time students comes from the students’ financial aid system.

The right to receive unemployment allowance is subject to fulfilling the employment condition, which is examined from the period preceding the unemployment/layoff/part-time work. If the employment relationship immediately preceding unemployment has not lasted for at least 12 months continuously, the required amount of working months (or half months) can be taken into account within a 28-month review period preceding unemployment. The review period may be longer if there has been a valid reason for absence from the labour market (family leave, full-time studies, military service/civil service, etc.)

If the employment condition has not yet been met during the period of unemployment fund membership, unemployment allowance must be applied for from Kela.
More information about defining the employment condition review period >>

The employment condition refers to criteria for receiving earnings-related unemployment allowance. Fulfilling the employment condition requires that you have been working for at least 12 months prior to becoming unemployed. You do not need to accumulate the whole 12-month employment condition in consecutive months. The employment condition can also be accumulated in shorter periods and in part-time jobs – for example during studies or summer jobs.
The employment condition is accrued for the month in which the salary is paid.

• a whole month is accumulated, if you have been paid at least EUR 930 in a calendar month.
• a half month is accumulated, if you have been paid at least EUR 465, but less than EUR 930 in a calendar month.

In order for the employment condition to be accumulated, the salary must be determined according to the applicable collective agreement or, if no collective agreement applies, the full-time pay must be a minimum of EUR 1,463/month (in 2026).

The unemployment fund pays its members earnings-related unemployment allowance during unemployment. The daily allowance amount is determined on the basis of the member’s earnings during the accumulation of the employment condition.

The conditions for accumulating unemployment benefit rights and the amount of the daily allowance are determined by law, so there are no differences in the conditions or amounts of unemployment benefits paid by different unemployment funds.

You can use the allowance calculator to estimate the approximate amount of your unemployment allowance. Go to the allowance calculator.

More information about the conditions for accumulating employment condition >

The amount of earnings-related unemployment allowance is calculated based on the accrued salary from the 12 months that meet the employment condition. In addition to normal monthly or hourly wages, the accrued salary includes, for example, fringe benefits, shift allowances, bonuses, and commission. You can find a more detailed definition of accrued salary here.

You can use the allowance calculator to estimate the approximate amount of your unemployment allowance. Go to the allowance calculator.

You can use the allowance calculator to estimate the approximate amount of your unemployment allowance. Go to the allowance calculator.

When using the calculator, keep in mind that when using a tax card issued for salary, the tax rate will be at least 25%. Your tax rate will be increased if the tax rate for your salary has been lower than this. When using a revised tax card issued for the taxation of social benefits, taxes will be withheld according to the tax rate of the revised tax card.

If you have not met the employment condition during your membership of the unemployment fund or are not a member of the fund, apply for unemployment benefits from Kela. In this case, notify the TE Services that your benefits will be paid by Kela and follow the instructions above with Kela.

Unemployment allowance is always applied for retroactively for days already spent unemployed. The normal application period is a calendar month or a four-week period. You can, if you wish, submit your first unemployment allowance application after two weeks of unemployment so that the unemployment allowance case can be processed as quickly as possible.

At the beginning of the unemployment period, there is a seven-day waiting period. If you submit your first application after two weeks of unemployment, please note that the first application period may not have many payable benefit days left.
If you are partially laid off and work a reduced working day or week, the length of the first application period may depend on factors such as the payroll period. You can ask the KOKO unemployment fund for more detailed instructions on the application periods and filling out applications.
The first unemployment allowance application must be accompanied by attachments on the basis of which the unemployment fund can confirm that the employment condition has been met and determine the amount of the payable allowance. Salary information is required for the 12 months during which the employment condition was accumulated. This information is usually obtained from the Income Register, but the unemployment fund requests additional information from the applicant if necessary.

More detailed instructions on other attachments that must be submitted with the first unemployment allowance application >>

Information on the processing times of unemployment allowance applications >>
KOKO unemployment fund’s instructions for the unemployed >>
KOKO unemployment fund’s instructions for the laid off >>
KOKO unemployment fund’s instructions for those working part-time >>

From the unemployment security counselling service of the Professionals of Business and Technology, you can get information on

• membership of the unemployment fund
• accumulating the employment condition
• determination of earnings-related allowance
• the impact of studying, business activities and moving abroad on unemployment security

You can get instructions from the KOKO unemployment fund’s customer service
filling in allowance applications and the attachments

• an estimate of the amount of your earnings-related allowance based on your salary income and the payment schedule
• the unemployment fund’s customer service answers questions related to applying for earnings-related allowance and processes the applications

Contact KOKO

Have you been laid off and your employer is offering you coaching to promote your employment? In this situation, you can also suggest a service provider to your employer. The Professionals of Business and Technology collaborates in marketing to promote your employment with InHunt Group, which operates throughout Finland and also offers Placement outplacement services. In InHunt Group’s Placement coaching, your coach is always a Senior Headhunter, who helps you focus on the essential things that truly advance your job search.

If you have any questions about InHunt Group’s Placement service, you can get more information directly from InHunt

Learn more about the outplacement service >>>

Entrepreneurs, as well as members considering becoming entrepreneurs, receive unemployment security counselling from the Professionals of Business and Technology and the Entrepreneur Fund. Entrepreneur, take care of your unemployment security by choosing the membership of the right unemployment fund. The fund for entrepreneur members is the Entrepreneur Fund.

If you meet the definition of an entrepreneur under the Unemployment Security Act and are employed as an entrepreneur on a full-time basis, you must insure yourself against unemployment with the Entrepreneur Fund. In the Unemployment Security Act, entrepreneurs are considered to be both “actual” entrepreneurs who own the entire company in addition to working in the company, and, with certain restrictions, also part-owners who work in the company. If you are not sure whether you fulfil the definition of an entrepreneur in the Unemployment Security Act and how your situation affects your unemployment security, you can contact the unemployment security counselling of the Professionals of Business and Technology if necessary.

Read more about the Entrepreneur Fund

You can’t join the Entrepreneur Fund through the Professionals of Business and Technology; you must be apply for the membership separately. However, you can have a valid membership of both the Entrepreneur Fund and Professionals of Business and Technology at the same time.

Learn more about unemployment security for entrepreneurs

Regardless of the type of business, all entrepreneurs who are insured under YEL (including light entrepreneurs and freelancers) with a confirmed annual income of at least EUR 15,481 (in 2026) and, under certain conditions, also part-owners who work in the company and whose TyEL-insured income reaches the aforementioned limit, can become members of the Entrepreneur Fund.

You can’t join the Entrepreneur Fund through the Professionals of Business and Technology; you must apply for membership separately. However, you can still be a member of the Professionals of Business and Technology even after joining the Entrepreneur Fund.

Please note that meeting the definition of an entrepreneur does not necessarily mean that the business activity is full-time and does not always require joining the Entrepreneur Fund. If you operate a business in addition to full-time employment and employment is also your main source of income, it is advisable to be a member of an employee fund (the KOKO unemployment fund for members of the Professionals of Business and Technology).

More information about the membership requirements of the Entrepreneur Fund and the definition of an entrepreneur under the Unemployment Security Act.

Learn more and join the Entrepreneur Fund >>

The employment condition for entrepreneurs is met when membership in the Entrepreneur Fund and simultaneous employment as an entrepreneur have lasted for at least 15 months, with pension insurance income being at least the aforementioned minimum amount.

An entrepreneur who has met the employment condition is entitled to unemployment allowance if they become unemployed. The amount of the unemployment allowance is determined for a YEL-insured entrepreneur based on the annual earnings of the YEL insurance and the insurance level chosen for the Entrepreneur Fund, and for a TyEL-insured employed part-owner based on the salary income and the insurance level chosen for the Entrepreneur Fund.

Read more about determining the earnings-related daily allowance for entrepreneurs >>
A member of an employee fund who operates as an entrepreneur alongside full-time paid work accumulates the employment condition for unemployment allowance only from their paid employment. If paid employment ends and the business activity can be considered secondary under the Unemployment Security Act (the business has been active simultaneously during paid employment or at least 6 months before the end of paid employment), unemployment allowance might be granted even if the business activity continues. In this case, the amount of unemployment allowance is determined solely on the basis of salary income and the income from secondary business activities during the period of unemployment is adjusted, i.e., it reduces the payable daily allowance.

Employees who become entrepreneurs also have the possibility to retain their right to earnings-related unemployment security without interruption under certain conditions:
The employment condition accumulated as an employee remains valid for 18 months after the start of full-time business activity, provided that either membership of the Entrepreneur Fund or membership of the employee fund (the KOKO unemployment fund) is maintained. It is possible and advisable to join the Entrepreneur Fund as soon as the conditions (see above) are met. When changing funds, joining the Entrepreneur Fund must take place within one month of leaving the employee fund in order to keep the accumulated employment condition.

After 18 months from the start of full-time business activity, the employment condition accumulated as an employee expires. In order to maintain the uninterrupted right to unemployment allowance, the unemployment fund membership must be transferred from the employees’ unemployment fund KOKO to the Entrepreneur Fund within three months of the start of full-time business activity so that the employment condition for entrepreneurs (15 months) has time to accumulate before this.

An entrepreneur who remains a member of the employees’ unemployment fund for more than three months will have a period of time between the expiry of the employment condition for employees and the completion of the employment condition for entrepreneurs, during which there is no right to earnings-related unemployment allowance In this case, the entrepreneur who becomes unemployed is supported by Kela’s unemployment benefits which significantly reduces the amount of unemployment allowance compared to earnings-related daily allowance.

If the business activity has to be terminated within the first 18 months and the entrepreneur becomes unemployed, earnings-related daily allowance can be granted based on the employment condition accumulated as an employee, if the employment condition for entrepreneurs has not yet had time to accumulate fully. In this case, the daily allowance is paid by either the Entrepreneur Fund or the employees’ unemployment fund KOKO depending on which fund membership is active at the time of becoming unemployed. The amount of the daily allowance is the same in both cases.

To maintain the post-protection, it is also possible to remain a member of an employee fund for the first 18 months after starting full-time business activity. However, it is not possible to accumulate the employment condition as an entrepreneur while being a member of an employees’ unemployment fund, which is why it is only recommended to remain a member of KOKO unemployment fund if the membership requirements of the Entrepreneur Fund are not met or if for some other reason it is not possible to join the Entrepreneur Fund. A better option for a full-time entrepreneur is to join the Entrepreneur Fund, as this also allows you to accumulate new employment condition.

An entrepreneur who becomes an employee is also entitled to post-protection based on the employment condition accumulated as an entrepreneur.

Read more about unemployment security for entrepreneurs on the Entrepreneur Fund’s website >>

It’s important for us to support our entrepreneur members. If you’re already a member of the Professionals of Business and Technology, your membership type will be changed to entrepreneur membership when you terminate your membership of the KOKO unemployment fund.

Learn more about unemployment security for entrepreneurs

As an entrepreneur member, you enjoy the same services as a full member, and we also offer you member benefits targeted at entrepreneurs.

Learn more about the member benefits for entrepreneurs