How to join the fund
The Unemployment Fund of Social and Healthcare Workers (Sotekassa) is a unemployment fund for employees. You must be working as a salaried employee to join the fund and receive benefits from the fund.
You can become a member of Sotekassa, if
- you have completed a vocational qualification in the social, health care, education, or rehabilitation sector, or if you are studying for a vocational qualification in these fields
- you are an employee (in any field)
- you are under the age of 68 years.
What to take into consideration when joining
To become a member of the fund, you must apply for membership in writing. Membership also requires you to be in paid employment.
- Join the fund while you are in paid employment. During your membership of the fund, your paid work accumulates work history that counts towards your unemployment benefit. The work does not have to be in the social or health sector. The earlier you join the fund, the longer the accumulated work history that counts towards the unemployment benefit.
- You can apply for membership before you start work, but not retroactively. Membership of the fund can start at the earliest from the date on which your application for membership is received by the unemployment fund. If you apply to join the unemployment fund before you start work, your membership can start on your first day of work. Membership of the fund cannot become valid retroactively. If your job has ended when your membership application reaches the fund, the earliest your membership can start is when you start your next job.
- There is no minimum age for joining the unemployment fund, but work done before the age of 18 does not count towards unemployment benefits. Therefore, membership in the unemployment fund becomes beneficial only after turning 18.
- Once you have been accepted as a member, your membership will remain valid even when you are not employed. To remain a member, you must pay your membership fee in accordance with the instructions you receive. We recommend continuing your membership at all times so that you do not lose the work history you have accumulated in the past.
- Sotekassa is an unemployment fund for employees. Entrepreneurial activities may pose an obstacle to membership of the fund. If you have holdings in the company you work for, read more about entrepreneurship.
Learn more about how to submit a membership application below.
Vocational education in the aforementioned fields is sufficient for membership in the Sotekassa, but your field of work is not restricted. You can be a member of our fund regardless of the field you work in.
You must apply for membership of the fund in writing. How you send your application debends on whether you want to be a member of the unemployment fund only or also a member of a trade union.
Membership of the fund starts from the day your membership application arrives at the fund, provided that you are in paid employment on that day. If you ar not empoyed on the day your application arrives, membership of the fund will start on the first paid working day you have after the day your application arrived at the fund.
