When processing your first application, the fund must make sure that you meet the work requirement. Until 1.9.2024 the work requirement is accured based on working hours. Weeks during which you have worked at least 18 hours a week are counted to the work requirement. In addition, the fund must determine the salaries of the working weeks that meet the work requirement, as the amount of the daily allowance is calculated based on them.
From 2.9.2024 onward the work requirement is accured based on salary paid and months during which you have been paid salary at least 465 euros (gross) are counted to the work requirement. The fund can still need information about the salary earning periods. For example it the salary has been paid at once for a period longer than a month, or an error has occurred in the salary payment, the fund must allocate salary to the work requirement deviating from the payment month.
in other words to find out if you have in the 28-month period before unemployment been in paid employment for at least 26 weeks, with at least 18 hours of work per week.
When processing your first application, the information in the Incomes Register is not enough to process the application, e.g. in situations where
- holiday compensation (lomakorvaus) is not reported separately => Send copies of the salary statements / payslips for the last 12 moths
- employment data is missing in whole or in part (e.g. the date of termination of employment is missing) => send copy of your certificate of employment (työtodistus)
- if you have been working hourly and your working hours have varied from week to week => send a statement of weekly working hours done before 2th Septemper 2024
- you have been absent from work without pay (e.g. unpaid sick leave) and your employer has not reported the absence to the register => send salary statements / payslips
- due to studies, maternity leave, sick leave etc. incomes data is needed for a period before 2020 => send certificates of employment and salary statements / payslips (or a salary certificate written by a payroll officer).
When salary is paid during unemployment, the fund must find out (in addition to the salary amount) whether the income has been earned in part-time work or gig work (full-time work that lasts no more than 2 weeks) or full-time work that lasts over 2 weeks. Also, the number of hours the salary is based on must be determined.
When processing an application period during which salary is paid, the information in the Incomes Register is not enough to process the application, e.g. in situations where
- salary for a full-time work that has already ended has still been paid during the period of unemployment, but the period when the salary was earned has not been reported to the register => send salary statement / payslip
- employment data for a new job you have started is missing or misleading => send your employment contract
- you are paid an hourly salary according to the hours you have worked, but the number of hours paid has not been reported to the register => send salary statement / payslip.
