Questions about temporary lay-off

I was laid off temporarily. How do I apply for earnings-related daily allowance?

If you have been laid off temporarily, register as a jobseeker with the employment authority on your first day of layoff at the latest. The registration is valid immediately but cannot be made retroactively. Earnings-related daily allowance can be paid only for the period of time while you are a jobseeker. You can apply for earnings-related daily allowance from the unemployment fund online in the eService or by mailing us the paper application and any attachments.

You can submit your first application for earnings-related daily allowance after two weeks have passed from the start of your full-time temporary lay-off. If your full-time lay-off lasts longer, apply for an extension of the earnings-related daily allowance regularly every four calendar weeks (Mon–Sun) or every calendar month. If your temporary lay-off lasts less than two weeks, you can apply for earnings-related daily allowance on the final day of the layoff at the earliest.

If your employer has you working a shorter week, you will need to fill in your earnings-related allowance application for each period of four full calendar weeks in arrears. Use the daily columns in the application form to identify days that you worked and days that you were laid off.

If you have been partially laid off by reducing your daily working hours, apply for the earnings-related allowance either for a period of four full calendar weeks or for a full month at a time, depending on your salary payment schedule. Remember to break down your hours by day.

Include the following documents with your application:

• Employment contract
• Lay-off notice
• If you have been partially laid off on a reduced working week, include a payslip showing the reduced workdays in your application.
• If you have been partially laid off with reduced hours, include your payslip for the period for which you are claiming the allowance in your application.

Be sure to apply for earnings-related daily allowance no later than three months from the first day of the period for which you are claiming the allowance.

I have been laid off temporarily and receive a holiday compensation from my employer during the lay-off. Does the holiday compensation affect my earnings-related daily allowance?

If you receive holiday compensation for full-time work during a temporary lay-off, the holiday compensation is interpreted as paid annual leave for unemployment security purposes. To process your application, we need to know the number of workdays the holiday compensation corresponds to. We cannot pay you earnings-related daily allowance for these days. The information we need is usually shown in your payslip. When applying for earnings-related allowance, include a payslip that details the days of holiday compensation.

If you receive holiday compensation for part-time work while you are laid off temporarily, the holiday compensation is taken into account when calculating the allowance. In your application, include a payslip that details the amount of holiday compensation you have received. You can find out more about adjustments based on income under What is an adjusted allowance?.

My employer fired me while I was laid off temporarily. I was employed full time. What do I need to do?

When you receive notice of termination, follow these steps:

Notify the employment authority about the termination. It is important that you notify the employment authority without delay so that they can issue your unemployment fund a new statement about your situation as quickly as possible. Remember to make sure that your job-seeker status remains active with the employment authority after your period of notice as well.

Fill in the application for earnings-related daily allowance until the start of the notice period. Report the termination in the application for earnings-related daily allowance under “Additional information” and include a copy of the notice of termination in your application. We cannot pay you earnings-related daily allowance for the period of notice of termination from full time work, so you don’t need to fill out an application for the notice period.

When you apply for your earnings-related daily allowance after your notice period, please include the following with your application:

• A copy of the notice of termination, If you have previously sent us the notice of termination, you do not need to send it again.
• A copy of your latest payslip, showing your pay during the period of notice and any other compensation you may have received on the basis of your termination.
• If you receive a special compensation on the basis of your termination (such as a severance package), send us a copy of the agreement terminating your employment.