Questions and answers about general social security benefit

The general social security benefit is a new form of financial assistance that will be introduced to the Finnish social security system. The new benefit will combine several existing benefits into one single benefit.

Parliament has approved the government proposal on the general social security benefit. In the first phase, the general social security benefit will replace the existing labour market subsidy and basic unemployment allowance in May 2026. This means that labour market subsidy and basic unemployment allowance will stop being paid when the general social security benefit is implemented. The Act on the General Social Security Benefit will enter into force on 1 May 2026.

The general social security benefit will be paid to unemployed jobseekers who do not qualify for or have used up their earnings-related unemployment allowance.

The intention is for the scope of the general social security benefit to be expanded in phases to also cover other benefits, such as housing benefits.

The Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government lists the introduction of a general social security benefit as part of its planned reform of the Finnish social security system. The reform aims to create a general social security benefit that would include a basic allowance for living costs, an allowance for housing costs and a discretionary allowance as last-resort social security.

The goal for introducing the general social security benefit is to simplify and clarify the Finnish social security system and to provide better incentives for the unemployed to seek and retain employment.

You can apply for the general social security benefit in the OmaKela e-service (available only in Finnish and Swedish) starting from May 2026. You apply for the general social security benefit retroactively as is also the case for the existing unemployment benefits.

Other benefits affect the general social security benefit in the same way that they currently affect labour market subsidy and basic unemployment allowance.

Read on for examples of how other benefits affect the general social security benefit. The list below does not cover everything. It only lists the most common examples.

Examples of benefits that are deducted fully from your general social security benefit:

• child home care allowance
• partial disability pension
• flexible care allowance.

Examples of benefits that can reduce the amount of general social security benefit in the means test:

• informal care allowance
• partial early old-age pension.

More information about how the means test affects how much general social security benefit you can get.

Examples of benefits that do not affect the general social security benefit:

• child benefit
• child maintenance allowance
• social assistance
• general housing allowance
• disability allowance.

Use our calculator to check how much general social security benefit you might get. The result is an estimate.

The basic amount of the general social security benefit is EUR 37.21 per day (about EUR 800 per month) in 2026. It corresponds to the labour market subsidy and basic unemployment allowance.

This means that the basic amount of the general social security benefit will not change. However, the general social security benefit is a means-tested benefit.

Read a more detailed explanation of the means test that applies to the general social security benefit.

Use our calculator to check how much general social security benefit you might get. The result is an estimate.

The general social security benefit being a means-tested benefit means that the applicant’s income affects the amount of benefit they can be paid.

Your earned income, such as wages or salary, is not included in the means test. However, the following types of income can reduce the amount of general social security benefit you can get:

• capital income, such as
  • rental income
  • dividends
  • interest income
  • profit on a sale
     
• other income that is not earned income, such as
  • informal care allowance
  • compensations for family caregivers
  • copyright royalties
  • partial early old-age pension.

Some benefits do not affect how much general social security benefit you can get. They include, for example, child benefit, child maintenance allowance, social assistance, housing allowance and disability allowance.

The income limit that applies to the means test is EUR 311 per month. You can have capital income and other income that is not wages or salary up to this income limit without it affecting your benefit.

If you have more such income than the income limit of EUR 311 per month (gross), half (50%) of the amount that exceeds the income limit will be deducted from your general social security benefit.

The income of your spouse or other people living in the same household is not taken into consideration in the means test.

However, if you live with your parents, their income may affect how much general social security benefit you can get. If your parents’ combined income does not exceed EUR 2,500 per month, you will get the full general social security benefit. Each child under 18 who lives with your parents and is under their care increases this income limit by EUR 106 per month.

If your parents’ combined monthly income exceeds EUR 2,500, half of the amount that exceeds the threshold of EUR 2,500 will be deducted from the general social security benefit paid to you. However, you will always be paid at least 35% of the general social security benefit.

Use our calculator to check how much general social security benefit you might get. The result is an estimate.

Correction as of 16 October 2025: The article previously stated that the means test that will be applied to the general social security benefit is the same as the one that is currently used for labour market subsidy. This information is incorrect. The practices that will apply to the means test for the general social security benefit differ in some respects from those that apply to the means test for labour market subsidy.

If you are paid labour market subsidy or basic unemployment allowance when the general social security benefit is implemented in May 2026, Kela will start paying you the general social security benefit instead. This is because the general social security benefit will replace the labour market subsidy and basic unemployment allowance.

If your unemployment continues, stay registered as an active jobseeker with the employment services and continue to regularly file unemployment status reports in OmaKela every 4 weeks.

The general social security benefit is a means-tested benefit. If you have been paid basic unemployment allowance or earnings-related unemployment allowance before you apply for the general social security benefit, Kela will check how much capital income you have. If you get more than EUR 311 per month in capital income, half of your capital income will be deducted from the general social security benefit paid to you.

If you are over 55 years old and you have previously been paid labour market subsidy and met the work requirement at some point, your labour market subsidy has never been subjected to a means test.

This will change when you switch from labour market subsidy to the general social security benefit. After the switch, Kela will check how much capital income you have. If you get more than EUR 311 per month in capital income, half of your capital income will be deducted from your general social security benefit because the general social security benefit is a means-tested benefit.

Read a more detailed explanation of the means test that applies to the general social security benefit.

Use our calculator to check how much general social security benefit you might get. The result is an estimate.

You can apply for general social security benefit from Kela if you are still unemployed when you reach the end of the maximum payment period for your earnings-related unemployment allowance. In that case, Kela will not apply a waiting period to your general social security benefit.

Stay registered as an active jobseeker with the employment services and apply for the general social security benefit in OmaKela OmaKela.

Yes, you can. If you are paid wages or a salary, the general social security benefit will be adjusted to take your earned income into account. This is also the case with unemployment benefits.

The adjustment means that your general social security benefit will gradually decrease as your income grows. If you work part-time while you are unemployed, the wages or salary you are paid will not be fully deducted from your general social security benefit. Only half of the gross wages or salary you are paid will be deducted.

For example, if you earn EUR 1,000 per month, EUR 500 will be deducted from your general social security benefit. Even with the deduction, your total income still increases by EUR 500.

Use our calculator to check how much general social security benefit you might get. The result is an estimate.

A long period of unemployment will trigger an activation period. During the activation period, employment services will organise in-person job search discussions for you and assess what specific services you need. The goal is to prevent social exclusion and to help you find employment or suitable education or training.

If you are under 25, the activation period will begin once you have been unemployed for eight months. If you are 25 or over, the activation period will trigger after 18 months of unemployment.

Social assistance is a form of financial assistance that is granted as a last resort. You can apply for social assistance if all of your other income, assets and benefits are not enough to cover your essential daily expenses.

The general social security benefit, on the other hand, will be paid on account of unemployment to unemployed jobseekers who do not qualify for earnings-related unemployment allowance. The general social security benefit will be paid only to unemployed jobseekers who have registered as such. 

If you are under 25 and unemployed, and you do not have vocational qualifications or a higher education degree, you will qualify for the general social security benefit only if you apply for a place of study in the spring. The same requirement currently applies to unemployment benefits. You can read more about the requirement on our page for unemployment benefits.

In addition, a qualifying period of 21 weeks (about five months) will apply to your general social security benefit as it now does to the labour market subsidy.

If you are under 18 and unemployed, you can be paid general social security benefit in these cases:

You are 17 and you have completed a vocational qualification.

You are 17, you have graduated from upper secondary school and you participate in employment promoting services.

You cannot be paid the general social security benefit if you are under 17.

If you do not have vocational qualifications or a higher education degree, you must complete a qualifying period of 21 weeks (about five months) before you can be paid the general social security benefit. The same requirement currently applies to the labour market subsidy. The qualifying period applies to jobseekers of all ages.

You may qualify for the general social security benefit if you stop your self-employment. The employment services of your municipality (Job Market Finland) and the KEHA Centre (in Finnish or Swedish) will assess your situation and issue a statement on it to Kela.

You can also be paid the general social security benefit if you are self-employed on a part-time basis. However, the KEHA Centre must first assess whether you are self-employed on a full-time or part-time basis. If the KEHA Centre considers you to be self-employed on a full-time basis, you cannot be paid the general social security benefit.

If you start a business while you are unemployed, Kela can pay you the general social security benefit for a period of four months. In such case, the general social security benefit will be adjusted to take into account the income you get from your self-employment over the same period. After four months, the KEHA Centre will assess whether you are self-employed on a full-time or part-time basis. If your self-employment is considered to be full-time, you can no longer be paid the general social security benefit.

If you have any questions about your situation, please contact the employment services (Job Market Finland). They will ask you for more information if necessary.

Kela grants and pays the general social security benefit. You can apply for it in OmaKela starting from May 2026. You apply for the general social security benefit retroactively as is also the case for the existing unemployment benefits.

The general social security benefit and Kela’s single application model are not the same thing.

The general social security benefit combines various social security benefits together. The single application model, on the other hand, simplifies the benefit application process.

The concept of a single benefit application model is included in Petteri Orpo’s Government Programme. The model enables Kela’s customers to apply for several benefits with a single application.

Kela will implement the single application model in stages by first introducing a combined application for general housing allowance and the unemployment-based general social security benefit. The goal of the combined application is to streamline customer service and to reduce the amount of effort needed to apply for benefits. The goal is to implement the combined application in spring 2026.

The combined application form will be automatically completed with data that Kela has access to. The customer will only need to fill in essential information. In the future, the combined application can be used to apply for other benefits as well.