Government proposes extension of right to general social security benefit to individuals under temporary protection as of 1 April 2027
The Government has submitted a proposal to Parliament for the amendment of the Act on the General Social Security Benefit and laws that relate to integration. If the proposal enters into force, individuals who have been granted temporary protection will get the right to general social security benefit as of 1 April 2027.
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The Government has proposed amendments to the Act on the General Social Security Benefit and laws that relate to integration. If approved by Parliament, the amendments will come into effect on 1 April 2027.
What would change?
General social security benefit (yleistuki) is an unemployment benefit Kela can pay to unemployed jobseekers. Individuals who have been granted temporary protection can currently qualify for general social security benefit only if they fulfil the work requirement (työssäoloehto), which means that they must have worked for long enough before they became unemployed.
If Parliament approves the government proposal, individuals under temporary protection can get general social security benefit even if they do not fulfil the work requirement.
The amount of general social security benefit individuals under temporary protection can get and when they can get it depends on when they moved to Finland.
Individuals under temporary protection who moved to Finland before 1 April 2026 will have the right to the full general social security benefit starting from 1 April 2027.
Individuals under temporary protection who moved or will move to Finland between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027 will have the right to the full general social security benefit starting from when Kela considers them to be living in Finland on a permanent basis. Kela will usually consider an individual to be living in Finland permanently they have been living in Finland for at least one year.
Example: Maxim moved to Finland on 13 May 2026, and he has been granted temporary protection. Maxim is an unemployed jobseeker. Maxim cannot get general social security benefit starting from 1 April 2027 because Kela does not consider him to be living in Finland on a permanent basis on that date.
Maxim can get the full general social security benefit starting from 13 May 2027 because on that date Kela will consider him to be living in Finland permanently as he will have lived in Finland for one year. Maxim will get the full amount of general social security benefit because he moved to Finland before the legislative amendment entered into force.
Individuals under temporary protection who move to Finland on or after 1 April 2027 will have the right to general social security benefit paid at a lower rate (also known as integration support) if they have not lived in Finland for at least 3 years in the past 10 years and they do not fulfil the work requirement that applies to unemployment benefits.
Their right to the lower rate of general social security benefit begins from the date when Kela considers them to be living in Finland on a permanent basis. Kela will usually consider an individual to be living in Finland permanently they have been living in Finland for at least one year.
More information: Government proposes lower rate of general social security benefit for unemployed who have lived in Finland for under 3 years.
When will the changes enter into force?
If Parliament approves the government proposal, the amendments will enter into force on 1 April 2027.
We will publish more information about the amendments once Parliament has reviewed the proposal.
More information: Press release on the government proposal published by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health: New integration assistance to improve incentives to work and strengthen language skills (stm.fi)
More information: Government proposes lower rate of general social security benefit for unemployed who have lived in Finland for under 3 years