Protected portion of unemployment benefit rises with expanded scope of mobility allowance

The protected portion of unemployment benefit has been temporarily increased due to the coronavirus epidemic. The conditions of eligibility for a mobility allowance have also been relaxed. Both changes will remain in force until the end of October.
11.06.2020 14:56
SAK
Photo: Patrik Lindström / SAK

How much can I earn without losing unemployment benefit?

The protected portion is the maximum that an unemployed claimant may earn without losing benefit. All earned income exceeding the protected portion then affects the unemployment benefit payable.

The protected portion is normally EUR 300 per calendar month (or EUR 279 over a four-week period). This ceiling has now been temporarily increased to EUR 500 per calendar month (or EUR 465 over four calendar weeks).

The increase in the protected portion also applies to regular claimants who were already receiving unemployment benefit, but it only affects benefits paid on claims related to the period between 1 June and 31 October 2020.

How have the terms of the mobility allowance changed?

A mobility allowance may be paid to a claimant who is eligible for unemployment benefit and accepts an offer of work at a location far from his or her home. It may also be paid when an employee moves from a similarly distant location due to work.

A mobility allowance may now be paid on a temporary basis to both full-time and part-time employees whose daily work-related journeys exceed two hours when the job begins. Under the normal rules, such eligible commuting should take at least three hours in full-time work and not less than two hours in part-time work. The change affects jobs beginning as of 12 June 2020 or thereafter, but will no longer apply if employment begins after 31 October 2020.

Applications for a mobility allowance should be filed at your unemployment fund or at Kela. Depending on the duration of employment, the allowance is payable for between 30 and 60 days when a job lasts for at least two months. It corresponds to the basic daily allowance and labour market support.

Further details of the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on the world of work

SAK information package on the effects of the coronavirus on the world of work:
in English
in Finnish
in Swedish