Yleistuki: Kela’s general unemployment support
Kela pays general support (yleistuki) to jobseekers who get no earnings-related allowance from an unemployment fund.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Calculation method
General support (yleistuki) pays €37.21 per day in 2026, five days a week including public holidays, which averages €800.02 a month before tax. Kela introduced it on 1 May 2026 and closed two older benefits on the same day, the labour market subsidy (työmarkkinatuki) and the basic unemployment allowance (peruspäiväraha). If you lose your job in Finland and are not a member of an unemployment fund (työttömyyskassa), or have not yet worked long enough to qualify for its pay, this is the benefit you apply for. Capital and non-wage income up to €311 a month leaves it untouched; above that, half of the excess is deducted. Young people living with their parents also see their parents’ income tested against €2,500 a month plus €106 per minor child, though the support never falls below 35% of the full rate. The first 7 working days are unpaid. Yleistuki is taxable: with no other income in Tampere, roughly €686 a month remains after tax.
Yleistuki or earnings-related allowance?
As a fund member you would get more
€852
| Yleistuki (Kela) | €800 (€37.21/day) |
| Earnings-related at first | €1,652 |
| Earnings-related after 170 days | €1,239 |
What changed on 1 May 2026
Until the end of April 2026 Kela ran two separate unemployment benefits. The basic allowance (peruspäiväraha) went to people who had worked enough but were not in a fund, and the labour market subsidy (työmarkkinatuki) covered those with no qualifying work history or whose earnings-related days had run out. On 1 May 2026 both disappeared and general support took their place. The daily amount did not move: the basic allowance had been €37.21 in early 2026 and yleistuki pays the same.
For a foreign worker this mostly simplifies things. There is one Kela form instead of two, and the question is no longer which benefit fits your history but if anything comes on top from an unemployment fund. That top-up is the earnings-related allowance, and it depends on fund membership and the employment condition.
From a daily rate to a monthly figure
Kela calculates in days. It pays 5 days a week and counts public holidays as paid days, so the month is treated as 21.5 paid days on average. That gives €800.02. Months with more weekdays pay a little more, months with fewer pay a little less.
| Your situation | Support per month |
|---|---|
| Full rate, no other income | €800.02 |
| Rental income of €600/month | €655.52 |
| Living with parents earning €3,600/month, one minor sibling | €303.02 |
| Living with parents earning €5,000/month, no minors | €280.01 |
| Lowest possible amount (35%) | €280.01 |
Your own non-wage income
Interest, dividends, rent and other income that is not salary is free up to €311 a month. Kela deducts 50% of everything above that line. Expats often keep a flat in their home country: if it brings in €600 a month, the excess is €289 and the support falls by €144.50. Wages sit outside this limit: it covers only capital income and income other than pay.
The parental income test
A young adult who lives in the family home has the parents’ combined income counted. The limit is €2,500 a month, plus €106 for each minor child in the household. Half of what the parents earn above that limit comes off the support. The deduction can never take it below 35% of the full rate, about €280.01 a month.
In the table, parents earning €3,600 with one younger child at home face a limit of €2,606, and half the excess costs €497.00 a month. With €5,000 of parental income and no minors, the formula would go below the floor, so the floor applies. Once the young person moves into their own place the test ends, and Kela’s general housing allowance becomes relevant, where yleistuki itself counts as gross household income.
Unpaid days at the start
The first 7 working days of unemployment are a waiting period with no payment (omavastuuaika). Kela also refers to a longer 21-week waiting period (odotusaika) that applies only to some applicants. Kela decides whether it applies to you when it processes the claim, so check the decision letter before planning your budget around the first payment.
Stacking it with the housing allowance
If you rent your own place, Kela’s general housing allowance (yleinen asumistuki) can run alongside yleistuki. The housing calculation treats yleistuki as gross household income, but at this level the deductible stays small. A single person in Tampere paying €600 in rent, with full yleistuki as the only income, gets about €299.25 of housing allowance a month: Kela accepts at most €447 of that rent and the basic deductible is €19.50. Together that is roughly €1,099 before tax, and the housing part is tax-free. Rent caps by town are on the housing allowance maximum costs page.
Tax on general support
Yleistuki is taxable income. Benefits do not earn the earned income tax credit that wages do, so the same gross euros are taxed a little more heavily than pay. A full year on the benefit in Tampere means about €1,368 in taxes and contributions, a tax card rate of 14.5%. At this income the basic deduction does most of the work. If you also earn wages or rent, order a revised tax card through MyTax so the year does not end with residual tax.
Comparing with an unemployment fund
An unemployment fund pays its members the earnings-related allowance. Its base part equals yleistuki at €37.21 a day; on top comes 45% of whatever your daily wage exceeds that base. The mini calculator above runs the comparison: on €2,600 a month the fund pays €1,565 at first and €1,174 after the step-downs, while general support stays at €800. Run your own salary through the unemployment allowance calculator.
Sources: Kela, general support and Unemployment Security Act 1290/2002.