On this page you can read answers to the most frequently asked questions about different topics.
If you are prevented from working because of a strike, your entitlement to daily allowance during the strike depends on whether the strike has a dependency relationship to your terms of employment or working conditions, meaning whether the purpose of the strike is to bring about changes that also affect you.
If the strike does not have a dependency relationship to your terms of employment or working conditions, you may be entitled to an earnings-related daily allowance for the period of the strike for which you are not paid. Before you can apply for earnings-related daily allowance, you must register as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment authority. You will also need a certificate from your employer stating the period for which you will be paid during the strike.
Unemployment funds do not pay strike allowance. Union pay strike allowance to their members who have participated in the strike, paid their membership fees and who are working in jobs affected by the strike action. Please contact your union if you have any questions about strike pay.
Once a year, in February, the unemployment fund sends the payment information of everyone who has received daily allowance. In addition, the pension insurance company can make an electronic request of a data transfer at any given point of time. The requests are replied to four times a week.
If you are a full-time student, the KOKO fund cannot pay you earnings-related daily allowance. This also applies to summer holidays. However, if studying is your secondary occupation, there is no restriction on payment of daily allowance. The employment authority will issue a statement as to whether your studies are full-time or not. Please contact the employment authority to obtain this statement.
Please note that you cannot receive student financial aid or adult education allowance for the same period that you receive earnings-related unemployment allowance. If you receive these benefits, we recommend that you contact the party that pays them before applying for earnings-related unemployment allowance to avoid recovery.
For further information on studying, see Studying and services promoting employment.
You do not need to notify the KOKO fund of changes in your employment relationships unless you apply for earnings-related daily allowance. We do not need your employment details unless and until you apply for earnings-related daily allowance.
In some cases, you may need to notify your union of changes in your employment. Contact your union as necessary.
The fund does not give any legal advice on employment relationship related matters. The unemployment fund will only give advice on applying the earnings-related allowance and other matters essentially related to the fund’s operations.
If you are a member of a trade union, we recommend that you contact your own union. Unions often offer advice on employment relationships to their members.
In case you are not a member of a trade union, you can visit e.g. https://www.tyosuojelu.fi/web/en/home (a website for occupational safety and health administration).
Periods during which you are paid an earnings-related unemployment allowance or job alternation compensation also count towards your pension.
For more information about how your pension is building up, talk to your pension provider or visit the website Työeläke.fi: Pension for social security benefits
Your pension provider gets the information they need to calculate your pension build-up from the Incomes Register.
The principal benefit during illness is the sickness allowance paid by Kela. If the duration of your illness is short, i.e. less than the waiting period for the Kela sickness allowance, the KOKO unemployment fund will continue paying you daily allowance as before. In case of a longer sick leave, you need to apply to Kela for sickness allowance. KOKO may pay you a daily allowance during the Kela waiting period if you were receiving earnings-related daily allowance immediately before you fell ill.
Notify the employment authority of your illness. Apply for Kela's waiting period with an earnings-related allowance application from KOKO.