In order to calculate the amount of earnings-related allowance, the unemployment fund needs salary information for at least 26 calendar weeks preceding unemployment or temporary lay-off. However, we use the Incomes Register as the primary source of salary information.
Incomes Register as the primary source of information
The unemployment fund receives salary information via the Incomes Register. We use this information to process applications whenever possible. Whether it is sufficient depends on to what extent employers report income information.
If we do not receive all necessary information via the Incomes Register in order to process an application, we will request further attachments from payroll accountants or applicants themselves. An attached pay certificate may speed up the processing of an application and save us the time of waiting for further information. Decisions are made based on information received via the Incomes Register whenever possible. Payslips or pay certificates attached to an application are used only when this information is inadequate.
Pay certificate
Earnings-related allowance can be calculated on the basis of a pay certificate in case the information received via the Incomes Register is inadequate. If you attach a pay certificate to your application, please make sure it includes the following information:
- Must cover a minimum of 26 calendar weeks preceding unemployment
- One employment week must include a minimum of 18 working hours.
- There can be a maximum of 30 days between the end date of the pay certificate and the beginning of unemployment / lay-off.
- If your employment period between periods of unemployment / lay-off has been shorter than 26 weeks, the pay certificate must cover the whole period.
- g. If you have been laid off and received allowance until March 3, 2020, and your new lay-off period begins on June 3, 2020, the unemployment fund needs salary information for the period March 4–June 2, 2020.
- Must include earned income for the period of the certificate
- The pay certificate must have a clear start and end date.
- The pay certificate must include all income earned during the period. This does not necessarily mean all income paid during the period.
- Unpaid absences and periods of partial pay must be listed in the certificate
- Unpaid periods and their causes must be listed.
- Periods for which a person has received partial pay must be listed. They cannot be included in the employment requirement of 26 weeks.
- If there are unpaid periods or periods of partial pay, the pay certificate must be extended to cover a minimum of 26 weeks of full pay.
- Holiday pay, holiday compensation and other compensations must be listed
- The amount of holiday pay and compensation included in the deductable income must be specified.
- Other deductable compensations received e.g. when an employment contract is terminated must be specified.
- These compensations may include a golden handshake, severance pay or bonuses not based on work input.
- After previous unemployment / lay-off
- If a person has been unemployed or laid off before, the unemployment fund nees all salary information after the previous unemployment / lay-off period.
- g. A person has been laid off until September 30, 2019, and the next lay-off period starts on February 1, 2020. The unemployment fund cannot use a pay certificate in which salary information is listed on a yearly basis. Rather, we need a certificate for the period October 1, 2019–January 31, 2020.
- If a person has been unemployed or laid off before, the unemployment fund nees all salary information after the previous unemployment / lay-off period.
If a pay certificate or payslip includes salary information for the present and previous years, the unemployment fund may be able to use it in order to calculate the amount of earnings-related allowance. However, the amount of holiday pay and compensation per year must be specified the certificate / payslip. When calculated based on a whole year’s salary, the amount of earnings-related allowance may be less than when calculated based on the salary of 26 weeks preceding unemployment, in case the salary has lately increased.
Here you can find a pay certificate form. Your payroll accountant can fill in the form and submit it to the unemployment fund as an attachment.