Mobility allowance

Mobility allowance is a benefit paid by an unemployment fund to support starting employment or work‑related training when the workplace or training location is far from home. The allowance may be granted if the employment or training lasts at least two months and the daily commute time exceeds three hours in full‑time employment or two hours in part‑time employment.

The mobility allowance is intended to facilitate the start of a new job, even when the workplace is located outside your home area. In some cases, starting a new job may require training far from home, and the mobility allowance may also be granted for this type of training.

Who can get mobility allowance?

Mobility allowance may be granted to a person

• who is entitled to earnings-related unemployment allowance at the start of the employment relationship
• who starts an employment relationship lasting at least two months, or participates in work-related training lasting at least two months
• whose daily commute exceeds three hours per day in full-time employment and two hours per day in part-time employment

Eligibility for earnings-related unemployment allowance is a prerequisite for mobility allowance

Granting mobility allowance requires that you have received earnings-related unemployment allowance immediately before the start of the employment relationship or training. We always assess your entitlement to earnings-related unemployment allowance based on an application for earnings-related unemployment allowance. If you have not received earnings-related unemployment allowance prior to the start of your new employment or work-related training, please submit an application for earnings-related unemployment allowance to the unemployment fund via Otenetti in addition to your mobility allowance application.
Receiving earnings-related unemployment allowance requires that you are registered as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment authority.

Eligibility for mobility allowance also requires that earnings-related unemployment allowance is actually paid immediately before the start of the employment relationship or qualifying training. If the employment relationship starts on a Monday, it is sufficient that earnings-related unemployment allowance is paid for the preceding Friday.

You may also be entitled to mobility allowance if the payment of earnings-related unemployment allowance immediately before the start of employment or training has been prevented for one of the following reasons:

• a non-compensated fixed-term period imposed by the employment authority (sanction)
• an employment obligation imposed by the employment authority
• a waiting period set at the beginning of the maximum payment period for earnings-related unemployment allowance
• a restriction related to vocational education applying to persons under the age of 25

If the payment of earnings-related unemployment allowance is prevented immediately before the start of employment for any other reason, there is no entitlement to mobility allowance.
Receiving earnings-related unemployment allowance during the employment relationship is not a prerequisite for granting mobility allowance.

Employment lasting a minimum of two months

Eligibility for mobility allowance requires that the accepted employment or public office lasts at least two months.

The duration of the mobility allowance is determined based on the length of the employment relationship known at the start of employment. The allowance period is fixed. Mobility allowance can be paid on the basis of only one employment relationship or one work-related training programme at a time.

Duration of the commute

The precondition for receiving mobility allowance is that when the employment or work-related training starts, the daily travel is longer than

• an average of 3 hours for full-time work/training related to full-time work
• an average of 2 hours for part-time work/training related to part-time work

You will retain your right to mobility allowance even if the travelling time changes during the term of employment or training.

If you move to another locality due to employment or work-related training, the travel time is calculated based on your actual place of residence before the move. You may also apply for mobility allowance when moving abroad for work.

Work-related training

If employment requires training located far from home, a mobility allowance may also be granted for such training related to obtaining the job. A mobility allowance may be paid on the basis of work‑related training when

• the training is related to an employment relationship lasting at least two months, and
• the duration of the training commute is at least three hours per day when the employment starting after the training is full‑time, or at least two hours per day when the employment starting after the training is part‑time.

The training may be arranged by the employer or obtained from another training provider. To qualify for a mobility allowance, the training must be directly related to the employment that begins after the training. Voluntary studies or independently pursued qualification training do not qualify for a mobility allowance.

A mobility allowance can be paid for only one employment relationship or one period of work‑related training at a time.

Amount and duration of mobility allowance

The amount of the mobility allowance is EUR 37.21 per day (in 2026), amounting to approximately EUR 800.00 per month. The allowance is taxable income. For more information on the taxation of mobility allowance, see the section Taxation of benefits.

The length of the mobility allowance period depends on the duration of the employment relationship. The allowance period is

The number of payable days differs from the length of the allowance period

The length of the mobility allowance period is determined based on the duration of the employment relationship known at the start of the employment. Any change to the duration of the employment after it has begun does not extend the allowance period. If the employment is originally intended to be permanent, the allowance period is 60 days.

The allowance is paid for a maximum of five days per week from the start of the employment for the duration of the allowance period. The number of payable days varies depending on the month and the start date of the employment. For example, for a 30‑day allowance period, mobility allowance is paid for 22–24 days.

The number of payable days differs from the length of the allowance period

Mobility allowance is paid for a maximum of the duration of the employment relationship. If the employment ends earlier than agreed, payment of the mobility allowance will end no later than on the last day of employment. If the employment is shortened so that its total duration is less than two months, entitlement to the mobility allowance will be discontinued retroactively from the start of the employment, and any recovery of the allowance will be determined based on the reason for termination of the employment.

In part‑time employment, mobility allowance is paid only for the days on which work is performed.

When is mobility allowance not paid?

Mobility allowance periods are fixed. The allowance period is not extended, for example, if payment of the mobility allowance is prevented for a reason laid down in the Unemployment Security Act.

Mobility allowance is not paid for days on which

• work and wage payment have been completely suspended due to lay‑off or a reason comparable to lay‑off,
• work and wage payment have been suspended for a reason attributable to the individual,
• you receive sickness allowance, maternity, paternity, pregnancy or parental allowance, rehabilitation allowance, or another benefit or pension that would also prevent the payment of earnings‑related unemployment allowance,
• you receive full‑time employment–based holiday pay, notice‑period pay, or a financial benefit based on an employment termination agreement.

Applying for mobility allowance

Apply for the allowance within three months of the start of the employment or work‑related training. Mobility allowance may also be applied for retroactively, but the application will be processed no earlier than two weeks after the start of the employment or the related training.

Mobility allowance must be applied for in writing to the unemployment fund. The allowance is applied for using a single application, and no follow‑up applications are submitted.

Applying for mobility allowance in part‑time employment

Mobility allowance based on part‑time employment is paid only for days on which work is performed. If you apply for adjusted earnings‑related unemployment allowance, the working days are usually reported in the unemployment allowance application. Part‑time work is defined as working no more than 80 per cent of full‑time working hours.

If you do not apply for adjusted unemployment allowance, submit a monthly, retrospective report of the days you have worked, for example via an Otenet message.

We recommend applying for mobility allowance using our Otenetti online service.

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