I am returning from parental leave

We often receive questions about whether it is possible to receive earnings-related unemployment allowance after parental leave, whether the amount of the allowance is recalculated, and whether a waiting period is applied in such a situation.

Entitlement to earnings-related daily allowance after parental leave

After parental leave, many people wonder whether they are entitled to earnings-related unemployment allowance and whether the employment condition needs to be met again.

If you have not previously received earnings-related unemployment allowance, the general conditions for the allowance must be met. This means, for example, that

you are between 18 and 64 years old
you meet the employment condition and the membership condition
you register as an unemployed full-time jobseeker with the employment authorities after your parental leave ends.

If you have previously been entitled to earnings-related unemployment allowance, the employment condition usually does not need to be met again after parental leave. This requires that

the maximum payment period of the allowance (300 / 400 / 500 days) has not yet been reached
your unemployment fund membership has remained valid.

A prerequisite for payment of the allowance is also that you register as an unemployed full-time jobseeker with the employment authorities after your parental leave ends.

Parental leave and the care of a child under the age of three are accepted reasons for being absent from the labour market. They do not interrupt your entitlement to earnings-related unemployment allowance that has already been earned.

However, the employment condition may be fulfilled again after parental leave if you have accrued sufficient new employment condition after the previous one was met. Work performed during parental leave can also count towards the employment condition.

Example: The person has not previously received earnings-related unemployment allowance

Mikael’s employment ended on 31 October 2025. After the end of his employment, he went directly on parental leave for the period from 1 November 2025 to 31 December 2025.

Mikael registered as an unemployed jobseeker and applied for earnings-related unemployment allowance starting from 1 January 2026. Mikael has not previously received earnings-related unemployment allowance, so in order to receive the allowance he must meet both the membership condition and the employment condition. Mikael joined the unemployment fund when his previous employment began, i.e. on 1 October 2024.

Mikael meets both the membership and employment conditions when applying for the allowance as of 1 January 2026. A waiting period is set for the period from 1 January 2026 to 11 January 2026, and earnings-related unemployment allowance can be paid starting from 12 January 2026.

Example: The person has previously received earnings-related unemployment allowance

Maija became unemployed as of 1 January 2025. At that time, she met the 12‑month membership and employment conditions, and after the waiting period she was paid earnings-related unemployment allowance for the period from 10 January 2025 to 30 April 2025, i.e. for a total of 79 days.

Maija worked for one month from 1 May 2025 to 31 May 2025. She was paid a salary for this work on 31 May 2025, amounting to a total of €2,700.

Maija started parental leave on 1 June 2025, which lasted until 31 December 2025. She registered as an unemployed jobseeker as of 1 January 2026 and applied for earnings-related unemployment allowance starting from that date.

Maija did not work during her parental leave. She accrued one month of employment condition from the work for which the salary was paid on 31 May 2025. Maija does not meet the employment condition again, but payment of the allowance can be continued on the basis of the previous earnings-related allowance period, as only 79 days have accrued towards the maximum payment period, which in her case is 400 days.

Maija can be paid earnings-related unemployment allowance starting from 1 January 2026. No new waiting period is imposed, as it was already applied in January 2025 and her employment condition has not been met again.

Amount of earnings-related unemployment allowance after parental leave

The amount of earnings-related unemployment allowance after parental leave depends on whether you meet the employment condition at the time you apply for the allowance.

If the employment condition is met again, the amount of the allowance will be recalculated. The allowance is calculated based on wages earned from employment, not for example on the basis of parental allowance. The calculation takes into account the wages that have accrued the employment condition.

If the employment condition is not met again, the amount of the allowance will not be recalculated. In this case, the allowance can be paid at the same amount as during the previous earnings-related allowance period, provided that there are still payable days left from that period. If the allowance amount has previously been reduced to the 80% or 75% level due to step-down rules, payment of the stepped-down allowance will continue.

Example: Amount of the daily allowance after parental leave

Kirsi applied for earnings-related unemployment allowance starting from 1 January 2025. Her employment condition was fulfilled on 31 December 2024.

Kirsi received earnings-related unemployment allowance until 31 December 2025, after which she went on parental leave starting from 1 January 2026. She resumed applying for earnings-related unemployment allowance on 1 August 2026, and her employment condition was not fulfilled again during parental leave.

In 2025, Kirsi received earnings-related unemployment allowance for a total of 254 days. Her maximum payment period is 400 days, so she has 146 allowance days remaining.

Earnings-related unemployment allowance can be paid from 1 August 2026 onwards based on these remaining 146 days, at the same amount as in 2025. Since the allowance had already been stepped down to the 75% level in 2025, Kirsi can be paid earnings-related unemployment allowance at this 75% level until the maximum period of 400 days is reached or until she fulfils the employment condition again.

Is a waiting period applied after parental leave?

A waiting period is applied when earnings-related unemployment allowance is applied for for the first time or when the employment condition is fulfilled again.

If you apply for earnings-related unemployment allowance for the first time, or if your employment condition is fulfilled again after parental leave, a waiting period will be applied.

If your employment condition is not fulfilled again, a waiting period will not be applied. This requires that the entire waiting period was already completed when the employment condition was fulfilled previously.