I’m approaching retirement age
As you grow older, situations related to employment and unemployment security may also change. This page brings together the most important information for you about additional days and transition security allowance.
How Long Can Earnings-Related Unemployment Allowance Be Paid?
Earnings-related unemployment allowance is generally paid until the end of the month in which you turn 65. If you retire on an old-age pension before that, the allowance can be paid until the start of your pension.
Exceptionally, earnings-related unemployment allowance may be paid until the end of the month in which you turn 68 if:
- you have been laid off
- you have an unpaid leave period related to your employment (a situation comparable to a layoff)
- in certain rare cases, you have been suspended from office
- your work is prevented due to industrial action by another group of employees
Additional Days of Earnings-Related Unemployment Allowance
An older jobseeker may be entitled to additional days of earnings-related unemployment allowance. The additional days make it possible to pay earnings-related unemployment allowance beyond the normal maximum period, until the end of the month in which you turn 65. If you move on to retirement before this, entitlement to the allowance ends on the date your pension begins.
Entitlement to additional days is determined by your year of birth and the date on which your normal earnings-related unemployment allowance period ends.
When Does the Right to Additional Days Arise?
You may be entitled to additional days if
- you were born in 1961–1962 and turn 62 before the end of your normal maximum benefit period
- you were born in 1963 and turn 63 before the end of your normal maximum benefit period
- you were born in 1964 and turn 64 before the end of your normal maximum benefit period
In addition, you must have been employed for at least five years during the 20 years preceding the end of your earnings-related unemployment allowance period.
The right to additional days is being phased out. Persons born in 1965 or later are no longer entitled to additional days.
You do not need to apply separately for additional days
We will assess your entitlement to additional days automatically in connection with your earnings-related unemployment allowance application. You therefore do not need to submit any separate applications or forms.
Certificate of Additional Days
When you apply for a pension, you may need a certificate of additional days as an attachment to your pension application. We will issue the certificate upon request if you have been paid earnings-related unemployment allowance for additional days, that is, after the normal maximum benefit period has been reached.
We can issue the certificate once you have been paid earnings-related unemployment allowance for at least one day during the month preceding the start of your pension. For example:
- If you apply for an old-age pension starting on 1 March, we can issue the certificate once allowance has been paid for at least one day in February.
You may submit your February application in two parts so that the certificate can be issued as soon as possible.
If your allowance is paid as an adjusted allowance, we can issue the certificate only after the adjustment period has ended. In this case, the allowance must be applied for in the normal way for the entire application period at once.
What Do I Need to Do When I’m Retiring?
Old-age pension prevents the payment of earnings-related unemployment allowance, so it is not advisable to continue membership in an unemployment fund after you retire. You can obtain information about old-age pension and how to apply for it from your own pension provider.
Please inform us when you move on to old-age pension. You can submit the notification using the electronic form available on our website.
Alternatively, you can send us a notification via a message in Otenetti. You can log in to Otenetti via the Log in to Otenetti link at the top of our website. You can write a message from the homepage by selecting Write a new message.
Transition security allowance
If you are dismissed for production-related or financial reasons, you may be entitled to transition security allowance. The following conditions must also be met:
- you have turned 55 no later than on the date of dismissal
- your employment has lasted at least five years continuously, or any interruptions during the employment have totalled no more than 30 days
- you have registered as an unemployed jobseeker with the employment authority within 60 days of the date of dismissal
(Note: the date of dismissal is not the same as the date on which the employment relationship ends!)
Read more about the transition security allowance
Transition security allowance is a one-off payment intended for people aged over 55, designed to support re-employment after dismissal for production-related or financial reasons.
Transition security allowance