The turn of the year is a good time to check a few practical matters that affect the payment of earnings-related daily allowance and the availability of our customer service. We’ve compiled the most important reminders to support our members.
Public holidays affect A-Kassa’s payment dates
Public holidays affect the payment dates of the benefits paid by the fund. The fund pays daily allowance on all weekdays, and the payment appears in the recipient’s bank account on the following weekday. For example, daily allowance paid on 23 December 2025 will appear in the account on the next weekday, 29 December 2025.
During Christmas and the turn of the year, the payment dates differ from the usual as follows:
Payment date Payment in account 23.12.2025 29.12.2025 29.12.2025 30.12.2025 30.12.2025 31.12.2025 31.12.2025 2.1.2026 2.1.2026 5.1.2026 5.1.2026 7.1.2026 7.1.2026 8.1.2026
Customer Service Holiday Closures
Our customer service will be closed during the Christmas holidays from 24 to 26 December 2025, on New Year’s Eve 31 December 2025, New Year’s Day 1 January 2026, and Epiphany 6 January 2026. The Live Chat in eService will also be closed on 23 December 2025. Customer service will be available as usual on other weekdays, including 2 and 5 January 2026, as well as from 7 January 2026 onwards.
Check our up-to-date opening hours
Tax withholding and tax cards
Tax cards are valid for one calendar year, which means they expire on 31 December. This also applies to revised tax cards issued for benefits. A revised tax card used in December is no longer valid after 1 January.
The Finnish Tax Administration automatically sends a new tax card for salary payment purposes. If you do nothing, this so-called income tax card is also valid for benefit payments – but its withholding rate is often too high to be used for benefits. The tax withholding on benefits with an income tax card is always at least 25%, even if the card shows a lower rate for wages.
If you want tax to be withheld correctly from your benefit (usually at a lower rate), you should request a new revised tax card for benefits in the Tax Administration’s MyTax service. Select that the tax card is for benefits and enter Avoin työttömyyskassa A-kassa as the recipient. This way, the unemployment fund will receive it directly in electronic form.
The income limits on tax cards are based on your total annual income and reset at the turn of the year. Check your income limit in MyTax at the beginning of the year, and if necessary, order a new revised tax card with the correct income limit. If the income limit is exceeded, the benefit will be taxed at a higher additional rate.
Changes to unemployment benefits from 1 January 2026
Potential Changes to waiting periods
The government has proposed a legislative amendment that would further tighten the rules regarding waiting periods. The proposed changes concern sanctions related to job seeking and employment services. No changes are proposed to other types of sanctions related to misconduct.
If the amendment enters into force, jobseeker sanctions will become stricter: the first failure to meet obligations would result in an immediate 7-calendar-day waiting period, and a second failure within a year would lead to a loss of unemployment benefit entitlement until the person has worked for six weeks.
Open Unemployment Fund’s membership fee remains unchanged
Membership fee invoices for individual members will be sent during week 2 and will arrive no later than week 3. The invoice is delivered either by post or as an e-invoice, depending on your choice. We recommend ordering an e-invoice, which you can easily do in your online bank.
If you are a member through your trade union, the membership fee is handled together with the union’s membership fee.
The membership fee for the Open Unemployment Fund will remain 8 euros next year as well, meaning there will be no change in the fee. In addition to unemployment security, the membership fee also includes the fund’s job search support services, which are designed to support members in their job search and help them find new job faster. The services include, for example, the AI-powered EmploymentWizard platform developed to assist with job seeking, as well as a wide range of webinars.