Taking on part-time work usually increases your disposable income compared with being fully unemployed. In addition to your wages from part-time work, you may receive adjusted earnings-related allowance if the conditions for receiving the benefit are met.
The basic principle of adjusted earnings-related allowance is simple: each euro you earn from part-time work reduces your allowance by 50 cents. This means that your wages will usually increase your total income by more than they reduce your allowance.
Wages and adjusted allowance together provide a higher income
If you are fully unemployed and a member of an unemployment fund, you may receive earnings-related allowance if you meet all the conditions for receiving it. If you take on part-time work, you may be eligible for adjusted earnings-related allowance in addition to your wages.
For example, a person earned EUR 3,000 per month before becoming unemployed. Based on this salary, their full earnings-related allowance at the 2026 level would be approximately EUR 1,738 per month before tax..
If the person takes on part-time work, the comparison is as follows:
| Situation | Wages | Estimated allowance | Total income |
| Fully unemployed | EUR 0 | EUR 1,738 | EUR 1,738 |
| Part-time wages EUR 800/month | EUR 800 | EUR 1,338 | EUR 2,138 |
| Part-time wages EUR 1,200/month | EUR 1,200 | EUR 1,138 | EUR 2,338 |
When the wages from part-time work are EUR 800, the allowance is reduced by approximately EUR 400. Total monthly income therefore increases by approximately EUR 400.
When the wages are EUR 1,200, the allowance is reduced by approximately EUR 600, but total income is still approximately EUR 600 higher than when fully unemployed.
The calculations are indicative examples of gross amounts. The final amount of the allowance may be affected by factors such as the staggered reduction of earnings-related allowance, the length of the application period, the wage payment date, other income and benefits, and the maximum amount of adjusted allowance.
When can you receive adjusted allowance?
You may receive adjusted earnings-related allowance, for example, when
- you receive income from part-time work, and your working hours do not exceed 80% of the working hours of a full-time employee in the sector
- you receive income from full-time work lasting no more than two weeks
- you receive income from occasional work or part-time business activities
- your daily working hours have been reduced due to temporary lay-off.
Adjusted allowance generally cannot be paid if you have agreed with your employer to reduce your working hours or if your working hours exceed the maximum working-time limit for adjusted allowance.
Your job search must remain valid while you are working part-time. You must also apply for full-time work as agreed with the employment authority..
Part-time work can also benefit you in the longer term
Part-time work does more than provide additional income. It can help you maintain your professional skills, gain new work experience and contacts, and make it easier to move into full-time employment.
The work may also accumulate a new employment condition if the wages paid during a calendar month meet the income threshold for the employment condition. Adjusted allowance also usually uses up the maximum payment period for earnings-related allowance more slowly than full allowance.
Even a short period of work can therefore improve your financial situation now and open up new opportunities in the future.
Remember these things when you start part-time work
Keep your job search valid and notify the employment authority when you start work. Enter the actual days and hours you have worked in your application for earnings-related allowance. A-kassa generally receives wage information from the Incomes Register, but the fund may request additional information if necessary.
Adjusted allowance is paid on the basis of when income is paid. This means that wage income you receive while unemployed affects your earnings-related allowance when the wages are actually paid to you, rather than when the work is performed and the income is earned. For this reason, the amount of adjusted allowance may vary from month to month depending on how much you work in different months.
You can use A-kassa’s allowance calculator to estimate how part-time work will affect your income. The final amount of the allowance is always determined when your application is processed.
It is worth considering the overall effect when deciding whether to take on part-time work. Although your wages reduce your earnings-related allowance, your wages and adjusted allowance combined will usually be higher than full earnings-related allowance alone.
On hyvä huomioida, että osa-aikatyöstä saatavat tulot voivat vaikuttaa myös muihin etuuksiin. Vaikutukset kannattaa tarkistaa kyseisen etuuden maksajalta, esimerkiksi Kelasta.