Mobility allowance for commuting, relocation or work-related education or training
 

Unemployment funds pay mobility allowance intended to support accepting employment located far away. You can apply for mobility allowance if you are unemployed and accept a full-time job with a daily commute that takes at least 3 hours or a part-time job with a daily commute that takes at least 2 hours. If your working hours do not exceed 80 percent of the maximum working hours in the sector, the employment is considered to be part-time. If the maximum working hours are 37.5 hours per week, 30 hours per week is considered to be part-time employment. Mobility allowance may also be granted for work-related education or training lasting at least 2 months. The education or training must be organised or acquired by the employer.

In order to receive mobility allowance

• You must have the right to unemployment allowance immediately before the start of employment or work-related education or training
• Your daily commute must be more than 3 hours if you work full-time, or more than 2 hours if you work part-time.   
• The employment must last at least 2 months

Your commute is the time it takes to travel from your place of residence to the place of work or study along general traffic lanes. Any changing and waiting times when changing between modes of transport are included in the commute. The travel time is estimated based on the fastest means of transport available.

You can also move closer to the workplace after accepting the job and receive mobility allowance if the requirements for the length of the commute were met when measured from your actual place of residence before the move.

Mobility allowance is paid from the start of employment, education or training as follows:

• Duration of employment at least 2 months -> The allowance is paid for 30 calendar days from the start of employment, education or training, but will not be paid for more than 5 days per calendar week.   
• Duration of employment at least 3 months -> The allowance is paid for 45 calendar days from the start of employment, education or training, but will not be paid for more than 5 days per calendar week.
• Duration of employment at least 4 months -> The allowance is paid for 60 calendar days from the start of employment, education or training, but will not be paid for more than 5 days per calendar week.  

Mobility allowance is paid in the amount of the basic unemployment allowance (EUR 37.21 in 2024) per day. A child increase is also paid on mobility allowance for dependent children under the age of 18. The child increase is EUR 5.84 for one dependent child, EUR 8.57 for two dependent children and EUR 11.05 for three or more dependent children. Mobility allowance is paid with an increase of EUR 5.29 if your place of work, education or training is located more than 200 km from your place of residence.

Mobility allowance is paid retrospectively and primarily in periods of four weeks. The payment date is Wednesday. Tax is withheld the same way as with earnings-related daily allowance. Thus, the withholding tax rate is at least 25 percent if you have a tax card intended for the taxation of wages. If the withholding tax rate is for the payment of benefits tax is withheld in accordance with the tax card.

In the case of full-time work or work-related education or training, mobility allowance is paid for five days per calendar week. In the case of part-time work, mobility allowance is only paid for workdays. The payment period of mobility allowance is fixed, and the allowance period cannot be extended even if the allowance is only paid for individual days or the allowance period includes periods for which the allowance is not paid.

Mobility allowance is not paid for full days of lay-off or periods during which work is interrupted due to a reason comparable to lay-off. Furthermore, the allowance is not paid for periods during which you receive a benefit that prevents the payment of earnings-related daily allowance, such as sickness allowance, holiday pay on the basis of full-time employment or severance pay.

Any mobility allowance paid without justification will be recovered. For example, mobility allowance will be recovered for the entire duration of employment if you terminate your employment or if your own actions cause the termination of your employment before the employment has lasted two months.

You must notify the unemployment fund of any changes that might affect the payment of mobility allowance.

If you think that you might be entitled to the mobility allowance you must apply for the allowance within three months of the start of your employment. The application form is available from the electronic services of the unemployment fund.