Checklist for workers entering Finland

Updated 20.11.2021

Join the trade union
You can easily find your trade union here:
Liitot.fi website
Get the required permits
Read more:
TE Services
InfoFinland: Work and entrepreneurship
Enter into a written employment contract
An employment contract is an agreement between the employee and employer on the rights and obligations of both, or the conditions of employment. Under the employment contract, you promise to carry out the agreed on work, and the employer promises to pay the agreed salary for it. The conditions of employment include salaries, salary extras, working hours, holidays and the right to training.
Once you have received a job, enter into a written employment contract with the employer. An agreement that is orally agreed upon is binding, but if you experience any problems with the employer, a written agreement can be consulted to see what was agreed upon at the beginning of the employment relationship.
If you do not enter into a contract in writing, the employer must still provide you with a written account of the conditions of employment. The account must be given within one month of the beginning of your employment relationship. If the employer does not provide you with an account, it is in breach of the Employment Contracts Act.
Before signing the employment contract, check that at least these matters have been written into it:
Read the employment contract carefully before you sign it. If you do not understand anything, do not sign the contract. Advice is provided, for example, by
Open a bank account
The salary must be paid to the bank account. The salary can only be paid in cash for a compelling reason. Such a reason may be the fact that the employee does not have a bank account. The bank account is personal.
When you open an account, you need a passport or another official identity document. Opening an account is easier if you already have a Finnish personal identity code.
Read more:
InfoFinland: Everyday life in Finland
Check that you receive a salary in accordance with the collective agreement
In Finland, the law does not determine a minimum salary. Collective agreements determine the minimum salary for each work. The salaries defined in collective agreements apply to all workers in the sector who work in Finland, including foreign temporary agency workers.
You do not need to take part in collective bargaining. Instead, the trade union negotiates on your behalf with an employers’ association.
Check that statutory fees are deducted from your salary
When you receive the first payslip, check that statutory taxes and social security contributions have been deducted from your gross salary:
  1. Taxes: You can see in your tax deduction card the withholding rate paid on your salary. This indicates how many per cent of taxes are deducted from your salary. When you start in a new workplace, the employer must obtain your tax deduction card either from the Tax Administration or directly from you. You will receive a tax deduction card from the Tax Administration when you have a Finnish personal identity code.
  2. Employee’s pension fee: When you work in Finland, a pension accrues on your salary. The employer deducts your pension fee from your salary and pays your pension insurance. If the employer does not do so, it breaches the law.
  3. Unemployment insurance contribution: All employees of 17-64 years of age pay an unemployment insurance contribution.
  4. Trade union membership fee: When you are a trade union member, you can agree with the employer that the union membership fee is deducted from your salary. You can also pay it directly to your trade union. The membership fee is usually 1-2 per cent of your salary, depending on which union you belong to.
If you are working in Finland temporarily, your taxes and social security contributions may be different from those listed above.
Read more:
A more detailed description of the payslip
Tax Administration
The Finnish pension system
Take care of your safety
The employer must advise you on the matters to be taken into account in workplace safety. The employer must also pay the accident insurance that compensates for the damages and losses to the employee or his family if an accident at work occurs or the employee contracts an occupational disease.
Read more:
Occupational safety at the workplace

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