I am unemployed. Will I lose my right to unemployment benefit by operating through the UKKO.fi service?

Light entrepreneurs are considered entrepreneurs from the point of view of unemployment insurance. In terms of unemployment benefits, one decisive aspect is if TE office considers your business activity as a main or secondary activity.

If you are employed full-time as an entrepreneur, you do not have the possibility of unemployment benefits. Whether your light entrepreneurship is full-time entrepreneurship is considered on the basis that your business is so large that you cannot accept a full-time job. Income does not affect the evaluation, only the amount of work required by your business.

If your business activity is small, you can be defined as a sideline entrepreneur. In this case, you can run a business with unemployment insurance. The payer of the benefit takes into account the income of your business and pays the adjusted earnings-related daily allowance.

Starting a business or a job during unemployment

The TE office does not clarify the effect of business activity on receiving unemployment benefits during the first four months. If you receive income from business activities during the first four months, you will receive an adjusted unemployment benefit. The start of entrepreneurial activity must be reported to the TE office.

If your business activity continues after four months as a sideline, you will continue to be paid an adjusted unemployment benefit. If, on the other hand, the activity is considered full-time, the payment of the benefit is terminated.

Short-term entrepreneurship

If you work as an entrepreneur for a maximum of two weeks, you retain the right to unemployment benefits. This kind of short-term entrepreneurship can be, for example, work done in a commission relationship. Income from entrepreneurial activity is taken into account with your unemployment benefit.

We cannot take a position on whether you will receive unemployment benefits, as different parties have different practices in this regard. Always check with your unemployment fund, TE office and Kela in advance.

See also:

• As a light entrepreneur, am I a full-time or part-time entrepreneur?
• Where can I find information about the social security for entrepreneurs?