FAQs on working in Finland
In this section you will find answers to frequently asked questions about working in Finland in international situations. Klick on the title bars for more information on the topics.
As the employer, you must insure your employee who is working in Finland according to Finnish social security legislation. This applies to all employees, no matter what their nationality is, from which country they come to Finland to work, and for how long they will be working for you. This means that you must take out all statutory social insurances for your foreign employee from Finland, just as you would for your Finnish employees.
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If the employee from Germany remains an employee of your subsidiary and works for you in Finland only temporarily (for less than two years), they may be seen as a posted worker.
Your German subsidiary, which is a foreign employer, must apply for an A1 certificate for the posted worker from Germany. If the posted worker is granted the certificate, their German employer insures and pays all statutory social insurance contributions in Germany.
If your German subsidiary does not apply for an A1 certificate, or if the certificate is not granted, or if the German employee signs an employment contract with you, you must insure them in Finland and pay all statutory social insurance contributions for their work in Finland.
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If you do all your work remotely from Finland, you are covered by Finnish social security. This means that your foreign employer must insure you in Finland based on your work. Your employer must pay all statutory insurance contributions for your work in Finland. You will earn earnings-related pension in Finland, and you might also have the right to get other benefits in Finland.
Inform your employer about the statutory Finnish social insurance contributions. The instructions are in several languages.
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The A1 certificate means that the holder of the certificate is covered by the social security of the country that issued the certificate. In this case, social insurance contributions are not usually paid in Finland, but in the country that issued the certificate.
The A1 certificate is a standard form issued by each country in its own official language. Since the certificate is standard in structure, you can compare the A1 certificates issued in different languages with each other, using the instructions on this page. You can also contact our Customer Services if you need help with interpreting the certificate.
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You cannot get back the earnings-related pension contributions that you have paid in Finland or the pension you have earned here if you leave Finland. When it is time to retire, do not forget to claim the pension you have earned here. Finnish earnings-related pensions are paid to any country in the world. This means that the pension you have earned in Finland will eventually be paid to you wherever you live.
The Tyoelake.fi website provides detailed information on Finnish earnings-related pensions in English, Estonian, Russian, Swedish and Finnish. This information is also useful for people coming to work in Finland from abroad. Your pension insurance company can also help you with any questions about your pensions.
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