Start-up grant
Start-up grant promotes new business activities and employment. It secures the entrepreneur's livelihood during the early stages of entrepreneurship.
This service is available from 1 January 2025.
The start-up grant is discretionary support for a new entrepreneur. Its purpose is to secure an entrepreneur’s livelihood at the starting phase of new full-time entrepreneurship when the income generated by the company is still low.
The start-up grant is granted for six months from the time you start as a full-time entrepreneur or expand your part-time business to full time. You may receive an extension to the start-up grant so that the total duration is no more than 12 months.
The start-up grant is equal in amount to a basic unemployment allowance. The start-up grant is paid for five days per calendar week.
Act like this
When planning business operations and applying for a start-up grant, contact the employment authority in your region. Apply for a decision on the start-up grant before starting full-time business. After the decision, you can start your business activities and apply for payment of the start-up grant. You can submit an extension application for the start-up grant if you need support after the time covered by the first decision. Submit the application for an extension to the employment authority in your region during your start-up grant period.
How to apply for a start-up grant and its payment
Apply for a start-up grant and its payment primarily using an electronic form in the e-service. If you cannot use the e-service, use the printable form and submit the form to your employment authority. If you have applied for a start-up grant using a printable form instead of an e-service, use the printable form also to apply for payment.
Log into the e-service with your personal banking IDs, a mobile certificate or a certificate card. Complete the application and attach the required documents. The service’s internal instructions will help you fill in the application. In the e-service, you can submit an application, respond to requests for supplementary information concerning the application, supplement your application and receive decisions concerning your case.
The start-up grant is paid monthly and retrospectively. Apply for the payment of the start-up grant from the employment authority within two months of the end of the payment period.
When planning business operations and applying for a start-up grant, contact the employment authority in your region. Apply for a decision on the start-up grant before starting full-time business. After the decision, you can start your business activities and apply for payment of the start-up grant. You can submit an extension application for the start-up grant if you need support after the time covered by the first decision. Submit the application for an extension to the employment authority in your region during your start-up grant period.
How to apply for a start-up grant and its payment
Apply for a start-up grant and its payment primarily using an electronic form in the e-service. If you cannot use the e-service, use the printable form and submit the form to your employment authority. If you have applied for a start-up grant using a printable form instead of an e-service, use the printable form also to apply for payment.
Log into the e-service with your personal banking IDs, a mobile certificate or a certificate card. Complete the application and attach the required documents. The service’s internal instructions will help you fill in the application. In the e-service, you can submit an application, respond to requests for supplementary information concerning the application, supplement your application and receive decisions concerning your case.
The start-up grant is paid monthly and retrospectively. Apply for the payment of the start-up grant from the employment authority within two months of the end of the payment period.
To whom and under what conditions
In order to receive a start-up grant, you must live in Finland and establish your company in Finland. You cannot receive support if you have already started full-time business or expanded your part-time business to full time before the support application has arrived at the employment authority. However, you can apply for an extension included in the maximum duration of the start-up grant.
You can receive a start-up grant to support your entrepreneurship if
* you are an unemployed jobseeker,
* you are not unemployed, but start as a full-time entrepreneur after doing paid work, studying or household work or
* you are a part-time entrepreneur and you expand your business into a full-time business.
The employment authority assesses whether you have sufficient capabilities for running a business and whether the operations meet the prerequisites for a profitable business. You may also be granted other necessary conditions for receiving a start-up grant.