Student

As a student member, you pay a percentual membership fee from the following income:

  • earned income subject to income tax (including holiday compensation, holiday bonuses and fringe benefits)
  • adult education subsidy (from 1 January 2020 onwards)
  • benefits paid by the unemployment fund (studying on earnings-related unemployment allowance)

If you receive none of the abovementioned income, you are exempt from paying the membership fee.


Please note! Update your membership information here


If you have several employers – for instance, if you hold two part-time jobs – you pay the membership fee from both earned incomes.


The Unemployment Fund for Higher Educated Employees Erko deducts the membership fee automatically from the benefits paid by it. If you are studying on a benefit paid by another unemployment fund, you must pay the percentual membership fee yourself.


Membership fees are not paid from study grant.



Why should I pay?

As a student member, you get access to all of our member services and you can start accumulating the earnings-related unemployment benefits. The single membership fee entitles you to membership of the member organisation, Akava Special Branches, and possibly also in the Unemployment Fund for Higher Educated Employees Erko.

 

Where does the payment come from?

Student members pay membership fees from their salary. The salary comprises the gross salary, holiday compensation, fringe benefits (such as lunch vouchers and phone benefit), as well as benefits paid by the unemployment fund (e.g. studies financed with unemployment benefit under a decision by the Employment and Economic Development Office). Membership fees are not paid from benefits paid by Kela, such as study grant or scholarships.

 

How do I pay?

You can have your employer make the fee payment under a power of attorney or pay it yourself:

 

  1. Count your total salary for one month: gross salary (salary before the deduction of taxes and other statutory contributions) plus any other taxable income (such as lunch vouchers).

  2. Calculate your membership fee percentage from the salary. The percentage varies between member organisations. All member organisations’ membership fee rates are listed here.

  3. Pay the membership fee using the reference number list sent to you by mail.

 

Bank account number for membership fees

Nordea

IBAN: FI26 1521 3000 1062 05

BIC: NDEAFIHH

 

When paying the January membership fee according to the example, you will use the reference number for January, even though the salary was paid in February.

 

PLEASE NOTE! There is a different reference number for the membership fee payment each month. Please make sure you use the reference number of the month when you did the work. If you don’t know your salary on the due date, you can use the reference number later and make the payment as soon as you get your pay slip.

 

Membership fees are tax-deductible and Akava Special Branches reports them to the tax authorities automatically. In this way, you get some of the membership fee payments back in taxation. The share of membership fees that is taken into account in taxation depends on your total annual income.

 

Accumulating unemployment benefit

A student who works can also accumulate the condition regarding previous employment required for unemployment benefit. This will be useful if you become unemployed after graduation.


For more information on unemployment benefit and the condition regarding previous employment, please contact the Unemployment Fund for Higher Educated Employees.


Remember to save your payslips, certificates of employment and any possible work schedules. If you work part-time with varying hours, maintain a calendar week-specific account of your working hours and salary.