Grants and Unemployment Benefits for Artists

Receiving a grant and the end of a grant period may affect an artist’s unemployment benefits.

Unemployment After a Grant Period

• Working under a grant covering living costs for more than four months is considered a form of self-employment in artistic work, comparable to entrepreneurship.
• After the grant period ends, an artist may be eligible for unemployment benefits.
• To qualify, the artist must register as an unemployed job-seeker at the TE Office, and be ready to accept full-time employment.

Part-Time Work and Adjusted Unemployment Benefits

• After a grant period, an artist can work part-time while receiving adjusted unemployment benefits.
• However, if the artistic work requires so much time that accepting a full-time job is impossible, it is considered full-time self-employment, making the artist ineligible for unemployment benefits.
• Further details can be found in the section Whether the artistic work is full- or part-time.

Receiving a Grant While Unemployed

• An unemployed artist can receive a grant for different purposes.
• A full-time working grant prevents receiving unemployment benefits.
• For other types of grants, eligibility for benefits is determined on a case-by-case basis by the TE Office.
• All grants must be declared to the TE Office.

When Does Work Under a Grant Officially Start?

• A job-seeker who is awarded a grant is considered to have started work on the date the grant becomes available unless they can prove a valid reason for the delay.

• Acceptable clarifications for a different grant start date include:

  • The start date reported by the grant-awarding body.
  • Medical evidence of disability.
  • A statement from the project leader explaining delays.
  • A statement from the inviting institution on residency visit dates.
  • Official documentation related to a work period abroad.

• Work under a grant officially begins when the artist notifies that they are starting work.

Determining the Grant Period

• For long-term working grants (over four months), the MYEL insurance start date determines the grant period.
• The funding body’s notification is the primary reference for determining the grant period’s start and duration.
• If the grant duration is stated in months in the grant decision, it is counted as full months from the work start date.
• Alternatively, the artist can declare the duration based on a notification from the pension-insurance institution.
• If the grant period is not specified, it is calculated by dividing the total grant by the standard monthly artist grant (€1,692.45/month as of 1 February 2016).

Grant Amounts and Adjustments

• The Arts Promotion Centre Finland confirms the annual artist grant amounts.
• In practice, the monthly grant amount may be higher than the tax-exempt limit, but the duration is determined based on the funder’s official notification.