Job alternation leave

The preconditions for job alternation leave:

• You are in an employment relationship
• You have been working for the same employer without interruptions for at least 13 months before the start of the job alternation leave. This can include a maximum of 30 calendar days of unpaid absence. Absence due to illness or accident is considered the same as being at work.
• You have a work history of at least 20 years
• You can no longer take job alternation leave when you have less than 3 years left to the minimum retirement age.
• If your employment is not full-time, your part-time working hours must be over 75 % of the full-time working hours of an employee in your field.

In your work history, we include work done in accordance with the pension acts, as well as self-employment. A quarter of the required work history may be time comparable to working, such as family leave, military service and non-military service.

You cannot take job alternation leave after the end of the calendar month during which you reach the age that is 3 years less than the minimum age limit for old-age pension stated in the Employees Pensions Act. In other words, the upper age limit for taking job alternation leave depends on the minimum age limit set for old-age pension in the Pensions Act. And the minimum age limit for old-age pension depends on your birth year.

The upper age limits for taking job alternation leave are as follows:

• for those born in 1957: 60 years and 9 months
• for those born in 1958: 61 years
• for those born in 1959: 61 years and 3 months
• for those born in 1960: 61 years and 6 months
• for those born in 1961: 61 years and 9 months
• for those born in 1962–1964: 62 years

for those born in 1965 and after, the minimum age limit for old-age pension is confirmed separately in a decree by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.