Membership fee

Membership fee, and what forms the basis of its payment

TAKU’s membership fee for 2021 is 1.3 % of the member’s gross income.

For independent professionals and entrepreneurs, the membership fee is 200 euros per year (one-time payment or 16,66 €/month).

If you have no employment income that is subject to income tax or do not receive benefits from un unemployment fund, your membership fee is 8 €/ month.  Exceptions can be made in the following situations: you are on family leave, you have been given a grant, you are on unpaid sick leave, you receive rehabilitation benefit or informal care benefit, or you are unemployed and receive benefit from KELA.

Remember to update your membership information so as to be eligible for a reduced fee!

Salaried employee

The membership fee is paid for all income that falls under withholding, including the gross salary, holiday remunerations, holiday pay and fringe benefits (such as the lunch benefit, the car benefit and the phone benefit). The membership fee is also paid for benefits paid by our unemployment fund, which ERKO (The Unemployment Fund for Higher Educated Employees) collects automatically. Also the members who receive adult education allowance pay a percentual membership fee (1,3 %).

Note that if you have more than one employer, you need to pay membership fee from all your earnings.

The membership fee is not paid for bonuses, options, performance-based fees, the so-called dismissal termination package, kilometre-based rates, student benefits, other benefits or KELA benefits.

Remember: membership fees are tax-deductible.

Student

No membership fees are paid for the study grant. If you perform salaried labour during your studies, the work benefits are paid for working income normally. As a student member you pay a membership fee also from adult education subsidy and benefits paid by the unemployment fund (studying on earnings-related unemployment allowance).

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.

Entrepreneur and self-employed

If you’re a full-time entrepreneur, your membership fee is fixed at 200 euros per year (16.66 €/ month). If you become a member or start your business in the middle of a year, the membership fee is only charged for the remainder of the year. The entrepreneur’s membership fee does not contain a membership in the unemployment fund, but if you wish, you can join The Unemployment Fund for Entrepreneurs and the Self-Employed AYT, which is intended for Akava members.

Pensioner

The membership fee of the pensioners is 96 €/ year (8 €/ month). If you retire in the middle of the year, the membership fee is only charged for the remaining months of the year as a single payment (8 €/month).

Freelancer

As a freelancer with assignments based on employment relationships, you pay a percentual membership fee for all earnings (1,3 %).

If you work under a service agreement (commissioned work), you pay the same yearly fee as a self-employed member, that is 200 €/ year (one-time fee or 16,66 €/month). A freelancer under a service agreement cannot join the Unemployment Fund for Higher Educated Employees.

Receiving grant

If you have no employment income during your grant period and do not receive adult education subsidy or benefits paid by an unemployment fund for any days of the month, your membership fee is 8 €/ month (reduced membership fee).

If you are studying full-time on a grant, you do not have to pay the reduced membership fee either.

On a family leave

If your employer pays the salary of the first three months of your maternity leave, you pay the percentual membership fee normally for those months. The membership fee is also paid for holiday compensation.

If you have no employment income and do not receive benefits from an unemployment fund for any days of the month, your membership fee is 8 €/ month (reduced membership fee).

For example, you start your family leave on 5 March. You receive income for four days in March and you pay the percentage-based membership fee for those days. You then pay the EUR 8 membership fee starting from the beginning of April.

On a sick leave or receiving rehabilitation allowance

f you have no employment income and do not receive adult education subsidy or benefits from an unemployment fund for any days of the month, your membership fee is 8 €/ month (reduced membership fee).

Unemployed or temporary layd-off with Kela's benefits

If you have no employment income and do not receive adult education subsidy or benefits from an unemployment fund for any days of the month, your membership fee is 8 €/ month (reduced membership fee).

Unemployed, temporary laid-off or receiving mobility assistance with unemployment fund benefit

The Unemployment Fund for Higher Educated Employees ERKO deducts the membership fee automatically from the benefits that it pays.

If you receive benefits from another unemployment fund, you must pay the percentual membership fee yourself.

Remember that if you receive earned income at the same time as receiving benefits from ERKO, you must pay the percentual membership fee yourself. You can also to directly deduct the membership fee from your salary.

Living abroad

The membership fee is 8 euros per month (does not apply to posted workers).

On a military or alternative civilian service

During military or alternative civilian service, it is not required to pay the membership fee.

On a job alternation leave

The Unemployment Fund for Higher Educated Employees ERKO deducts the membership fee automatically from the benefits that it pays.

If you receive benefits from another unemployment fund, you must pay the percentual membership fee yourself.

Ways of payment

You can pay your membership fee independently or by delivering the employer and Akava Special Branches an authorization that allows the fee to be withheld directly from your salary.

If you want to pay your fees yourself, the easiest way to do this is visiting the Akava Special Branches web page. You can ask for membership fee release from the same place when you’re not working.

You can find the authorization for the employer and its directions here. Any questions you have related to filling the authorization are answered by Akava Special Branches member secretaries.

You can also find further information on the web site of Akava Special Branches.