How to speed up the processing of earnings-related allowance applications?

08.07.2025

The PAM Unemployment Fund (Palvelualojen työttömyyskassa) occasionally receives a large amount of applications for earningsrelated allowance within a short period. This may cause longer processing times and heavier customer service load than usual. This can happen especially around the turn of the month.

Here is a quick guide on how you can help ensure your application is processed as quickly as possible:

Increased efficiency from automatic decisions

We use automated decision-making to process certain earnings-related allowance applications. Your application is more likely to be processed automatically if you do the following:

• Always submit your application in monthly application periods. Applications covering periods that are too short or too long are directed to manual processing. If you work parttime, submit your application according to your pay cycle (for example, 16 July–15 August).
• Submit your application regularly once a month. Gaps between application periods may increase the need for clarification requests, which will slow down processing. If you submit applications for several months at once, they will also be processed manually.

Automated decisionmaking benefits all members of the Fund, even those whose applications are not handled automatically. If some applications are processed automatically, the Fund can allocate more resources to customer service and applications that require manual processing.

Other ways to speed up processing

Below are other general tips that can help speed up processing even if you do not receive an automatic decision:

• You can check the general processing situation for applications here.
• If your matter concerns PAM trade unions membership fees or membership, contact PAM's membership services (tel. 030100630).
• Before contacting our customer service, check whether the answer to your question can be found on our website. Lots of useful information can be found, for example under General information on earnings-related allowance, How to apply for earnings-related allowance, and Part-time work and daily allowance.
• Do not send multiple messages on the same topic or ask if a message has been received with a new message. Each new message starts a new processing chain which delays response and further congests customer service.
• Remember that you can apply for daily allowance retroactively for no more than three months.

In our eService, you can fill in an application for earningsrelated allowance, send attachments and messages, and follow the processing of your own application.

We do our best to process your application as quickly and smoothly as possible. Thank you for your cooperation!