During temporary incapacity for work, you are entitled to:
When does temporary incapacity begin?
Temporary incapacity begins on the day the doctor diagnoses the illness.
If you visit the doctor only after completing your work shift, the temporary incapacity begins on the following day.
Who decides on temporary incapacity?
Temporary incapacity is determined by a doctor, for example:
More information: Amendment to Act No. 576, effective from 1 January 2025
Entitlement to income compensation
You are entitled to income compensation from your employer if:
Your employer pays income compensation during the first 14 days of temporary incapacity.
Self-employed and voluntarily sickness-insured persons do not receive income compensation from an employer.
Entitlement to a sickness benefit
You are entitled to a sickness benefit from the Social Insurance Agency if:
When will you receive the sickness benefit?
a self-employed person, voluntarily insured person, or person within the protection period—from day 1 of temporary incapacity.
Protection period
The protection period after sickness insurance ends is generally seven days.
If the insurance lasted for a shorter period, for example three days, the protection period is equal to its duration.
Important information
During pregnancy, the protection period may be up to eight months if the statutory conditions are met.
(If the first day of the 42nd week before the expected date of delivery falls within 180 days after the last sickness insurance ended—that is, if the insured woman becomes pregnant within 180 days after the last insurance ended—her protection period runs for eight months from the start of the 40th week before the expected date of delivery first determined by a doctor. This does not apply if new sickness insurance began after the previous sickness insurance ended.)
If your doctor certifies you as temporarily incapable of work, they do so electronically by entering the information in eHealth.
The information is automatically sent to state systems and the Social Insurance Agency. You do not need to submit a separate sickness benefit application—the electronic temporary incapacity record is treated as the application.
What does this mean for you?
What can the employer see?
The employer automatically receives the following information through the Social Insurance Agency’s electronic services:
From 1 August 2026, the employer may also receive this information through payroll software.
The employer therefore no longer needs a paper temporary incapacity certificate.
However, you must still inform the employer that you are incapable of work.
How communication with the Social Insurance Agency works
Insuree’s Electronic Account
If you set up an Insuree’s Electronic Account, you can:
More information about electronic temporary incapacity is available here: ePN—Electronic Temporary Incapacity for Work.
Learn more about the benefits of setting up access to your Insuree’s Electronic Account here: Electronic Insured Person Account.
During temporary incapacity, you must:
Change of residence
If you change your place of residence during temporary incapacity, you must immediately notify the Social Insurance Agency of the new address.
Permitted outings
If your state of health allows it, your doctor may permit outings.
The Social Insurance Agency may monitor compliance with the treatment regimen from the first day of temporary incapacity.
A check may take place at any time, including at weekends or in the evening, except during permitted outing times.
How is a check carried out?
If you are not found during a check
If you are not found at the address during a check:
Changing your address during temporary incapacity
If you change your place of residence, you must immediately notify the Social Insurance Agency of the new address.
We recommend consulting the change with your doctor in advance.
Permitted outings
If your state of health allows it, your doctor may permit outings and specify their times.
The doctor may change or cancel the permitted outing times.
Breach of obligations
If you breach the treatment regimen:
Important information
If you are an employee and breach the regimen during the first 14 days of temporary incapacity, you lose entitlement to income compensation from your employer.
