Parental leave: Law requires trustee positions to be counted as work in flexible care allowance

The Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Kela, adheres strictly to the laws governing its benefits, a principle that clarifies a reader's query regarding the treatment of 'trustee positions' in different contexts.

In response to a reader's opinion piece questioning why trustee positions are counted as work for the flexible care allowance but not for parental allowance, Kela explained the distinction lies in the legislation. The flexible care allowance is intended as financial support for parents working less than 30 hours per week to care for their child at home. The law defines the work hour limit for this allowance, and generally, all work, including trustee positions, counts towards this limit.

However, for parental allowances, specific trustee positions are explicitly excluded from being counted as work by law. These include municipal and regional trustee roles. Kela stated it cannot arbitrarily change how these positions are treated differently from what is stipulated in the law.

Therefore, if there is a desire for trustee positions to be treated uniformly across both flexible care allowance and parental allowance schemes, a legislative amendment would be necessary. Kela emphasized its role is to apply the existing legal framework, not to interpret or alter it unilaterally.