Death of an employee in Finland: employer checklist

When an employee dies, the employment relationship ends and the employer's tasks are to pay the wages and holiday compensation to the estate, tell the family about employees' group life insurance and support the team. If the death was caused by an accident at work, it must be reported without delay to the police, the occupational safety and health authority and the insurer. Much else, such as how the workplace remembers a colleague, is for the workplace to decide.

This guide is for a founder or operator of a company with 5–25 people: what the law requires, what is your own decision and in what order to handle things.

Does the employment relationship end when an employee dies?

Yes. The Employment Contracts Act 55/2001 has no separate section on the death of an employee, but the Act assumes that the employment relationship ends with it: the employee undertakes to do the work personally (chapter 1, section 1), and chapter 13, section 5 refers to the employment relationship ending because of the employee's death. The provisions we checked do not require notice or any other termination notification.

Who receives the deceased employee's final pay and holiday compensation?

The estate (kuolinpesä). The law has no separate provision on this: after the death, the employee's claims are property of the estate, which the parties to the estate administer jointly (Code of Inheritance 40/1965, chapter 18, section 2).

• Wages. When the employment relationship ends, the pay period ends too (Employment Contracts Act, chapter 2, section 14). According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the employee's claims fall due on the day the employment ends, unless the employment contract or the collective agreement sets a later payment date.
• Holiday compensation. When employment ends, the employee is entitled to holiday compensation (lomakorvaus) for the period for which they have not received holiday or compensation (Annual Holidays Act 162/2005, section 17).
• Tax and the Incomes Register. For the year of death, the estate is taxed on the income of both the deceased and the estate (Income Tax Act 1535/1992, section 17). Wages are reported to the Incomes Register no later than the fifth calendar day after the payment date. The Tax Administration guidance we checked has no separate section on withholding or social insurance contributions for wages paid after death, so confirm the treatment with your payroll provider or the Tax Administration.

The provisions we checked do not oblige the employer to pay salary for the time after the date of death, or a funeral grant. Check whether your collective agreement has terms on the death of an employee.

What is employees' group life insurance?

Employees' group life insurance (työntekijäin ryhmähenkivakuutus) is life insurance that the employer takes out and pays for, and it pays a lump sum after an employee's death. The facts come from the Finnish Workers' Compensation Center (TVK).

• Basis. The national labour market organisations have agreed on the insurance. The obligation to take it out applies to employers whose binding collective agreement, or the general national collective agreement in their sector, has provisions on group life insurance. It is handled alongside the statutory workers' compensation insurance, by the same insurance company.
• Beneficiaries. The spouse of the deceased and children under 22. If there are none, nothing is paid. For a death in 2026 or later, the spouse's share is 5,200–18,600 euros depending on the employee's age.
• Applying. The beneficiaries apply themselves, through TVK's claims service, within ten years of the end of the year of death.
• The employer's part. Where you can, contact the beneficiaries, give them the insurance terms and information on applying, and send the employment details to the Employees' Group Life Assurance Pool.

Survivors' pension. A surviving spouse's pension and a child's pension (perhe-eläke) are applied for by the family, not the employer. According to Kela, the same application covers survivors' pensions under both the National Pensions Act and the earnings-related pension acts, and it goes to Kela or to the pension provider. For the family's other tasks, Solace Care has a guide on what to do when someone dies.

What if the death was caused by an accident at work?

Then the employer must report the accident without delay to the police and the occupational safety and health authority (Act on Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement 44/2006, section 46). According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the report is made by phone or email to the occupational safety and health division of Lupa- ja valvontavirasto. The accident is reported to the insurance company without delay and no later than ten working days after the employer learned of it (Workers' Compensation Act 459/2015, section 111). The statutory insurance pays a survivors' pension and a funeral grant after the deceased (section 99).

Our Finnish guide to accidents at work covers the steps; it has no English version yet. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a debriefing must be arranged for the work community after a more serious accident at work, and occupational health care can help to arrange it.

What does the employer do, and when?

The deadlines come from the law or from the authority's guidance.

How do you tell the team, and how do you support colleagues?

The law does not say how a death is announced at work. These points are a recommendation.

• Agree with the family first. Name one person who stays in touch with the family. Say only as much about the cause of death as the family accepts.
• Tell the team yourself on the same day. The closest colleagues face to face or by phone, the others in a short message.
• Belongings and access rights. Hand personal belongings over to the estate, close access rights and redirect messages to another person.
• Work email. It may not be read freely: after an employee's death the employer may find the messages that belong to the employer only on the conditions laid down in the law (Act on the Protection of Privacy in Working Life 759/2004, sections 19 and 20).

If an employee is found to be under strain at work in a way that endangers their health, the employer must, once informed, take action to identify the causes of the strain and to avoid or reduce the risk (Occupational Safety and Health Act 738/2002, section 25). Lighten the workload and ask again after a few weeks how people are doing: the early support model helps here.

Occupational health care includes advice and guidance on matters concerning employees' health (Occupational Health Care Act 1383/2001, section 12). The section does not mention crisis support, so other support depends on the occupational health care contract. In StartHealth's Basic package an employee can see a doctor remotely and, on the doctor's assessment, a psychologist remotely: see services. MIELI's crisis helpline answers around the clock on 09 2525 0111.

See also grief at work in Finland, bereavement leave in Finland and Solace Care's guide on how to handle grief at work.

StartHealth and Solace Care: help with the practical matters

StartHealth and Solace Care, a Nordic service for support after a loss, started a partnership on 26 October 2026. According to Solace Care's press release, employees of client companies that use StartHealth's Support package get support from Solace Care when they lose a loved one: a clear task list for the practical matters after a death and help with handling them. The offer confirms what is included for each company.

Occupational health care supports work ability and coping. Solace Care helps with the practical matters, such as funeral arrangements, the estate inventory, and closing accounts and contracts. Solace Care is not health care and does not replace occupational health care, therapy or crisis help. The goal of the partnership is that the employee spends less time on paperwork in the middle of grief and recovers and returns to work faster, and that the manager gets support for handling the situation. This is a goal, not a measured result.

You can point the family of an employee who has died to Solace Care's Loss Support service. For managers there is the page Solace Care for employers. If you would like to learn more about support for your team after a loss, ask for more help at support@solace.care.

Checklist: the first day, the first week and the first month

The first day

1. Agree with the family who stays in touch and what the team is told.
2. If the death was caused by an accident at work, notify the police, the occupational safety and health authority and the insurer.
3. Tell the team and reassign the urgent work.

The first week

1. Calculate the final pay, ask the estate for the account details and confirm the tax treatment.
2. Give the family the information on group life insurance and send the employment details to the pool.
3. Close access rights and hand personal belongings over to the estate.

The first month

1. Ask again how the team is doing and lighten the workload where needed.
2. Involve occupational health care if someone's strain continues.
3. Reassign the deceased's tasks permanently and tell the team before you recruit.

Frequently asked questions