Companies can apply to the State Treasury for temporary cost support between 17 August and 30 September 2021.

All businesses as well as foundations and associations with business activities can apply for cost support. Cost support may be granted to companies whose main sector is within the scope of the support. These sectors eligible for the cost support will be determined in a Government Decree on criteria laid down in the Cost Support Act. Limiting the eligible sectors is one way of targeting the cost support specifically at those companies which are adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Even if the company’s main sector is not eligible under the Government Decree, cost support may be granted to it on discretionary grounds.

Companies that fall within the specific sectors defined by the Government Decree, and that were established on or after 1 January 2019, are eligible for support on the basis of changes in the average turnover of the sector. However, such companies are not be eligible for discretionary support because they cannot demonstrate a change in their turnover.

Cost support cannot be granted to primary production in agriculture, fisheries and the aquaculture sector, however. These sectors are not eligible for support even on discretionary criteria, as separate State aid rules within the remit of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry are applied to them.

Please note that, in order to be eligible, the company must also meet the other criteria for receiving support. Read more about the conditions and restrictions of eligibility here >

In the electronic application form, the information on the company’s main sector is retrieved directly from the Finnish Tax Administration.

The support will primarily be allocated to sectors whose turnover during the support period decreased by at minimum 10 per cent compared to their reference period turnover. More information on the sectors eligible for the support under the Government Decree is available from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

See the attached table for the sectors eligible for support under the Decree.

NB: You can also search for sectors using a partial word.

YES = the sector is within the scope of the Decree and support can be granted if the other criteria are met
DISCRETIONARY = support can be granted if the company presents reasons related to the coronavirus pandemic for the reduction in its turnover and the other criteria for granting support are met
NO = the sector is not within the scope of the Act and the company is not eligible, not even for discretionary support