Electronic application for compensation was open from September 15 to December 7 2021.
A company may apply for compensation for event guarantee if the following conditions are met:
- The company is the lead organiser or a pre-announced subcontractor in the event guarantee application in an event for which an event guarantee has been granted. Check the events and companies that are covered by the event guarantee. Link to reports
- The event has been cancelled or arranged substantially smaller on the basis of a law or official decree, and the main organiser of the event has informed the State Treasury. Link to the instructions
- The company has incurred costs for the planning or organisation of the event for which it has not received payment.
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Information about event guarantee
The event guarantee applies to established event organizers and events open to public, that follow the principles approved by the Ministry of Education and Culture for organizing responsible events in the coronavirus situation.
The event guarantee applies to established, professional event organizers, and to events of at least 200 participants. To consider an event organizer professional, it must employ paid staff to organize the event.
Established events open to public include art and cultural festivals and concerts and exhibitions, that are not organized as part of year-round event activities, as well as religious events open to the public.
Established events do not include small-scale events organized as a hobby or a fundraiser for an association. The event guarantee does not apply to year-round event activities, such as year-round performance, concert and theatre activities or serial sporting events.
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The event guarantee is based on the expenses of the event
In the application, the event organizer must indicate the estimated expenses of the event, the subcontractors involved in the event and their share of the costs, and an explanation of the organizers past, established and professional activities in the event field. Compensation can only be obtained for pre-declared and actual costs.
If the event is cancelled entirely by order of a law or authority, 85 percent of the pre-declared actual costs will be reimbursed to the applicant.
The event may also take place substantially smaller by law or authority, in which case a maximum of 85% of the planned number of participants in the event may have participated in the event. In that case, a smaller amount of costs could be reimbursed to the applicant.
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Prepare to apply
Make sure you have the information you need to fill out your application.
You need at least
- company’s basic data and net sales for 2019
- information on the company’s turnover
- basic information of the event
- estimated costs of the event
- information about the event’s subcontractors (business ID, name and role in the event) and subcontractor costs
The State Treasury receives some of the necessary information from the Tax Administration.
You cannot send attachments with the application. The State Treasury may ask the company to submit attachments separately.
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What is the impact of the support already granted?
You can apply for event guarantee even if the company has already received other direct support to mitigate the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. The support received by the company are checked during the application round for compensation. The application period starts on 15 September.
Any insurance claims compensating the expenses of the cancelled event will be deducted from the compensation. Grants from the Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM) for the same event will also be deducted from the compensation.
The event guarantee is part of the European Union framework support programme. The maximum amount of State aid under the programme is €1,800,000 per company or group of companies if the company is part of a group.
The maximum amount of compensation for the event guarantee is €1,800,000 per company (lead organizer or subcontractor). The event guarantee is not de minimis support.
You can read more about the support under the EU Framework Support Programme on the cost support web page: https://www.valtiokonttori.fi/en/service/business-cost-support/#general-information-on-support_what-is-the-impact-of-the-support-already-granted
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Obstacles to granting the compensation
According to the bill, compensation will not be granted in the following situations:
- The company is not registered in the prepayment register
- The company has failed to file a tax return
- The company has tax debt information in the tax debt register
- Recovery proceedings has collected unpaid taxes from the company
- The company has been declared bankrupt or is the subject of bankruptcy proceedings.
- The company was in difficulty before the coronavirus pandemic (31 December 2019). See the definition of a company in difficulty. Exception: This does not apply to small and micro companies that have been in difficulty before 1.1.2020. They may be granted compensation if the company is not in bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings at the time the compensation is granted and has not received rescue or restructuring aid.
Definition of a company in difficulty in the EU Regulation:
A company in difficulty refers to a company in accordance with Article 2(18) of the General Block Exemption Regulation of the EU. According to the definition, a company is in difficulty,
a. if more than half of its share capital has disappeared as a result of accumulated losses (limited liability companies),
b. more than half of its capital as shown in the company accounts has disappeared as a result of accumulated losses (companies where at least some members have unlimited liability for the debt of the company),
c. the company is subject to collective insolvency proceedings,
d. the company has received rescue aid and has not yet reimbursed the loan or terminated the guarantee, or has received restructuring aid and is still subject to a restructuring plan,
e. the company is not an SME, and for the past two years, its book debt to equity ratio has been greater than 7.5 and its EBITDA interest coverage ratio has been below 1.0.
Only section c applies to SMEs that were under 3 years of age on 31 December 2019.
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Customer service
Our customer service helps with any questions related to the event guarantee, Monday to Friday from 9am to 12pm at 029 550 2270.
You can send email to
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Do the following before applying
- Check the restrictions in force in your region Usein kysyttyä koronaviruksesta – Tietoa – Uutishuone – Aluehallintovirasto
- The application can be made by a person with the right to sign that the company entered in the trade register/register of associations, or another person who has received a Suomi.fi authorization. Check that your authorization to represent your company appears in the Suomi.fi authorization register. If not, check that the signatories are correct in the Patent and Registration Office’s register. Closure compensation is applied for with the authorization “Yritysrahoituksen hakeminen”. Suomi.fi authorizations
- To apply for compensation, the applicant must have a business ID. For more information, see: Business Information System
- The closure compensation can only be paid to the bank account that the company has reported to the Tax Administration. Check the account number you have entered and, if necessary, enter a new number on your My Tax page
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The authority to sign and Suomi.fi e-authorizations
Filling in the application as an authorized signatory
Applications for event guarantee can be submitted by a person who has the right to sign on behalf of the company. In addition, the application can be filled in by a person who has a role entered in the Trade Register, the Business Information System or the Register of Associations that entitles the person to represent the company. The roles entered in the Trade Register that entitle a person to represent a company are:- Managing Director
- Substitute Managing Director
- Self-employed person
- Property Manager
- Head Property Manager
The roles marked in the Register of Associations that entitle a person to represent an association are:- Other authorized signatory who is marked on the register as having the right to represent the association alone
Granting a mandate for a company representative
A company may also authorize another individual to represent the company via the Suomi.fi e-Authorizations service. Select the mandate ‘Application for corporate financing’.
You can authorize the following people to represent a company:- a private entrepreneur, on behalf for their own business
- the company’s managing director or substitute managing director
- an authorized signatory who is marked in the Trade Register as having the right to represent the company alone
- all the members of the company board marked in the Trade Register, acting together
- either the chairperson and a board member or two board members who have been entered into the Trade Register in accordance with the rules of representation
- an individual who the company has given either the right to grant a mandate or the representative’s right to grant a mandate.
The following persons may authorize on behalf of a registered association:- the association’s chairman, board member or other authorized signatory who is marked in the Register of Associations as having the right to represent the association alone
- an individual which the association has given either the right to grant a mandate or the representative’s right to grant a mandate.
The customer service of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency is available to assist companies in the use of Suomi.fi mandates.
You can contact them on: +358 295 53 5115, Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm.Note. Representative of the association or foundation: if you have any problems with Suomi.fi authorization, please contact the event guarantee customer service tapahtumatakuu@valtiokonttori.fi
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Associations and foundations
The chairman of the association, who is entered as a chairman in the Finnish Register of Associations, may fill in the application for event guarantee on behalf of the association in e-service. In addition to the application, an association must send evidence via a supplementary information notice that the chairman has the right to sign for association alone or is authorized by the signatories to send the application (association register / rules / minutes / power of attorney).
In the case of foundations, the application should be sent as a paper application if the authorization rights are not already defined.
If necessary, you can order a printable application in PDF format from paperihakemus.tapahtumatakuu@valtiokonttori.fi. The application form arrives as a return message. -
What information do you need to fill in the application?
You need at least:
- company’s basic data and net sales for 2019
- information on the company’s turnover
- basic information of the event
- estimated costs of the event
- information about the event’s subcontractors (business ID, name and role in the event) and subcontractor costs
The State Treasury receives some of the necessary information from the Tax Administration.
You cannot send attachments with the application. The State Treasury may ask the company to submit attachments separately.
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Submitting a claim for rectification
If you are dissatisfied with the decision you have received, you can request a rectification from the State Treasury. Processing a claim for rectification at the State Treasury is free of charge.
Before submitting a claim for rectification
- Read the decision carefully before submitting a claim for rectification. Check all the information used to justify the decision and any reasons for rejecting the decision.
- Please note that in order to be granted event guarantee, the company must fulfill all the general conditions
- In the claim for rectification, it is advisable to comment on all possible rejections, in order for the claim for rectification to be successful.
- If you have general feedback or questions about the decision you have received, you can contact customer service by calling 0295 550 2270.
- Contact for example an accounting firm to obtain all the necessary documents.
How is the claim for rectification made?
- The claim for rectification is made in the e-service.
- After logging in to the e-service, you can automatically see all the applications you have submitted earlier. Select the issue for which you are applying for a rectification.
- The claim for rectification can also be submitted to the State Treasury in person, using an agent, by post, or by e-mail.
- The sender is responsible for the submission of the claim for rectification.
What information should be contained in the claim for rectification?
- The claim for rectification should indicate the adjustment required for the decision.
- Also tell us on what grounds the rectification is required.
- The claim for rectification must also include the documents mentioned in the claim.
- If the claim for rectification is made otherwise than by using the State Treasury’s e-service, enter the application number in the claim, for which you are applying for rectification. The application number can be found in the upper corner of the cost support
- If the lawyer or public legal counsel does not act as an assistant, and the application is not made in the State Treasury’s e-service, the proxy of the agent must also be attached to the claim for rectification
When do I have to make a claim for rectification?
- The claim for rectification and its attachments must be submitted to the State Treasury by 4:15 p.m. within 30 days of the date on which you received the decision.
- If the decision has been submitted electronically, service is deemed to have taken place on the third (3rd) day following the sending of the message, unless otherwise shown.
- If the decision was sent by letter, the service is deemed to have taken place on the seventh (7th) day from the date of mailing, unless otherwise shown.
- Only claims received within the time limit are examined.
Processing of the claim for rectification
- The State Treasury processes the rectification claims in the order in which they are received, and the estimated processing time is approximately 4-5 months.
- Claims for rectification are processed individually, which is why the duration of the processing varies.
- You can supplement the claim for rectification by submitting additional information in the e-service. Submitting relevant attachments/supporting documents without delay will help the processing of your case.
- If necessary, the rectification claim handler will ask you for additional information, either by email or by phone. Please monitor your email regularly. From time to time, check the junk e-mail folder.
- Please note that providing all necessary additional information without delay will contribute to the processing of your case.
Appeal to the Administrative Court
- If you consider the decision issued by the State Treasury to appeal against the claim for rectification to be unlawful, you can appeal the decision to the Administrative Court.
- The decision can only be appealed to the Administrative Court after the claim for rectification has been processed by the State Treasury.