Estonia - Work Ability Allowance

This chapter covers what you should know about claiming work ability allowance (töövõimetoetus) in Estonia. This chapter covers rights, documents required during the application process and other important information.

In what situation can I claim?

All claimers should undergo a work ability assessment by the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund.

Persons of at least 16 years of age whose working ability has been established as partial must meet at least one of the following conditions to receive a working ability allowance, i.e. one must be:

employed (this includes being a member of the management or supervisory body of a legal person);
seeking work, i.e. be registered as unemployed and meeting the activity requirements;
attending a school – acquiring basic, general secondary, vocational or higher education;
raising at least one child under three years of age;
caring for a family member with a severe or profound disability;
receiving support for creative activity from an artistic association;
placed, without your consent, in a social welfare institution in order to receive 24-hour special care service;
receiving involuntary treatment or another substitutive punishment or sanction as provided by law;
participating in compulsory military service, alternative service or reserve service.

Person who has been established as having no working ability is not required to meet the aforementioned activity requirements to receive a working ability allowance.

What conditions do I need to meet?

The following people have the right to receive a work ability allowance:

permanent residents of Estonia;
foreigners residing in Estonia on the basis of temporary residence permits or a temporary right of residence;
persons enjoying international protection staying in Estonia or asylum seekers staying in Estonia who have the right to work in Estonia under the Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens.

The prerequisite for the granting of a working ability allowance is a working ability assessment. As a result, the Unemployment Insurance Fund establishes whether you have partial or no working ability.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

The daily rate of the working ability allowance is EUR 16.33, the amount of which per calendar day is:

for a person with partial working ability – 57% of the daily rate (EUR 9.3081 per day; approximately EUR 279.24 per month);
for a person with no working ability – 100% of the daily rate (EUR 16.33 per day; approximately EUR 489.9 per month).

To apply, all the required documents must be submitted to the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

Forms you may need to fill in

To claim work ability allowance, one must contact the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund the following way:

self-service portal online www.tootukassa.ee;
in a local department personally;
sending digitally signed application by e-mail to tvto_taotlused@tootukassa.ee or sending signed application on paper by post to Lasnamäe 2, Tallinn 11412.