To join, you must be an entrepreneur under the Unemployment Security Act and your pension insurance (YEL, MYEL or TyEL) must have an annual income of at least €15 128 in 2025.
According to the Unemployment Security Act, an entrepreneur is
1. A person liable for YEL and MYEL insurance (excluding grant recipients)
2. A TyEL-insured co-owner of a business and a member of the entrepreneur’s family, if he or she.
- owns, alone or jointly with family members, at least 15% or 30% of the company in which he/she works in a managerial position (managing director, member of the board)
- owns, alone or jointly with family members, at least 50% of the company in which he or she works without holding a managerial position (as an employee)
In addition, the income from work on which the pension insurance for self-employed persons is based must be €15 128/year. Simply owning a business or part of a business does not make you an entrepreneur.
Who is in a managerial position
A person is considered to have a managerial position in a company if he or she is the managing director or a member of the board of directors of a limited company or if he or she holds a similar position in a limited company or other company or entity.
Who is considered a family member
A family member is defined as the spouse and unmarried partner of a person working in the enterprise and a person directly related to the person working in the enterprise in the ascending or descending line (parents and children) and living in the same household as the person.
Indirect ownership
Indirect ownership through other companies and entities is also taken into account when calculating the ownership interest if the person or a member of his/her family or a person together with members of his/her family owns at least 50% of the intermediate entity or has equivalent control.