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Pay transparency in Finland

Published draft Last updated 4 November 2026

  • Pay information requests 1 Jan 2027 (proposed)

    Own pay and sex-disaggregated averages for the same/equal-value worker group. If those averages would directly or indirectly identify another worker's pay, the proposed §6g routes the group information to a personnel representative or the Equality Ombudsman rather than directly to the requester; no fixed statutory minimum group size is specified.

    What this means in practice

  • Time to respond 2 months

    Every request starts a clock. Answering one needs pay structures and equal-value groupings that already exist.

  • Salary history questions are banned

    Applicants learn the pay range before the interview, and employers may not ask what they earn today.

Finland is preparing its pay transparency rules through Government Proposal HE 129/2026 vp, which would amend the Act on Equality between Women and Men and related acts. This is a published draft, not a law in force. It has been submitted to Parliament but has not yet been enacted.

The proposal would apply nationwide across public and private employment. It sets a proposed commencement date of 1 January 2027 for the core obligations, and it would sit alongside Finland’s existing framework requiring employers with regularly at least 30 employees to keep an equality plan that includes a pay survey. That existing regime continues regardless of how the new proposal progresses.

Finland’s draft goes further than the EU baseline in some respects, including a lower reporting threshold and a defined trigger for closer pay analysis. For now, the right move is to track how Parliament treats HE 129/2026 and start preparing your data and processes ahead of the proposed 2027 start.

The measure

Law or measure
Government Proposal HE 129/2026 vp, amendments to the Act on Equality between Women and Men and related Acts
Core obligations start
1 Jan 2027 (proposed)
Who is covered
Proposed rules apply across public and private employment. The reporting model covers Finnish entities and foreign entities with a Finnish permanent establishment, from 100 employees; HE 129/2026 remains draft.

What the law requires

How Finland differs from the Directive

Finland already requires employers with regularly at least 30 employees to maintain an equality plan including a pay survey. HE 129/2026 proposes a centralised reporting model using the Incomes Register and Statistics Finland, and proposes first 150+ reporting only in 2028 for 2027 data, later than the Directive baseline.

On at least one point the national rules go beyond the Directive minimum, so preparing to the EU baseline alone is not enough here.

What this means for employers

Under the proposal, employees would gain the right to ask for their own pay level and sex-disaggregated average pay for workers doing the same work or work of equal value. Employers would have a proposed two month window to respond. A gender pay gap of 5.0% or more would trigger a joint pay assessment, and the draft also includes a salary range rule and a ban on asking candidates about salary history.

Reporting duties would apply to employers with 100 or more employees, using a proposed hybrid model where Statistics Finland and the Incomes Register handle six of the EU’s seven pay-gap indicators centrally, while employers stay responsible for the equal-work and equal-value category indicator. Larger employers would file first, with filing due by 2 May 2028 and transmission to Statistics Finland by 7 June 2028 for 2027 data. Employers with 100 to 149 employees would follow later, with filing due by 2 May 2031 and transmission by 7 June 2031 for 2030 data. These dates are set out in the proposal itself but remain subject to parliamentary amendment.

None of this replaces your existing obligations if you already have 30 or more employees. Your current equality plan and pay survey process continues either way.

  • Watch Parliament’s progress on HE 129/2026 vp so you know if and when the proposed dates firm up.
  • Build recruitment controls for pay ranges and remove any salary history questions from your hiring process.
  • Document your pay and progression criteria so they are objective and gender-neutral, ready to support any pay information request.
  • Set up a pay-information workflow that can respond to employee requests within the proposed two month deadline.
  • If you have 100 or more employees, check your Incomes Register and payroll data quality now, and start mapping equal-value job categories.
  • Keep your existing 30+ equality plan and pay survey process running alongside any new preparation work.

Enforcement and open questions

Competent authority
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (legislative lead); Ombudsman for Equality / National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal for supervision and enforcement under the Equality Act framework.
Equality body
Ombudsman for Equality (Tasa-arvovaltuutettu).
Penalties
Proposed §21b: failure to submit the joint pay assessment can attract a €5,000-€80,000 neglect fee, with proportionality and minor-breach relief and specified public-body exemptions. The Tribunal can order compliance with the listed transparency duties, backed by a conditional fine.
What could still change
The Incomes Register guide issued 2 November 2026 states that the pay-transparency reporting rules apply from 1 January 2027 and gives detailed filing mechanics, but HE 129/2026 was still before Parliament when freshly checked on 4 November: PJ 106/2026 scheduled the first reading, and no completed reading, final vote, enactment or promulgation was verified. The guide is competent-authority operational evidence, not proof of enactment. Final statutory text may change.

Common questions

Is Finland's pay transparency law already in force?

No. HE 129/2026 vp is a published government proposal submitted to Parliament, not enacted law. The proposed commencement date for the core obligations is 1 January 2027, but this is not yet confirmed.

When would employees in Finland be able to request pay information?

Under the proposal, employees would have the right to request their own pay level and sex-disaggregated average pay for a worker group doing the same work or work of equal value. Employers would have a proposed two month deadline to respond. This right is not yet in force.

Which employers in Finland would need to report gender pay gaps?

The proposal sets a reporting threshold of 100 employees or more. Larger employers would file first, with employer filing due by 2 May 2028 and transmission to Statistics Finland by 7 June 2028 for 2027 data. Employers with 100 to 149 employees would follow with filing due by 2 May 2031 and transmission by 7 June 2031 for 2030 data.

Does Finland already have pay reporting rules today?

Yes, separately from the new proposal. Employers with regularly at least 30 employees already must maintain an equality plan that includes a pay survey, and this existing framework continues alongside HE 129/2026 vp.

How does Finland's proposed reporting model work?

The proposal uses a hybrid, centralised model. Statistics Finland and the Incomes Register would handle six of the EU's seven pay-gap indicators centrally, while employers would remain responsible for reporting the equal-work and equal-value category indicator themselves.

Who enforces pay transparency rules in Finland?

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health leads on the legislation, while the Ombudsman for Equality and the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal handle supervision and enforcement under the existing Equality Act framework.

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Author

Karl Engelvuori

Co-founder, CEO

Karl Engelvuori is the co-founder and CEO of Evenpay. At Evenpay he leads sales, partnerships and thought leadership, helping European employers turn pay transparency from a compliance requirement into a competitive strength.

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