Skip to content
Työtodistus

Certificate of employment

Published28.02.2023
When a work relationship ends, employees are entitled to a certificate of employment from their employers if they request one. A certificate of employment is an important document, as it outlines the various duties the employee was responsible for as well as the starting and ending dates of the work relationship. The employee can also ask for an extended certificate of employment, in which the employer includes the reason the work relationship came to an end and an evaluation of the employee’s occupational skills and conduct.

Employers are obliged to provide a certificate of employment upon employee request for up to ten years after a work relationship has ended. The obligation continues after this period, unless the employer can prove that the letter will be prohibitively difficult to generate. If an employee requests an extended certificate of employment with an evaluation of the employee’s occupational skills and conduct, the employer is obliged to provide it up to five years after the work relationship has ended. If a certificate of employment is lost or damaged, the employer is obliged to provide the employee with a new one.

It is illegal not to provide a testimonial of service. If your employer does not give you a testimonial of service despite your request, you can ask for help from the occupational safety and health authority.

Link redirects to another websiteOccupational Safety and Health Administration

Information about the right to a testimonial of service