Vocational rehabilitation for entrepreneurs

Sometimes your health and ability to work may decline to the point where you cannot continue as an entrepreneur as before. You can receive help from Elo's vocational rehabilitation if you are unable to manage your tasks due to illness or injury and are at risk of disability. Elo's vocational rehabilitation can also assist when you return to work from a rehabilitation subsidy.

Elo's vocational rehabilitation offers a range of means to support continuing in or returning to work. These means include workplace rehabilitation, such as work trials and work coaching, support for entrepreneurship, and education. You can receive assistance from a job coach in selecting and planning the most suitable mean for you.

You can apply for Elo's vocational rehabilitation in our Online Service. The service also allows you to manage other rehabilitation matters easily and quickly.

Entrepreneur’s right to vocational rehabilitation

Elo can support your vocational rehabilitation if all the following conditions are met:

You have not yet reached your lowest pensionable age and
You are facing the threat of begin forced to retire on disability pension in the near future and
Your earned income from the preceding 5 calendar years totals a minimum of EUR 41 143,38 (in 2024) and
You have earnings for the previous 36 months and/or during that time you were not gainfully employed due to caring for a child under 3 years and/or an adopted child over 3 years and
You are not entitled to vocational rehabilitation granted on the basis of an injury or traffic accident.

Manage your rehabilitation matters easily and quickly online

In Elo's Online Service, you can, among other things:

get an estimate of the rehabilitation allowance
apply for rehabilitation
fill out the rehabilitation plan
see decisions and payment information
submit attachments and files to Elo.

What is entrepreneurial vocational rehabilitation?

The same means of Elo's vocational rehabilitation, such as workplace rehabilitation and education, are available for both entrepreneurs and employees. For entrepreneurs, the range of means also includes entrepreneur's work trial and business subsidy.

Entrepreneurial Work Trial

Entrepreneurial rehabilitation often involves a work trial in your own company. The granting of an entrepreneurial work trial requires that your business conditions are good and the job description suits your health. The work trial lasts 3–6 months.

You will receive support from a job coach from our partner specialized in supporting entrepreneurs during the work trial.

Elo will pay you a rehabilitation benefit during the entrepreneurial work trial.

If you have an existing YEL insurance, it does not need to be changed due to the work trial. If you do not yet have YEL insurance, you can obtain it through our Online Service.

Take YEL insurance

Business Subsidy

With a business subsidy, Elo can support an entrepreneur or someone starting as an entrepreneur. The subsidy is a grant for establishing, modifying, or practicing a profession in your own business.

Business subsidies are granted for essential machinery, equipment, and tools that facilitate continuing work despite health limitations. The granting of the subsidy requires that the rehabilitee can earn a livelihood from their business or profession in a job suitable for their health.

The entrepreneur must also have their own funding for the business subsidy to be granted. The subsidy is personal support for the entrepreneur.