Membership
Who can join YKA?
Social Science Professionals (or as we say in Finnish: Yhteiskunta-alan korkeakoulutetut ry, YKA) is a trade union for employees, graduates and students in public or private sector or NGOs. All those who have a bachelor’s or master’s degree from university or who are studying for one in social sciences can apply for YKA membership. Those who have or are studying for some other kind of university degree and who work in the social sciences can also apply for membership.
As a member you get access to our member benefits as soon as you have sent us your membership application. YKA’s board makes the final decision on admitting new members at their monthly meetings.
Submit your application and join the community of social scientists!
Join YKA!
About YKA
Social Science Professionals (YKA) is a trade union representing university-educated professionals and students in the social sciences and related fields. Our members typically have an educational background in social sciences, political science, administrative sciences, humanities or education.
YKA is affiliated with the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland (Akava). We safeguard our members’ professional, financial, educational and social interests in working life. We also promote recognition of our members’ expertise and professions, as well as their professional identity.
YKA has over 15,000 members, and our membership continues to grow.
Read more about YKA
Membership benefits
YKA membership gives you high-quality services and valuable benefits! Join our workshops, make use of our insurance policies, ask our legal team for advice, and make an appointment for personal career guidance. Our services are tailored to social science professionals. So make the most of your services and benefits!
Read more about benefits
Membership fees
Pay your membership fee in the way that suits you best! You can choose from e-invoicing, MobilePay invoicing, paper invoices or OmaPosti invoices. Payment through employer collection is no longer available at YKA as of 31 December 2025.
YKA’s official name is Yhteiskunta-alan korkeakoulutetut ry, Högskoleutbildade samhällsvetare rf. Following the introduction of the new instant payment regulations, if you pay your membership fee to YKA’s Nordea or Danske Bank account, you must enter the union’s official name as the recipient. Otherwise, your bank may flag the recipient’s name as incorrect.
Graduates 349 € per year
YKA’s membership fee for undergraduate or postgraduate degree and permanently employed students is €349 per year or €29.08 per month. Discounts are available under certain circumstances. For example, newly graduated members receive a 50% discount on their annual membership fee for the first year. Read more about membership fee discounts below.
Students – from €29 per year
As a student, your membership fee is either €29 or €115 per year, depending on whether you are a member of an unemployment fund. The basic membership fee (€29 per year) does not include the unemployment fund fee. If you work alongside your studies, we recommend joining an unemployment fund. In that case, your membership fee is €115 per year. As a student member, you have access to all YKA’s member services and benefits, regardless of whether you belong to an unemployment fund.
Pensioners – €73 per year
As a pensioner, your membership fee is €73 per year, or €6.08 per month. The fee includes all YKA member benefits. Membership of an unemployment fund is not included in the membership fee for pensioners.
Grounds for free reductions and reduced fees
You will receive a discount on your membership fee if you have not been in gainful employment for more than three months. It is a good idea to apply for a reduced membership fee as soon as you have received a decision on e.g. maternity leave or job alternation leave. You are also entitled to a discount when you are unable to fully make use of our members’ benefits (e.g. living abroad, self-employed member).
If you have paid too much for your membership the extra fee will not be refunded, but it will instead be deducted from next year’s membership fee.
For more information on membership fees, please call 010 231 0350 or contact us via email: jasenasiat@yka.fi
€174,50
Self-employed members who have joined an unemployment fund for entrepreneurs, those working on a grant or scholarship, those working abroad in an EU or EEA country for a local employer, those working abroad for an international organisation
€78
Members who are unemployed, on parental, study or job alternation leave, performing military or national service, or working outside the EU/EEA and not covered by the Finnish unemployment security system. Members on parental leave can only apply for a discounted membership fee for the months when they did not receive a salary.
€73
Pensioners and people living abroad who are not working.
€261,75
A person who is simultaneously a member of the Finnish Union of University Professors or the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers and of Social Science Professionals will receive a 25 per cent discount on the membership fees of both unions.
A discounted membership fee can be granted retrospectively from the start of the current year or three months since the unemployment began at the earliest. The application must be sent to the Union’s office by the end of the year, and it applies to one year at a time. If you have overpaid for your membership during the year, the excess will be taken into account in your following invoice.
Granting a fee reduction
The Union will send the applicant a decision on their right to a fee reduction by email, or a new invoice which includes the discount.
When the grounds for a deruction no longer apply: remember to notify us!
When you apply for a reduced membership fee you commit to notifying the Union immediately when the grounds for a reduction cease to apply to you. In this instance the membership fee will be increased to the normal level for the rest of the year. If you as a member neglect your responsibility to notify us of the change the Union can overturn the grounds for a reduced membership fee.
Attachments to the application
In order to be granted a reduction you have to enclose proof of your right to a reduced membership fee. You can send us the copies of your documents (e.g. a photograph of the document is acceptable) as an attachment to the application form or later by post, fax or email.
A copy of Kela’s decision regarding maternity or parental leave: in the application you must also include the length of paid maternity leave at the start of the leave (also note if there is no paid leave) and potential periods of paid annual leave. If the length of the paid leave is not noted in the application/evident from the attachments it will be assumed that the paid leave lasts 3 months.
A copy of Kela’s decision regarding child care leave: also note potential periods of paid annual leave in the application.
The first and latest notice of payment of unemployment allowance which state the start date and continuance/length of the unemployment: you can only apply for a reduced membership fee when you have been unemployed for at least three months.
A copy of the lay-off certificate: if you have been laid off indefinitely you can only apply for a reduced membership fee once you have been laid off for at least three months.
Certificate of attendance from your educational institution.
A copy of the study leave/job alternation leave agreement which has been drawn up with your employer.
A copy of the decision to award you the grant. On the application for a reduced fee you should also include the time within which the grant will be spent.
A copy of the call-up papers: if the end date is not known when the application is submitted the discount will be granted for six months, and the member will notify the Union of the end date when this is known.
Copies of sick leave certificates or Kela’s decisions regarding sickness allowance: in the application you should include until which date your employer has paid your salary during your sickness leave. You can only apply for a reduced fee when you have been on unpaid sick leave for at least three months.
Copy of the decision.
Accounts of weekly working hours if the job is irregular part-time work, or a copy of the employment contract if you work regular hours. You can apply for a discount when the work that does not fulfill the employment condition has been going on for at least three months.
The work fulfills the employment condition if you have been working at least 18 hours a week (8 hours a week for teaching jobs) and your salary for full-time employment corresponds to the collective agreement or is at least €1236/month if there is no collective agreement. The salary will be assessed in proportion to your working hours when calculating the employment condition.
Ways to pay
There are three ways to pay your membership fee: e-invoice, MobilePay invoice or direct payment.
If you want to pay by bank transfer, you get the option to pay the full annual membership fee in one transaction or in four instalments when you pay your first invoice. If you choose to pay in instalments, we will invoice you in January, April, August and October. We will post the invoice to your home.
Instead of a printed invoice you can choose to receive an electronic invoice through OmaPosti. Registering for the OmaPosti service allows you to receive invoices in OmaPosti, and you can also use the service to pay your invoices through online banking. The invoices look like normal printed invoices, and OmaPosti also works as an archive for your electronic invoices. Please note: You will receive a notification by email when an invoice has arrived in the service. This notification will be sent by Avoine Oy.
The Union also accepts payments via e-invoice.
You can order the e-invoice through your online bank. You will need the reference number of your latest invoice and your membership number.
The e-invoice is environmentally friendly, and it makes it easy to pay your invoice. E-invoices are easy to pay in your online bank with a single click, and there is no need to enter account or reference numbers. You can also choose automatic payment if you wish, in which case the invoice will be paid automatically on the due date without you having to confirm the payment. Invoicing through e-invoice is done annually or four times a year.
For more information about choosing the e-invoice, please contact your bank or the Union via jasenasiat@yka.fi or tel. 010 231 0350.
Make it easy to pay your membership fee! Once you have selected MobilePay as your payment method you will receive a text message when the membership fee can be paid in the MobilePay app. You can download the app from your app store.
You can change your payment method to MobilePay in the Oma YKA portal or by contacting our membership services. The invoice will be sent to the primary mobile number which you have entered into our membership register.
The billing cycles available on MobilePay are annual, quarterly or monthly invoicing. Students who are only paying the basic membership fee will be invoiced annually and cannot change the billing cycle.
Update your personal details
Let YKA keep up with you by updating your personal information whenever something changes!
We want to serve our members in a way that suits each member. We can achieve this when we have up to date information about our members.
It is important that you let us know whenever your address or your work or study circumstances change. Please remember to update your details whenever you move, change jobs or graduate.
It is also important to update your email address, because otherwise we will not be able to send you information via email.
You can update your details online or or contact us via email: jasenasiat@yka.fi
Leaving the union?
If you want to leave the Social Science Professionals, you must do so in writing. Contact us: jasenasiat@yka.fi
The Union will process your resignation and send you a confirmation letter. We will inform the unemployment fund Työttömyyskassa Ote whether you wish to remain a member, but you can also contact the unemployment fund directly to speed up the process of letting them know that you wish to continue as an individual member.
Please note that you cannot leave the Union by failing to pay your membership fee. You need to fill out the resignation form.
According to the rules of the Union, membership fees are due to be paid until the end of the resignation month. Please note that membership fees that have already been paid will not be refunded.
We thank you for your membership in YKA and warmly welcome you back in the future!
Unemployment security
As a salaried member of YKA, you are also a member of the Unemployment Fund Ote, which pays its members an earnings-related unemployment allowance.
Even for fairly small salaries, the earnings-related unemployment allowance is significantly larger than the unemployment benefit which Kela pays out and which is not dependent on your previous salary. Read the instructions provided by the Unemployment Fund Ote and act accordingly.
Unemployment Fund OteDo you have any questions?
Don’t hesitate to contact us! Please call 010 231 0350 or send us an email (jasenasiat@yka.fi) for more information.