About registration of employment
According to the Taxation Act, the employer has the obligation to make an entry in the employment register concerning the commencement of employment, the conclusion of an employment contract, the suspension of employment (e.g. during parental leave or longer leave granted without pay) and the termination of the employment contract.
The employer has the obligation to enter in the register the type of employment contract, workplace address, title, the rate of working time and the date of commencement of employment before the employee begins work.
In the case of fixed-term employment, the employer must also enter in the register the final date of employment and the legal basis for termination of employment.
If employment relationship with the employee ends, the employer must complete the record of employment in the register within ten days of the termination of the employment relationship and include a legal basis for the termination of contract.
Several rights important for people depend on the employment register entry, including the right to health insurance and parental benefit, but also the right to register as unemployed and apply for unemployment benefit in case of losing one’s job. It is important that the entry of termination of employment corresponds to the actual reason for the termination of employment. This means that the correct legal basis must be selected when the entry is made (and not, for example, “Other reason”). Not all grounds for termination of employment guarantee the above-mentioned benefits. An entry in the employment register alone does not guarantee these rights, but together with other important documents, it can be crucial.
About registration of employment for foreign employees
A foreign employee is registered with the Estonian personal identification code. It is possible to apply for an Estonian personal identification code at the nearest local government of the county centre or at an Estonian foreign mission located abroad.
Citizens of a Member State of the European Union, a Member State of the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation, who take up permanent residence in Estonia, may apply for a personal identification code together with the submission of a notice of residence by personally visiting the rural municipality or city government of the residence of the person.
More information on applying for a personal identification code on the website of the Ministry of the Interior.
Employment register notifications to employees
If the employer has made an entry in the employment register, a notification is automatically sent to the employee’s e-mail The notification is sent to the e-mail address available in the e-services environment e-MTA of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board.
If there is no e-mail address in the e-MTA or in the population register, it is not possible to send out the notification.
No SMS notifications are sent about employment entries.
The notification contains employer’s name and the ID of the employment entry (TÖR ID). More information about the entry made by employer can be found in the e-MTA section “My Employments”.
“My Employments” in the e-MTA
For more information about your employment, sign in to the e-services environment e-MTA and select “Registers and inquiries” and then “My employments”.
By default, all person’s “prospective”, “effective” and “suspended” employment statuses are displayed when accessing the service.
Entries in the list are sorted by the date of commencement of work, with earlier ones above.
To view terminated and cancelled entries, the “terminated” and “cancelled” statuses should be added to the search filter.
A detailed view of employment entry can be opened by clicking on an entry number.
Employers have an obligation to register all employees in the employment register since 1 July 2014.
Employments that had ended by 1 July 2014 are not included in the employment register.
The employment entries that were transferred from the Estonian Health Insurance Fund and have an earlier start date than 1 July 2014 are not accurate and are not going to be corrected. Entries in the employment register have legal effect since 1 July 2014.
About getting a health insurance
If an employee is registered in the employment register with an employment contract, the insurance will take effect on the expiry of a 14-day waiting period from the date on which employment entered in the employment register begins.If the date of commencement of employment entered in the employment register falls within a period of valid insurance cover, the insurance cover will continue on a new base without interruption.
Insurance for persons insured as employees ends two months after the date of termination of employment entered in the employment register.
If an employee receives remuneration on the basis of a contract under the law of obligations or is a member of the management or controlling body of legal person, the insurance will take effect a day after the deadline for the submission of form TSD, if social tax has been declared on the employee at least to the extent of the minimum social tax obligation.
More information on the website of the Health Insurance Fund.
Temporary employment during the time a person is registered as unemployed
Since 1 September 2020, a person registered as unemployed is allowed to work on a temporary basis up to 8 calendar days per month. Temporary employment, a so-called workbit, does not have to be eight days of continuous work, but may also going to work for one day at a time.
The workbit is entered in the employment register in the manner in which work is actually carried out according to the employment contract.
The employer must still conclude a contract, register employment (in the employment register), pay labour taxes, etc.
It is the Unemployment Insurance Fund that must assess whether the employment relationship between the unemployed person and the employer complies with the conditions of temporary employment allowed during the time a person is registered as unemployed provided for in § 42 of the Labour Market Services and Benefits Act
More information on temporary employment is available on the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s webpage.
Settlement of labour disputes, i.e. if the employer has failed to register or complete an employment entry or if the employee has never been in contact with the company that has registered him or her in the register.
The employer is primarily responsible for the correctness of entries in the employment register. Therefore, if you discover that the entry in the employment register does not correspond to reality, you must first contact the employer. You must contact the employer at least by e-mail (keep the sent e-mail). If necessary, contact the employer repeatedly and use different channels (contact details of companies can be found in the commercial register).
More information on solutions for labour disputes and incorrect entries in the register of employment can be found on the website of the Labour Inspectorate.
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Last updated: 14.11.2023