A nutritious lunch during the workday measurably improves afternoon alertness and productivity. The meal benefit value in 2026 is 8,80–14,00 €, and most Finns understand the basic mechanic: your employer covers part of the meal cost on your behalf. But what does that actually mean for your wallet?
Think of it this way: every fifth lunch is free. You pay for four, and the fifth comes at no cost. The saving is just spread evenly across all five payments, so you feel it a little each time rather than once.
Did you know you can use your lunch benefit around the clock? There's no restriction on time or day of the week. Whether you work a morning or evening shift, you can use your lunch benefit whenever your workday calls for it. A small habit with a real long-term impact on your finances.
The most common way to offer a lunch benefit through Epassi is to use OmaRaha to cover the employee's share, which is 75 % of the meal cost. The benefit can also be offered as part of your salary through a direct payroll deduction.
When you pay with your lunch benefit, your employer covers up to 25 % of the meal. You always get a discount on the meal price when you pay this way. On a 13 € meal, for example, your employer pays 3,25 €.
In a nutshell: every fifth meal is completely free for the employee.
Most employers offer the lunch benefit at full value. That means most users can apply the benefit up to 14 € on every working day — an average of 21,5 days per month.
By buying a 14 € meal every working day, you save 75,25 € a month and 827,75 € a year (calculated over 11 working months). Most employers offer the benefit at full value.
Over a few years, that adds up to a summer holiday in the south — even if you skip the odd day.
If your lunch benefit has no employee contribution — meaning the benefit is added on top of your salary — the value is even greater. Your employer covers the full cost of your lunch benefit, effectively increasing your salary by the value of the benefit. As an employee, you pay only income tax on the benefit, since it raises your taxable gross salary.
When the lunch benefit is paid on top of your salary, a 14 € meal costs you only around 3,10–3,15 € at a 30 % income tax rate (depending on other factors affecting your taxation, such as your spouse's income, church membership, and various tax deductions). In that case, the lunch benefit saves you 10,85–10,90 € every day. That money is lost if you don't use the benefit.
Using the same example, the lunch benefit saves you 233,28 € a month and up to 2 566,03 € a year (calculated over 11 working months).
When you eat out or order in instead of cooking yourself, remember to pay with Epassi. You save without even thinking about it. Over time, that adds up to a significant sum in straightforward savings.