Add over 10 000 € of purchasing power to your employees' salaries.
Salary is compensation for an employee's time and contribution to the organisation. Total rewards is a broader concept; it's about what comes on top of the salary. Did you know that even in financially tight times, you can boost your employees' purchasing power by over
10 000 € a year, with very little cost to you?
How much tax-free benefit are you leaving unused?
If you currently offer only a sport and culture benefit, you've used just a fraction of the tax-free benefits available to you. Commuting benefit, dental benefit and health benefit alone can multiply the total value of your tax-free package, without your costs growing in the same proportion.
If you want to see what the full picture looks like, read on.
Tax limits for employee benefits.
In many organisations, employee benefits are thought of mainly as a lunch benefit and a sport and culture benefit. On top of these traditional perks, you can offer your employees a comprehensive range of other benefits that boost their purchasing power, support them with everyday costs, and show them you value their contribution.
In 2026, the following employee benefits can be offered tax-free:
- Commuting benefit 3 400 € / employee / year
- Massage benefit 400 € / employee / year
- Health benefit 3 000 € / individual procedure / employee / year
- Dental benefit 3 000 € / employee / year
- Sport and Culture benefit 400 € / employee / year
With Epassi Flex benefit, you can package these benefit types into one solution, tailored exactly to what your employees want. A single Flex balance reduces admin, as each employee can freely use their benefit on whatever supports their wellbeing best.
You can also offer Epassi Lunch benefit either as a fringe benefit on top of salary or as a lunch deduction as part of salary. You can support your employees' everyday activity by giving them access to renewed Epassi Bike benefit.
Epassi's Lunch benefit is divided according to working days, and you can decide whether the lunch balance accumulates month by month or resets at the end of each month. For the employee, Lunch benefit adds real value to everyday life, it makes eating a healthy, varied lunch on working days more affordable than paying out of pocket.
Two models for Commuting benefit.
Commuting benefit is a fringe benefit that doesn't have to be offered in the same form to all employees. Commuting benefit is exactly the kind of perk Finnish employees want in their Epassi. If you want your employees to come into the office, show them by including Commuting benefit in Epassi Flex. Did you know that a personal public transport season ticket purchased with Commuting benefit can also be used for leisure travel?
From the employee's perspective, Epassi's commuting benefit is easy and quick to use, and reliable. Once Commuting benefit has been activated in Epassi, no new logins are needed. Buying a ticket is straightforward, and it works both directly in the service provider's app and in most online stores.
Commuting benefit adds concrete everyday value for your employees. Learn more about Commuting benefit.
Did you know that a personal public transport season ticket purchased with Commuting benefit can also be used for leisure travel?
Commuting benefit is exactly the kind of perk Finnish employees want in their Epassi. According to an HSL study, as many as half of employees would be happy to come into the office more often if their employer supported commuting costs — and 76 % of employees want support for getting to work.
According to an HSL study, as many as half of employees would be happy to come into the office more often if their employer supported commuting costs. The same study found that 76 % of employees want support for getting to work. Commuting benefit is also seen as a sustainability statement. It's not a small thing — at least not for the employee.
Commuting benefit on top of salary.
Commuting benefit is a fringe benefit that doesn't have to be offered in the same form to all employees. If you provide parking for those who drive to the office, consider offering Commuting benefit on top of salary for those who commute by public transport.
If you offer a commuting benefit worth up to 900 € per year, you don't need to submit a report to the Incomes Register on employees' actual travel costs.
Commuting benefit as part of salary.
A gross salary deduction for Commuting benefit is a near cost-neutral way for employers to support employees' commuting costs. The logic is straightforward:
- The value of Commuting benefit is deducted from the employee's gross salary.
- This reduces the employee's income tax burden, increasing their net take-home pay.
- In practice: on a monthly salary of 2 500 €, savings can amount to over 260 € a year, and on a 4 000 € monthly salary, over 300 € a year.
For the employer, this model costs little more than the effort of setting it up, as the value of Commuting benefit is deducted from the employee's gross salary.
Flexibility in occupational health with Health benefit.
Finnish employees particularly value comprehensive occupational healthcare. With Epassi Flex, you can extend your occupational healthcare coverage in a cost-effective and individualised way — each benefit user can choose what to direct it towards.
Read more about Health benefit.
Even in a broad occupational healthcare model, employers typically pay a fixed monthly fee plus separate charges for each procedure and examination. Fixed costs must also be paid for employees who don't use occupational healthcare at all.
health benefit as part of the Flex balance evens this out: those who don't need health services can put their benefit towards something else, while those who use a lot of services can pay for them with their benefit. Cosmetic treatments cannot be paid for with Health benefit.
Dental care as a talent magnet.
Have you ever heard of a healthy, working-age adult getting a dentist appointment through the public system? Neither have I.
By offering a dental benefit as part of Epassi Flex, you can make your company more attractive to top talent, lower the barrier for employees to visit the dentist, and reduce the cost of the appointment.
Dental benefit covers dentist and dental hygienist services, but not cosmetic treatments.
The employee benefit classic.
Sport and Culture benefit needs no introduction, since it has become a kind of standard perk in Finland, offered in some form by the majority of Finnish employers.
According to our research, employees who receive a sport benefit try more new activities and exercise more than those who don't. Sport and Culture benefit can be included in Epassi Flex, and if you prefer, you can limit it to cover sports services only.
Summary: Build a package that makes you stand out as an employer.
If you thought 400 € was the annual tax-free ceiling for employee benefits, that information is out of date. While the 400 € limit applies to Sport and Culture benefit, you can still boost your employees' purchasing power by offering Sport and Culture benefit at its full value, plus additional benefits on top.
A competitive benefits package could look like this:
- Lunch benefit on top of salary or as a lunch deduction.
- Flex balance covering Commuting benefit, Health benefit, Dental benefit, and Sport and Culture benefit.
- Flex balance of at least 600–800 € / year, so the boost to purchasing power is genuinely felt in everyday life.
According to our research, employees want support with everyday costs, as the cost of living has risen even for average earners. Listen to what your employees need and offer them tax-free benefits either on top of salary or as part of it. When employees aren't spending their entire salary just getting by, employee experience improves and commitment to the employer grows.
If you're not yet an Epassi customer and would like to find out how Epassi could help your employees feel better at work, get in touch with your Epassi representative — let's talk!
If you're already an Epassi customer and your current Flex balance is 400 € or below, you're leaving a significant portion of available tax-free benefit unused. Easily add a new benefit or increase your employees' Flex balance.
