Brochure – Pensions and retirement
A clear and concise overview of Kela’s pensions and other support for pensioners and the retired.
Quick guide for pensioners
If your earnings-related pension is small or if you receive no earnings-related pension, you can receive a national pension. These benefits include old-age pensions and disability pensions.
See the quick guide for pensionersRetirement
- National pension, earnings-related pension or both
- Kela pays you a national pension if your earnings-related pension is small or if you receive no earnings-related pension. Earnings-related pensions are paid by authorised pension providers.
- Effect of the earnings-related pension reform on pensions from Kela
- The earnings-related pension legislation will be reformed at the beginning of 2017. The reform will also affect pensions and benefits from Kela.
- Disability pension and rehabilitation subsidy
- The earnings-related pension legislation will be reformed at the beginning of 2017. The reform will also affect pensions and benefits from Kela.
- Old-age pension
- If you have retired on an old-age pension and your earnings-related pension is small, the old-age pension from Kela provides financial support.
- Early old-age pension
- If you retire on an earnings-related pension before the age of 65 and your earnings-reated pension is small, you can apply for an early old-age pension.
- Old-age pension for long-term unemployed
- If you have been unemployed for a long time and you receive unemployment allowance for additional days, you can apply for an old-age pension.
- Pension Assistance for long-term unemployed
- Pension assistance provides income security for elderly long-term unemployed persons.
- Guarantee pension
- The guarantee pension provides a minimum pension to pensioners with low income.
Benefits for pension recipients
- Housing allowance for pensioners
- You can apply for housing allowance for pensioners for your permanent rental or owner-occupied home in Finland.
- Child increase
- You can apply for a child increase if your or your spouse's/partner's children under the age of 16 years live with you in the same household.
- Front-veteran’s supplements
- The front-veteran's supplement and additional front-veteran's supplement are paid on the 7th day of the month, in the same way as the national pension.
- Care allowance for pensioners
- You can apply for care allowance for pensioners if your health deteriorates while you are retired.
- Social assistance
- You can apply for basic social assistance if your incomes and assets are not sufficient to cover your necessary everyday expenses.
- Reimbursement of travel costs
- You can get reimbursement for your travel costs in connection with the treatment of an illness.
- Reimbursement of medical care expenses
- You can get reimbursement for your travel costs in connection with the treatment of an illness.
- Annual maximum on out-of-pocket medicine costs
- If you reach the annual maximum for medicine costs, you become entitled to an additional reimbursement.
Hints for everyday life
- Discounts for pensioners
- You can receive discounts for pensioners for instance on travel tickets and for cultural events.
- Pension recipients abroad
- To certain countries you may continue to receive a pension from Finland even if you are no longer covered by the Finnish social security system.
- Study and work during disability pension
- If you study for a degree or qualification, report the completing of the degree or qualification to Kela and the authorised pension provider.
- From disability pension to work
- You can work to some extent while drawing a disability pension. You can also suspend payment of the pension for 2 years.
