What kind of pension can you get?
On this page
People usually retire at their respective retirement age or if their work capacity is impaired. Pensions provide economic security in old age, disability and late-career unemployment.
What can a pension consist of?
The Finnish pension system consists of three parts.
Earnings-related pension
- Authorised pension providers pay out earnings-related pensions based on employment or self-employment.
- Your earnings-related pension can be paid to you in the form of, for example, an old-age pension or disability pension.
- Visit your earnings-related pension provider's e-service for more information on your earnings-related pension (elakepalvelut.fi).
National pension
- Kela pays a national pension to those who qualify. You can get a national pension if your earnings-related pension is small or if you have not accrued any earnings-related pension at all.
- A national pension can be paid in the form of an old-age pension or disability pension.
Guarantee pensions
- Kela pays out guarantee pensions that secure a minimum pension for pension recipients with small incomes.
- Guarantee pension is paid as a supplement to a small earnings-related pension or national pension.
- Before you can qualify for a guarantee pension, you must first apply for all pensions you may have the right to both in Finland and abroad.
You can also receive a pension or other kinds of compensation from some other sources, such as an insurance company that pays you based on workers’ compensation insurance or motor liability insurance.
If you have lost a family member, you can be paid a survivors’ pension by Kela, an earnings-related pension provider or some other entity. Survivors’ pensions are paid either as a surviving spouse’s pension or an orphan’s pension.
If you have worked or stayed abroad, you may also have accrued pension rights from other countries.
If you get pension payments from Kela in Finland and you move abroad, Kela may stop the payment of your pension or pensions. The payment of pensions is affected by your country of destination and how long you will stay abroad.
The pension can thus consist of several different parts.
Where and how to apply for a pension
You can apply for a pension from Kela if the pensions and compensations you get from the authorised pension provider or from other sources are small or you do not get them at all. You can apply for the following pensions from Kela:
- Old-age pension
Kela can pay you an old-age pension in the form of a national pension if you are 65 years old or older and the old-age pension you are being paid as your earnings-related pension is small or if you are not paid any earnings-related pension at all. In some cases, you can take the old-age pension early. The national pension and the earnings-related pension have different age limits for when you can take an old-age pension. Information about earnings-related pensions is available from the authorised pension provider.
- Disability pension and rehabilitation subsidy
If your work capacity is impaired in the long term due to illness or disability or you have been paid sickness allowance for a long time, you can apply for rehabilitation subsidy (time-limited disability pension) or disability pension.
You can apply for a pension from the authorised pension provider and from Kela with the same application when you are applying for old-age pension, disability pension or survivors’ pension.
More detailed instructions for application are available on the pages for the different pension types.
Other benefits while retired
If your income is small, you may qualify for housing allowance for pensioners or general housing allowance.
If you have children aged under 16 years, you may be entitled to a child increase.
Kela pays care allowance for pensioners to pensioners with a disability or chronic illness as a form of support for their daily life, functional ability, rehabilitation and care.
Many service providers offer pensioner discounts. To get a discount, you may need a certificate to prove that you are retired. Read more about cards for pension recipients and pensioner discounts.
What else is going on in your life?
Do you have medical or medicine expenses?
You can receive reimbursement for the costs of private healthcare services and prescription medicines prescribed for an illness. Read more about what kinds of expenses can be reimbursed. Don’t forget to apply for social assistance for medicine costs, when necessary.
Do you use Kela taxis?
Kela reimburses taxi rides to persons who, due to their health or poor traffic conditions, need help with transport to and from healthcare providers. Read more about when you can use a Kela taxi.
Is someone else managing your Kela affairs?
If you have Kela-related affairs that you cannot or do not wish to manage independently, you can authorise someone to do so on your behalf. It is possible to manage another person’s affairs by phone, by mail, by visiting a customer service point, and partially online. Read more about acting on behalf of someone else.
Starting or ending a relationship
Have your benefits reviewed if you move in with your partner, get married or separate.
Are you short of money?
If your pension or other income are not enough to cover your compulsory expenses, you should find out if you are eligible for social assistance.
Current topics
How to issue a power of attorney to authorise someone to manage your Kela-related affairs
You can issue a power of attorney to authorise someone to manage your Kela-related affairs by phone, by mail or by visiting a customer service point.
Read the article
Cards and certificates for pensioners
You can obtain a national pension recipient’s card from Kela, if you are under the age of 65 and a full national pension recipient. If you cannot obtain a national pension recipient 's card, you can, on request, receive a certificate on receipt of a national pension.
Read more