Earnings-related pension for graduates
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If you complete a degree, you can get a higher earnings-related pension after you retire. You can accrue earnings-related pension for degrees completed in or after 2005.
Can you accrue earnings-related pension for your degree?
You can get a higher earnings-related pension when you have earned
- a first-cycle degree or second-cycle degree from a university
- a first-cycle degree or second-cycle degree from a university of applied sciences
- a basic vocational qualification.
Further requirements are that
- you were between 18 and 67 years old when you graduated
- you have been in paid employment which provides you with an earnings-related pension.
You can earn a pension also for a degree you complete outside Finland if you received financial aid from Finland during your studies.
You can accrue a pension by completing a degree even if you are not a Finnish citizen or you do not have the right to Kela benefits.
No pension accrues
- if you were under 18 years old when you graduated
- if you have been paid a pension when you completed your degree
- if you completed your degree before 1 January 2005.
How much earnings-related pension can you accrue for your degree
A fixed pension accrual period applies to each degree. The time you take to graduate does not affect the amount of your pension. You can accrue a pension for up to five years in total for any number of degrees you complete.
The table below shows the amount of pension accrued per month for the degrees you have completed if you were to retire now. However, the final amount of the pension you accrue from your degree will be higher because the pensions are increased every year.
| Degree | Pension accrued | Amount of pension |
Second-cycle degree earned in a university or a university of applied sciences | For five years | EUR 65.70 per month |
First-cycle degree earned in a university of applied sciences | For four years | EUR 52.56 per month |
Basic vocational qualification or first-cycle university degree | For three years | EUR 39.42 per month |
If you began a course of study before 2005 but graduated after that date, you have accrued a pension on the basis of the degree for the months of active study beginning with January 2005.
Please note that the final amount of your pension will be calculated when you retire. The total amount of your earnings-related pension depends on how long you have been working and what your earnings have been.
How to apply for an earnings-related pension on the basis of a degree
If you completed your degree in Finland, you need not do anything. The Finnish Centre for Pensions collects data on completed degrees automatically.
If you graduate from a foreign institution of higher education, tell Kela about it.
- Complete the form Notification of degree completed in a foreign educational institution OT 29e (PDF).
- Save the blank form to your device and fill it in in PDF format.
- Log in to the OmaKela e-service (available in Finnish and Swedish). Go to Lähetä liite (Send supporting documents).
- Select Muut Kela-asiat (Other Kela-related matters) - Opiskelu (Students) - Ilmoitus ulkomaisessa oppilaitoksessa suoritetusta tutkinnosta (Notification of degree completed at a foreign educational institution).
- Select the form on your device and press Lähetä (Send).
- When you send your form through OmaKela you do not need to sign it.
- If you have supporting documents, send them via OmaKela at the same time as you send the form or afterwards. If they are paper documents, you can photograph them.
If you cannot use OmaKela, send your application to Kela by post. Save the form to your device and fill it in after saving it. Print out the completed form and send it and any supporting documents to Kela, PL 10, 00056 KELA.
We will forward the necessary information to the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
You can check the data in your pension record on the website of the pension provider (tyoelake.fi), where the data will show up at the earliest in the summer of the year following graduation or notification.
The Finnish Centre for Pensions (etk.fi) and the authorised pension providers issue decisions on earnings-related pensions and provide information on earnings-related pensions.