National Pensions Index
What is National Pension Index?
The National Pensions Index is a ratio designed to ensure that benefit rates keep pace with price movements. It tracks the Cost-of-Living Index, a Statistics Finland measure of the prices of key products and services.
A large portion of the benefits provided by Kela are adjusted annually according to changes in the National Pensions Index. Recalculated each year, the National Pensions Index is based on information about average price levels in July, August and September of the previous year.
Kela calculates the National Pensions Index on the basis of an index score which it confirms and which is calculated on the basis of the scores for the Cost-of Living Index (a measure of changes in prices). When the average Cost-of-Living Index scores for July, August and September of the current year are divided by 1.2065, the result is the score of the National Pensions Index.
This means that as the cost of living increases, the National Pensions Index will rise and benefit rates will go up. The annual adjustment applies not only to the national pensions but also to such benefits as guarantee and survivors’ pensions.
The following benefits, too, are linked to the National Pensions Index:
- front-veterans’ supplements
- basic assistance of conscript’s allowance
- disability allowances
- basic unemployment allowance and labour market subsidy
- basic amount of social assistance
- child care allowances
- minimum daily allowances under the national health insurance scheme.
Kela confirms the following year’s National Pensions Index score by the end of October.
The value for 2025 is 1,930.
In 2024–2027 index adjustments be made to only some of the benefits that are tied to the National Pensions Index (1296/2023, in finnish).
The following Kela benefits will be increased by 1,0 per cent in line with the National Pensions Index as of 1 January 2025:
- national pension
- guarantee pension
- front-veterans’ supplements
- survivors’ pensions
- disability benefits
- basic amount of the conscript’s allowance
- basic amount of the social assistance and
- annual maximum limit on out-of-pocket medicine costs.
As of 1 January 2025, the initial deductible on reimbursements for medicine expenses will be increased from EUR 50 to EUR 70 and tied to the National Pensions Index.
No index adjustments will be made in 2025 to the following Kela benefits:
- labour market subsidy and basic unemployment allowance
- child care allowances
- study grant
- minimum amounts of sickness allowance
- partial sickness allowance
- daily allowances for parents
- special care allowance
- sickness allowance on account of human cell tissue or organ donation and
- rehabilitation allowance.
The rates of these benefits will remain the same as in 2024. Index adjustments will also not be made to the criteria for determining the general housing allowance and the housing allowance for pensioners in 2025.
| 2024 | 1,911 |
| 2023 | 1,805 |
| 1.8.-31.12.2022 | 1,733 |
| 1.1.-31.7.2022 | 1,674 |
| 2021 | 1,639 |
| 2020 | 1,633 |
| 2019 | 1,617 |
| 2018 | 1,617 |
| 2017 | 1,617 |
| 2016 | 1,631 |
| 2015 | 1,637 |
| 2014 | 1,630 |
| 2013 | 1,609 |
| 2012 | 1,565 |
| 2011 | 1,508 |