When you are about to retire, claim your pension with the appropriate application form (separate for each pension benefit). As a rule, claim your pension around one month before you want to retire.
Use the same form when you claim one of the following pensions from both the earnings-related and the national pension (Kela) system: old-age pension, disability pension or survivors’ pension. Use one and the same form even if you have worked both in the private and public sector.
Instructions on how to claim a pension in various life situations
This page gives you a brief overview of how to claim a pension. For detailed instructions and information about the different pension benefits, go to the section Different pensions:
Old-age pension
Partial old-age pension
Disability pension
Years of service pension
Survivors’ pensions (surviving spouse’s pension and orphan’s pension)
Claim your pension online
You can claim your pension online. Most pension providers offer an online pension claim service (some also in English). You can start your pension application either through the pension-specific instruction pages above or by logging in to the pension application service using the button below.
Claiming your pension online means that
- your claim arrives and is processed faster;
- the online service guides you when you fill in the claim form, and the form may contain automatically filled-in information;and
- you claim your pension and manage your affairs securely with strong authentication.
Get started by clicking the button “Log in to the pension application service”. You will be forwarded to your own pension provider’s application service.
Log in to the pension application service
Use a form if you cannot claim online
If your own pension provider does not offer an online claim service (or not in English), you can fill out a paper form or print out a form that you have filled out online.
If you work in the private sector or are self-employed, you can submit your claim to any pension provider, the Finnish Centre for Pensions, a Mela insurance agent or Kela. If you work in the public sector, that is, for a local government, the State, Kela or the Evangelical-Lutheran Church, claim your earnings-related pension from Keva.
If you have worked or lived abroad, you must fill out Appendix U in addition to your pension claim. This form gathers details about your employment or residence abroad, and you must fill it out even if you are claiming a pension from Finland only.
Most pension providers offer Appendix U on their websites, either as a stand-alone online form or included with the pension claim form. If your pension provider does not have this form online, you can use the paper version or download and print the form to fill in. Remember to save the completed form to your device, then print or send it electronically to your pension provider.
Based on the information you provide, the Finnish Centre for Pensions will request details from the foreign pension authority about any pension insurance contributions paid abroad – these are known as insurance periods. Your pension provider in Finland needs this information to calculate your Finnish pension. Usually, however, a decision on your Finnish earnings-related pension can be made even without these details, so your claim is not normally delayed while waiting for them.
To claim a pension from another country, simply use the same form as for Finnish pensions. On the form, state the country and the date from which you wish to claim the pension. You don’t have to claim a foreign pension at the same time as a Finnish pension. Remember to fill out Appendix U to provide information about your employment and time spent living abroad.
Claim your pension from abroad roughly three to six months before you want your pension payments to begin, and at the latest, during the month when you wish the foreign pension to start.
As a rule, claiming a foreign pension will not delay the processing of your claim for a Finnish earnings-related pension.
Read the detailed instructions and claim your pension from abroad
Yes, as a guardian, you can claim the pension on behalf of your ward, provided you have a validated continuing power of attorney. Attach copies of the continuing power of attorney and the confirmation decision issued by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency to the pension claim.
As a rule, claim the pension using a paper form. Some pension providers also allow that you apply online — please check with your ward’s own pension provider to see if this option is available.
Submit the completed paper form to your ward’s pension provider. If you don’t know which pension provider your ward is insured with, submit the claim to any pension provider, the Finnish Centre for Pensions, a Mela agent, or Kela.
Your own pension provider pays your pension and answers your questions
As a rule, the pension decision is issued by the pension provider in which the majority of your earnings have been insured in the last two calendar years. The same pension provider will pay out your pension and answer any questions you may have about the pension decision.
New tax card for your pension
You need a new tax card for your pension since the tax rate for pensions is different from that for wages. Once you have been issued a pension decision, request a tax card at MyTax for pension income. If you are retired and work, you need a separate tax card for your wages.
Read more about how your pension will be paid and taxed
Your pension card proves that you have been granted a statutory earnings-related pension. As a rule, your pension provider will attach your pension card to your pension decision. Your pension card gives you discounts for services or products from many companies.
You can appeal your pension decision. Appeal instructions are enclosed with the pension decision. You must submit the appeal in writing and sign it.
You can write the appeal in you own words, as long as you state clearly that it is an appeal to the Pension Appeal Court. In addition, you must clearly state what part of the decision you are unhappy about, how you would like to to have that part changed, and the grounds for requesting the change.
The Pension Appeal Court handles appeals submitted within the private and the public sector.
You have to submit your written appeal to the pension Appeal Court within 30 days of receiving your pension decision. You are considered to have received the decision seven days from the date on which it was posted.
The Appeal Court will forward your appeal to the pension provider that has issued your pension decision.
If your pension provider agrees with your appeal, it can correct its decision. If you and your pension provider cannot reach an agreement, your appeal will be forwarded to the Pension Appeal Court for processing.
You can appeal the decision of the Pension Appeal Court to the Insurance Court. Its decision is final.
If your appeal concerns a pension decision that you have received from abroad, you must send your appeal to the country that issues the decision. For more details, see the instructions that were attached to your pension decision from abroad.