Employers arrange pension insurance

Under Finnish laws, employers have to arrange pension insurance for their employees and post the total contribution to the pension provider. The obligation is the same for foreign companies that operate in Finland.  The employer is usually a company, the State, a local government or a church parish. Any private person can also be an employer.

If you are an employee, your employer must insure your work from the month after you turn 17. If you have retired but are also working, your employer must take out insurance for you, as well.

If you are an employee and earn at least €68.57 per calendar month (in 2024), your employer must take out pension insurance for you.

You can continue working for as long as you like, but once you reach a certain age, you can no longer be insured for a pension. That age depends on when you were born.

  • If you were born in 1957 or earlier the insurance obligation ends at the age of 68.
  • If you were born between 1958 and 1961 the insurance obligation ends at the age of 69.
  • If you were born in 1962 or later the insurance obligation ends at the age of 70.

Your employer’s obligation to insure you ends at the end of the calendar month in which you reach the age at which the insurance obligation ends.

Your employer will take out the pension insurance set up in law for you and its other employees with

  • a pension insurance company,
  • an industry-wide pension fund, or
  • with a company pension fund that it has established.

As a rule, if you are employed by a private sector company, you are covered by the Employees Pensions Act (TyEL). However, if you are a seafarer, you are covered by the Seafarers’ Pensions Act (MEL).

Insurance under the Employees Pensions Act are administered by pension insurance companies, industry-wide pension funds and company pension funds. The Seafarer’s Pension Fund administers pensions under the Seafarers’ Pensions Act.

If you work for a local government, the State, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church or Kela, your earnings-related pensions are administered by Keva under the Public Sector Pensions Act (JuEL).