You generally only apply for pension once in your life. Don’t let it worry you; the process of retiring simply calls for a bit of planning – and the completion of an application.
Our pension advisers are happy to help with any questions you might have concerning retirement and pension applications!
Effective planning makes the application process easy!
- Read about the pension benefits and related requirements, and start considering the right time for you to retire.
- Check your retirement age for old-age pension and the estimated pension amount using the pension calculator for employees or the pension calculator for entrepreneurs.
- Plan the practical workplace arrangements with your employer to ensure that the transition to retirement will go as smoothly as possible. Agree, at least, on the use of any holiday time and check whether you need to submit a written notice of termination when you retire.
All types of pensions must be applied for and every type of pension has its own application form. With the same application form, you can claim earnings-related pension for work in both the private and the public sector, for national pension and for earnings-related pension from abroad.
Complete an insurance application online
The fastest way to apply for a pension is to fill in an electronic application form in our online service. You need your personal online banking codes for logging in to the service. Pleace note that our online application service is available only in Finnish and Swedish.
It is also still possible to complete a paper application form and send it to us by mail. Further instructions can be found on our Forms and applications page. You can also download your application form in English on the website www.tyoelake.fi and mail it to us free of charge by using the address:
Veritas Eläkevakuutus
Tunnus 5016380
00003 VASTAUSLÄHETYS
When to claim your pension
The right time to hand in your pension application depends on which pension you are claimig.
- Old-age pension, partial old-age pension and years-of-service pension
should be applied for approximately one month before retiring.
- Disability pension
should be applied for at the latest 3-4 months before your sickness allowance paid by Kela ends.
- Survivors’ pension
should be applied for within 6 months from the death of the family wage earner.
National pension provides additional security to supplement a small earnings-related pension
If your earnings-related pension is small or if you receive no earnings-related pension, you can receive a national pension or a guarantee pension granted by Kela. More information on these pensions can be found on the Kela’s website.
The income limits for national pension in 2023
- €1,512.38 per month for those living alone
- €1,355.30 per month for those living with another person (spouse, common law spouse, registered partner)
If your earnings-related pension falls below the aforementioned limits, you are entitled to receive national pension. The national pension is granted by Kela and additional information can be found on Kela’s website.
Guarantee pension ensures a minimum pension
If your gross pension income totals less than the minimum pension limit (EUR 922.42 per month in 2023), you may be entitled to guarantee pension.
- Guarantee pension is granted by Kela and you are required to investigate your right to all other pensions in Finland and abroad prior to being granting guarantee pension. Further information about guarantee pension is available from Kela’s website.
Attachments are rarely required
It is generally sufficient to complete an application when applying for pension. Attachments are only required for:
- Disability pension, whereby a Medical Statement B is required
- A pension application if you have lived or worked in a country other than Finland; for this, you will need to attach the form Residence and employment abroad (Appendix U). We will need an Appendix U form even if you are not applying for pension from abroad. You can complete an Appendix U form in our online service.
Note! We do not need proof of your earnings, since your employer will have reported your earnings to the Incomes Register and we can retrieve the information from there when processing your pension application.
Submit attachments electronically
You can expedite the processing of your application by sending us attachments electronically, as scanned documents or photos. Send attachments
- in our online service for insured customers. The online service requires identification, i.e. you need your personal Finnish bank codes, a mobile certificate or a certificate card for logging in.
- using our secured messaging service. The secured messaging service is available in Finnish or Swedish. Send your message to elakehakemukset@veritas.fi. Check our detailed instructions for sending electronic attachments.
Applying for pension if you live abroad
If you live abroad and want to apply for a pension based on previous employment in Finland, apply your Finnish pension from your country’s Pension Office if your country of residence is
- EU/ETA country
- Great Britain or Switzerland
- countries with a social security agreement with Finland:
Australia, Chile, Israel, Japan, Canada, Québec, Korea, India and the USA
If your country of residence is not an EU/ETA country or one of the countries with a social security agreement mentioned above, apply for a pension directly from Finland.
Fill out the application form and send it to us
If you have lived or worked in some other country than Finland, please complete the form Residence and employment abroad U.
Find out more information on the website www.tyoelake.fi.