The purpose of survivors’ pension is to safeguard a family’s financial livelihood upon the death of a family provider. Survivors’ pension refers to both the surviving spouse’s pension payable to the widow(er) and the orphan’s pension payable to the children of the deceased.
Who is eligible for orphan’s pension?
- A child under the age of 20 is eligible for the orphan’s pension upon the death of a parent. The orphan’s pension is paid directly to the child if he/she is older than 18 years of age.
- A child is also entitled to orphan’s pension upon the death of a stepmother or stepfather if they lived in the same household and the child’s other parent and deceased stepmother or stepfather were married or in a registered relationship.
Kela can pay orphan’s pension to a child under the age of 18 and a student between the ages of 18–21. For more information about the orphan’s pension payable by Kela, go to Kela’s website.
Who is eligible for surviving spouse’s pension?
A married or common-law spouse or registered partner can be eligible to receive the surviving spouse’s pension.
If you are a widowed married spouse or registered partner, you are eligible for surviving spouse’s pension if
- you were married/registered before the deceased turned 65 and
- you have a child together with your deceased spouse or partner.
If you and your spouse/partner did not have a child together, you are still eligible for surviving spouse’s pension if
- you were married/registered before you turned 50 and your spouse/partner 65 and
- your marriage/registered partnership has lasted at least 5 years and
- you were at least 50 years of age or you had been on disability pension for at least 3 years when your spouse/partner passed away.
If you are a widowed common-law spouse, you are eligible for surviving spouse’s pension if
- you have an underage child together and
- you have lived in the same household uninterruptedly for at least five years and
- you moved into the same household prior to your spouse reaching the age of 65.
A spouse from a former marriage may also be eligible for the surviving spouse’s pension if the deceased had a legal obligation to pay the former spouse ongoing maintenance, and if the requirements for the surviving spouse’s pension are otherwise met.
Check if you are eligible for surviving spouse’s pension
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How is the amount of survivors’ pension calculated?
The amount of survivors’ pension is based on the amount of pension received by the deceased spouse. If the deceased spouse was not yet receiving a pension, the survivors’ pension is based on the calculated pension amount.
If the survivors’ pension is only being paid to the surviving spouse, the amount will generally be half of the deceased spouse’s pension. If the family has no underage children receiving any orphan’s pension, the surviving spouse’s own pension will affect the amount of pension granted. This is known as the surviving spouse’s pension reduction.
If the pension is applied for by a surviving spouse and children, the pension of the deceased individual will be divided between the surviving spouse and the children (based on the number of children). The total amount of the surviving spouse and orphan’s pensions will be no higher than the pension of the deceased individual.
If children are the only recipients of the survivors’ pension and there is no surviving spouse who is entitled to the surviving spouse’s pension, the children will receive a supplemented pension that is equivalent to the surviving spouse’s pension.
Surviving spouse’s pension reduction
The surviving spouse’s pension reduction refers to the impact of a widow(er)’s own pension on the calculation of the final pension amount. If a widow(er) is not yet receiving a pension, the estimated future pension will be used as the basis for the reduction. The widow(er)’s own pension is compared to the basis for the surviving spouse’s pension reduction, which is EUR 818,50 in 2024. If a widow(er)’s own earnings-related pension is less than EUR 818,50, no reduction will be made to the surviving spouse’s pension. If a widow(er)’s own earnings-related pension is more than EUR 779818,50, the surviving spouse’s pension will be reduced by half of the amount that exceeds this limit. This may end up reducing the surviving spouse’s pension to the extent that no pension is left to pay.
The surviving spouse’s pension reduction is applied
- immediately upon retirement if the widow(er) is age 65 or older or receives their own earnings-related pension
- after 6 months if the widow(er) is under 65 years of age and is not receiving earnings-related pension.
The surviving spouse’s pension reduction is not applied, however, before the youngest child receiving orphan’s pension reaches the age of 18. Since the surviving spouse’s pension for common-law spouses ends when the youngest child turns 18, no reduction is made to the surviving spouse’s pension.
Termination of surviving spouse’s pension
Surviving spouse’s pension granted on the basis of marriage is paid to widow(er)s born in 1975 or later for ten years or until the youngest child in the family turns 18. This time limit concerns surviving spouse’s pensions that began on 1 February 2022 or later. If a married widow(er) was born prior to 1975, there is no time limit for the payment of the pension.
Surviving spouse’s pension granted on the basis of a common-law marriage is paid until the youngest child the couple had together turns 18.
If the recipient of surviving spouse’s pension gets remarried under the age of 50, the surviving spouse’s pension is discontinued. In this case, the surviving spouse can be paid a lump sum amount that is equal to three years of the pension. The lump sum is not paid, however, if, as a result of the widow(er)’s new marriage, the child becomes entitled to a supplemented pension.
No changes are made to the surviving spouse’s pension of any recipient who gets remarried after the age of 50. Entering into a common-law marriage will not affect or discontinue the payment of surviving spouse’s pension.
Other benefits to which you may be entitled
Kela can pay survivors’ pension to a widow(er) under the age of 65 and underage children.
Upon the loss of a family provider, the family may also be entitled to other benefits, such as:
- Compensation by virtue of Employees’ Group Life Assurance for family members of an employee who is under the age of 65.
- Indemnities from motor liability and accident insurance if the death was caused by a traffic or other accident.
- Private pension insurance or life insurance.
How to apply for survivors’ pension
You can apply for survivors’ pension easily through our online service. You will need to use your personal online banking codes to complete the application.
It is also still possible to complete a paper application form and send it to us by mail. Further instructions can be found in our Forms and applications page.
Things to remember when applying for survivors’ pension
- Apply for survivors’ pension within six months from the death of a spouse or guardian. The pension can be granted for a maximum of six months retroactively.
- Complete a separate form for each applicant. There are different forms for surviving spouses and children.
- You can use the same application to apply for the survivors’ pension provided by Kela. Kela does not, however, pay survivors’ pension to surviving spouses over the age of 65.
- Complete an Appendix U form if the deceased individual lived or worked in a country other than Finland. Complete the form for yourself as well if you have lived or worked somewhere other than Finland.