How to apply for pension

You can only start to receive pension after you have applied for it. The easiest way to submit your application is by using the online service My Pension (available in Finnish and in Swedish).

You should file your pension application 1–2 months before retirement. If you are applying for disability pension, cash rehabilitation benefit or years-of-service pension, it is recommended that the application be filed at least two months before the start of the pension.

You should first review the various pension options and check your own retirement age in the online service My Pension. Then:

  1. Check your pension record in the online service.
  2. Obtain the required enclosures to your application (e.g. medical statement B, appendix U).
  3. Find out your IBAN account number and your bank’s BIC code.
  4. Fill in the application in the online service. Once you have received the pension decision, you should contact the tax authorities and request a tax card for your pension.

If you prefer to apply for pension in writing, please mail the application form and enclosures as well as any other supporting documents to Keva at: 00087 KEVA. 

Check your pension record

Check your pension record in the online service My Pension. The amount of your pension will be calculated on the basis of the information in the pension record. You should therefore make sure that all your employment and earnings have been recorded.

Any mistakes or omissions may be reported in the online service My Pension.

How do I apply for pension?

Fill in the pension application in the online service My Pension and upload the requested enclosures as well. 

You can submit all documents – whether pension application, enclosure or other document – to us in the online service My Pension. With documents on paper, you can either scan them or take a photo of them and then submit them to us in the online service.

If you prefer to apply for pension in writing, please mail the application form and enclosures as well as any other supporting documents to Keva at: 00087 KEVA.

Please read the directions on how to apply and consult the page for the relevant type of pension to determine the required enclosures:

Contact Kela about national pension

If your earnings-related pension is not very high, you may also be eligible for national pension. To learn more about national pension, please contact Kela.

After receiving the pension decision

We will notify you of any new pension decisions

  • Via email or text message from Keva, if you have subscribed to the paperless service in Keva’s My Pension service. The actual document will be available in the My Pension service. Keva will not send you the document as an attachment or link.

OR

  • Via the Suomi.fi service, if you have started using electronic messages in the Suomi.fi service, but you have not subscribed to the paperless service in the My Pension service. The actual document will be available in the My Pension service. Suomi.fi will not send you the document as an attachment or link.

OR

  • By mail, if you have not subscribed to the paperless service in the My Pension service or electronic messages in the Suomi.fi service. The document will be sent home to you by mail, and you can also read it in the My Pension service.

Review your pension decision. Inform Keva without delay of any omissions.  If you are unhappy with the pension decision, you can lodge an appeal against it.

You will require a tax card from the Tax Administration for pension, because pensions are taxed differently from earnings. Contact the tax office without delay to obtain the tax card because otherwise a withholding rate of 40% will apply. If you receive a new pension decision and your pension amount changes, check with the Tax Administration whether your tax percentage needs to be adjusted.

The first date of payment of your pension will be indicated in your pension decision.

Have a look also at the New pensioner’s checklist, where we have gathered useful information.

Update your contact information and subscribe to the paperless service

Update your personal telephone and/or email in the My Pension service. You can also subscribe to receive notifications on messages, decisions, and documents in the service. This way we can contact you as soon as possible when there is a new decision or other update in the service.

You can also subscribe to the paperless service in the My Pension service. This way, you can save the environment, and you will receive your documents more quickly.

Are you living or have you worked abroad?

Your pension may be paid to Finland or to a foreign country. If you are living abroad, the application process is slightly different and you must also report your address annually to Keva.

The procedure for applying for pension that has accrued abroad differs depending on the country of employment. See instructions on how to apply:

 

Have you worked while on pension?

Pension that has accrued for employment while on pension can only be paid after you have applied for it. 

If you worked while on an old-age pension

You accrue new pension while employed until the upper age limit at which pension accrues. The upper age limit depends on your year of birth. If, for example, you were born before 1958, you would continue to accrue pension until the end of the month in which you reach 68 years. If you were born 1958-1961, you would continue to accrue pension until the end of the month in which you reach 69 years.

Apply for your pension when you have reached the upper age limit at which pension accrues. You do not need to stop working even if you do claim a pension accruing from work during retirement. Apply for your pension in the My Pension service using the old-age pension application form.

You can also receive this pension automatically if you give your prior consent for the pension to be granted in the My Pension service. Once you have given your consent, you no longer need to apply for the pension. We grant the pension to you automatically at the upper age limit at which pension accrues.

The My Pension service is available in Finnish and Swedish only.

You can apply for the pension accrued for work done during retirement before the upper age limit if

  • the work done alongside your pension is covered by the Earnings-related Pensions Act under which you do not yet receive a pension or
  • you have been granted an old-age pension before 2017 and you have been working while on a pension in 2017 or thereafter.

However, the earliest the pension will be granted is at the lowest threshold for old-age pension in your age group. In addition, your employment must have ended.

If you worked while on a disability pension

If you are on disability pension, the new pension that has accrued to you for employment while on pension will be paid to you when your disability pension is converted into old-age pension. You must also file an application for this pension.

When applying for the new pension, follow the directions for applying for old-age pension above.