Types of national pension
The national pension benefits include old-age pensions and disability pensions. Your state of health and year of birth affect the payment of the national pension.
- National pension = disability pension for persons aged 16–64 years:
- For persons aged under 20 years the rehabilitation allowance for young persons takes precedence over a pension.
- A rehabilitation subsidy often precedes an actual disability pension. The rehabilitation subsidy is a fixed-term disability pension.
- National pension = old-age pension for long-term unemployed born before 1962 who have reached the age of 64
- National pension = early old-age pension:
- For persons born before 1962 who have reached the age of 64 years
- Persons born in 1962 or later can no longer be granted an early old-age pension.
- National pension = old-age pension:
- For persons born before 1965 who have reached the age of 65 years
- For persons born in 1965 or after the retirement age is linked to their age group in the earnings-related pension scheme.
Kela will continue paying pensions abroad as normal
Government has outlined plans to stop paying national pensions to recipients outside Finland. Kela does not currently have detailed information on when the plan to stop national pension payments outside Finland will be implemented. We will continue payments for the time being and provide more information to the public once the proposal and its implementation schedule have been finalised.
Kela pays the national pensions
You can receive a national pension from Kela if your earnings-related pension is small or if you do not receive any earnings-related pension. Read more about the amount and payment of the national pension.
Kela can pay you a national pension if you are covered by the Finnish social security system and you satisfy the following conditions:
- You have lived in Finland for at least 3 years after having reached the age of 16 years.
- Your other pensions and benefits do not exceed the maximum income limit for the national pension.
You can apply for a national pension if the other pensions and benefits you qualify for do not exceed the income limit for a national pension. However, other income or assets you may have does not affect the national pension that is paid as an old-age pension. Your spouse's/partner's income does also not affect the pension. However, your own earnings affect the national pension that is awarded as a disability pension.
You may be entitled to a Finnish national pension even if you live permanently outside Finland.