Decision on an old-age pension

Once you have submitted your pension application, you will usually first receive a temporary decision on your earnings-related pension application.

The temporary pension decision is made based on the information available to the pension provider and Kela at the time of the decision. Last wages or unpaid periods during the last working year may not be available at this time.

Your earnings-related pension will be granted based on the temporary pension decision to ensure that your pension payments will start at the right time.

A temporary pension decision cannot be appealed; only a final decision is subject to appeal.

Kela will not issue a decision on an old-age pension until after a decision on the person’s earnings-related pension has been issued, because the earnings-related pension will reduce Kela’s pension.

You will receive the final pension decision from the pension provider once all the information needed to calculate your pension has been taken into account and your pension has been calculated. If the amount of the pension in the final earnings-related pension decision exceeds that specified in the temporary decision, the difference will be paid to you retroactively. If Kela has already issued a decision on the old-age pension before the final decision on earnings-related pension, Kela will have to adjust its decision.

The foreign pension authority will send you a written pension decision. The decision is usually in the country’s own language and shows the following:

• Whether you have been granted a pension and how much
• Whether your pension application has been rejected and why.

Information about the contents of the decision will also be sent to the Finnish Centre for Pensions and your pension provider. The latter will check whether the foreign pension will affect your Finnish pension. If you have claimed a national pension, you must submit the information about the decision of the foreign pension authority to Kela yourself.

Once you have received your pension decision and know how much income you will receive, get a tax card for your pension via MyTax. The information about your pension you need when completing the tax card request is available in the pension decision.

When requesting a tax card, you will need:

• Information about wages and taxes paid on them
• Information about any other income during the tax year and the tax withholding on that income

Once you have requested your tax card, the Finnish Tax Administration will usually send it in electronic format directly to your pension provider or Kela. If the tax card cannot be submitted in electronic format, you will see a notice about this in MyTax.

Some pension providers submit pension decision information directly to the Finnish Tax Administration, in which case you can find your pension information in MyTax. In some cases, a suggestion for a tax card for pension has already been generated for you based on your pension decision. In such a case, you only need to check the card and correct the information if necessary. See the instructions on the Finnish Tax Administration’s websiteOpens in a new window..

If you receive a new pension decision at some point and the amount of your pension changes, you should get a new tax card via MyTax.

If you do not have a tax card for pension income, 40% of the pension will be withheld. If the tax card arrives after the pension has already been paid, the collected excess tax will be refunded to you during the same year or at the latest in connection with the final tax assessment. 

Read instructions on how to request a tax card in MyTax.Opens in a new window. You can also contact the Finnish Tax Administration’s tax card helplineOpens in a new window. or use the chatbotOpens in a new window. for advice.

Read more about pension taxation:

• Pension and taxes: you need a separate tax card for pension income – Vero.fiOpens in a new window.
• Taxation of pensions – Keva.fiOpens in a new window.

If you will continue working after starting to receive your old-age pension, you will need separate tax cards for your pension and wages.

Request the tax cards via MyTaxOpens in a new window. and submit the tax card for wages to your employer. The Finnish Tax Administration usually sends the tax card for pension directly to the pension provider or Kela in electronic format. If the tax card cannot be submitted in electronic format, you will see a notice about this in MyTax.

Please note that without a tax card for pension income, 40 % of the pension will be withheld, and without a tax card for wage income, 60 % of the wages will be withheld.

Read more about the taxation of pensions and wage income and how to request a tax card on the Finnish Tax Administration’s website.Opens in a new window. You can also contact the Finnish Tax Administration’s tax card helplineOpens in a new window. or use the chatbotOpens in a new window. for advice on how to request a tax card.

The regular pension payment dates depend on the payer. They are as follows:

• First day of the month: most earnings-related pensions based on the Employees Pensions Act
• Third day of the month: pensions from the municipal sector and wellbeing services counties, among others
• Seventh day of the month: national pensions
• 20th day of the month: state pensions
• 22nd day of the month: guarantee pensions paid by Kela

If the pension payment date is the first or third business day of the month and that day is a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday, the pension will be paid on the next banking day. The other pensions mentioned above are usually paid on the previous banking day.

The earnings-related pension payment date cannot be moved to the previous month, because the qualification for the pension is considered on a monthly basis. According to pension legislation, earnings-related pensions can only be paid once per calendar month.

If a pension is granted retroactively, the first instalment will be paid as soon as possible after the decision.

The payment of an old-age pension will end at the end of the month during which the pensioner has passed away.

With a pension card, you can prove that you have permanently retired. Some businesses grant discounts to pensioners.

Once you have received a pension decision, you will automatically receive a pension card for earnings-related pension recipients from your pension provider or a pension card for national pension recipients from Kela. The delivery time may vary depending on the provider.  However, if your pension provider is Keva, you must separately request a plastic earnings-related pension card from Keva, as Keva uses an electronic pension card as the default. Many other pension providers also use electronic pension cards, which you can start using as soon as you start receiving a pension.

Kela’s national pension card is intended for:

• Persons who do not receive any earnings-related pension from Finland
• Persons under the age of 65 who receive a full national pension
• Persons who receive a reduced national pension

For more information about the pension card for national pension recipients, see the Kela website.Opens in a new window.

If you receive a partial early old-age pension, you cannot get a pension card for earnings-related pension recipients.

You may sometimes need evidence of the amount of your pension. The certificate is considered an official document when dealing with parties such as the authorities or banks.

You can obtain a certificate of the amount of your earnings-related pension from the e-service of your pension provider, or you can request a paper copy from their customer service.

A certificate for a pension paid by Kela will be sent to you by post and can also be viewed in OmaKela.

Request a pension certificate from Kela:

• Send a message in OmaKela
• Visit a Kela customer service point
• Call the national service number 020 692 202

An earnings-related pension earned in Finland will be paid to you regardless of your country of residence or citizenship. If the amount of your pension is small, it will be paid as a lump sum. National pensions are usually only paid to persons permanently resident in Finland. For additional information, visit Kela’s website.Opens in a new window.

The amount of your earnings-related pension from Finland will not change if you are currently living in Finland but move abroad when you are already receiving your earnings-related pension.