Applying for pension

Digital application and decision speed up the process

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  2. Applying for pension

Pension is a benefit that must be applied for

Before applying for pension, you can estimate the amount of your pension in our online service if necessary.

  1. Check this page for your eligibility to receive pension.
  2. Fill in the electronic application - check below for when to do so.

You can use Varma's digital application to apply for earnings-related and national pension. When you simultaneously become an eCustomer, you can view your decision on our eServices and it will be delivered faster than by post.

Apply at the right time

Submit your application to us

  • 1 month before the start of the pension when you apply for old-age pension or partial old-age pension
  • no later than 2 months from the end of the daily sickness allowance when you apply for disability pension
  • 6 months before the start of the pension if you have lived or worked abroad.
    Also fill in the digital Appendix U Residence and Employment Abroad.

If an illness is making it difficult for you to continue working, consider applying for rehabilitation.
Is your employee about to retire? What should the employer do? (pdf)

Apply for pension online

Log in using banking codes or a mobile certificate. Have your IBAN account number on hand for filling in the application.

Old-age pension
Partial old-age pension
Disability pension
Survivors' pension

How to apply for partial old-age pension

  1. Plan. Estimate the amount of your pension in our online service. Also think about whether your current employment earnings will change, because working while drawing partial old-age pension is voluntary. You can also think about when you intend to switch to full old-age pension.
  2. Arrange. If you are employed and wish to reduce your working hours, you must arrange that with your employer. If you are an entrepreneur and your work input changes as you begin drawing partial old-age pension, be sure to indicate the amount of your new earned income under the Self-Employed Persons Pensions Act (YEL) in your pension application. Entrepreneurs must have YEL insurance if, while they are drawing partial old-age pension, the amount of their work input exceeds the lower limit for the mandatory insurance (€7,645.25 in 2017).
  3. Apply. Apply for the pension one month prior to the start of your retirement. Partial old-age pension can begin, at the earliest, at the start of the month after it was applied for.

Please note that when you decide to retire on full old-age pension, you must apply for it separately.
Partial old-age pension (pdf)

Partial old-age pension

  • Age 61 years
  • 25 or 50% of the pension accrued up until the end of the previous year
Electronic application

How to apply for disability pension

It is worthwhile considering applying for disability pension when you have received daily sickness allowance for 150 days. The pension usually begins when you have received daily sickness allowance for 300 days, i.e. approximately one year after the disability began. Apply for pension approx. 3 months prior to the end of your sickness allowance.

Medical statement B

Discuss your eligibility for retirement with your doctor. Once the doctor has given you a medical statement B, including an opinion on your workabilitiy, you may apply for pension. You can send us confidential health information via secure email. Include your personal identity code in the subject field (Aihe) and enter a space in the message field (Viesti), with no text. Please note that we will not reply to your message. Send a secure email

Partial disability pension

You can apply for a preliminary partial disability pension decision while still employed full-time. Once you receive the decision you have 10 months to agree on part-time work. The pension can begin when your earnings are reduced to 60% of your previous income level. 

If you have not yet applied for pension, you can calculate or order an estimate of your  disability pension on our eServices.
Disability pension (pdf)

Conditions for disability pension

  • Age, under 63 years
  • Workability has deteriorated considerably due to an illness for at least one year
Electronic application

Should you apply for the years-of-service pension ?

Were you born in 1955?

Have you performed strenuous and wearing work for at least 38 years?

Have you had breaks totalling more than 3 years during your career?

Are you currently working, or has it been less than one year since you stopped working?

Do you have a reduced ability to work due to illness?

Are you prepared to obtain a Medical Statement B to attach to your application?

Are you prepared to describe your work for at least the past 38 years in your pension application?

The years-of-service pension is probably not the right option for you. Learn more about other types of pension: disability pension, old-age pension, partial old-age pension.

You can consider applying for the years-of-service pension. The lower age limit is 63 years. Since, for those born in 1955, the lowest age of retirement is 63 years and 3 months, you could collect the years-of-service pension for 3 months at the most.

  • Discuss the conditions for receiving the years-of-service pension with your occupational healthcare.
  • When you have received a Medical Statement B, you can apply for pension.
  • Be prepared to describe your work for at least the past 38 years in your pension application.
  • Apply for a preliminary decision on your pension approx. three months before you have planned to retire.

Years-of-service pension 2018

  • agelimit 63 years
  • strenuous and wearing work for at least 38 years
  • workability reduced by illness

Years-of-service pension (pdf)

How to apply for survivors' pension

Apply for survivors’ pension as soon as possible but no later than 6 months following the death of the primary beneficiary, because, unless there is a specific reason, survivors’ pensions are not payable retroactively for more than six months.

  1. Fill in the surviving spouse’s pension application. You can receive survivors’ pension if you were married before your spouse turned 65.
  2. Fill in a separate survivors’ pension application form for each child.
  3. Fill in an appendix U (Living and working abroad) if you or the primary beneficiary has worked or lived abroad. 

The fastest way to submit your application is through Varma's eServices.

Survivors' pension (pdf)

Pdf-applications in Työeläke.fi

Spouce's pension application
Orphan's pension application
- Information for pension applicants
Residence and employment abroad, appendix U
- Instructions
Please fill in the form preferably on your computer screen, print it out and sign it. You can send in an application either by post to Varma, P.O. Box 3, FI-00098 VARMA or you can scan your signed application and send it in a secure email via https://turvaposti.varma.fi. Please enter the following email address in the “To” field: skannausEpa@varma.fi.

Survivors’ pension can be granted to

  • a child under 18 years of age
  • the spouse of the deceased
  • the surviving partner of a registered partnership

A common-law spouse is not entitled to survivors’ pension.

Check right to pension

More information on pensions

Read online or print out a brochure that provides you with information about pensions.

You can now opt for a digital pension decision when you apply for pension online.

You can check the status of your application

Waiting for a pension decision can seem to take a long time. You can follow the processing of your application on our web service. 

The average processing time for old-age pension is about five weeks on average. Submitting the application earlier will not expedite the process; we will be able to make a decision only after we have received the final, actual pay information from your employer. For this reason, you should not apply until one month before the start of the pension. If you have been working abroad, the processing takes longer than average.
The processing time for early old-age pension is about two weeks.

The processing of a disability pension application takes about two months on average. It is a good idea to apply for pension three months before the 300 days of daily sickness allowance come to an end. You will more likely receive a pension decision from us before the payment of your daily sickness allowance ends.

A survivors’ pension decision is normally made within three weeks. It is now possible to follow the processing of a surviving spouse's pension application online.

Appealing Varma's decision

Have you received a decision from Varma that you are dissatisfied with? You have the right to appeal the decision within 7 + 30 days of posting the decision. If you have opted for an electronic decision, the appeal period is 3 + 30 days. Instructions for Appeal are attached to the decision and you should read them carefully before appealing the decision.

When you appeal the decision using the electronic appeal form, you will receive guidance in filling in all of the relevant information. You can take a closer look at the electronic form before filling it in.

The appeal must arrive at Varma at the latest by 4 pm (Finnish time) on the last day of the appeal period. If the last day of the appeal period is not a weekday, the appeal can be submitted on the following weekday.

Appeal against decision

Appeal a decision online

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