In April 2026, the Government submitted a bill to Parliament aiming to facilitate combining work and disability pension. The reform is expected to come into effect at the beginning of 2028.
The new flexible model would make work trials alongside disability pension safer. The aim is to ensure that pension payments are not suddenly interrupted even if earnings occasionally exceed the current earnings limit. In this way, the reform would support disability pensioners’ opportunities to participate in working life according to their own resources.
This is how the flexible model would work
In future, each disability pensioner would have a personal income safeguard threshold corresponding to the current earnings limit. Earnings not exceeding this threshold would not affect the amount of pension at all, as is the case with the current model.
What is new is that exceeding the safeguard threshold would not affect the payment of pension in certain situations. Earnings could exceed the safeguard threshold by a so-called flexible allowance. The flexible allowance is an annual sum and equivalent to twice the monthly safeguard threshold. This provides more flexibility in varying work situations, for example.
If the earnings exceed the flexible allowance during the year, the excess is deducted from the pension paid monthly. A new flexible allowance will be available at the start of the following year.
If the earnings exceed the safeguard threshold for a long time consecutively, the form of pension will be gradually revised. If the earnings exceed the safeguard threshold for 12 consecutive months, a full disability pension will change to a partial disability pension. If the excess continues for a further 12 months, the pension will be terminated entirely.
The current income limit is monthly and amounts to 40 per cent of the earnings level before retirement for full disability pension and 60 per cent for partial disability pension. If the earnings exceed the limit for three consecutive months, the payment of pension will be suspended.
Which pensions would be affected by the reform?
The flexible model would apply to disability pensions, partial disability pensions and years-of-service pensions.
Read more:
Press release by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health on the flexible model (in Finnish)
News release by the Finnish Centre for Pensions
Information on the current income limit for disability pension