Disability pension
If your ability to work has deteriorated permanently, you may be granted a disability pension for the time being. A disability pension is sometimes unofficially referred to as sickness pension.
When can I apply for a disability pension?
A disability pension is preceded by sickness allowance paid by Kela. It is paid for up to 300 working days. If the services available to you from Kela or vocational rehabilitation are insufficient for you to be able to return to work, a disability pension may be an option for you.
You can apply for a disability pension if
- you are at least 17 years old and have not yet reached your minimum retirement age and
- your work ability has deteriorated continuously for at least one year due to illness, defect or injury.
When you apply for the disability pension, we will also review whether you could benefit from vocational rehabilitation. If the conditions for rehabilitation are met, you will also receive a decision on vocational rehabilitation. If the prerequisites for vocational rehabilitation are not met, you will only receive a pension decision.
If the criteria for disability pension are met, the pension can be granted
- as a permanent disability pension
- as a fixed-term disability pension, i.e. cash rehabilitation benefit
- as a permanent partial disability pension
- as a fixed-term partial disability pension, i.e. partial cash rehabilitation benefit
The amount of your disability pension
A disability pension consists of the pension accrued before the start of disability and a projected pension component. See the estimated amount of your disability pension using the disability pension calculator in the MyPension service.
If you already receive a partial early old-age pension, you cannot make an estimate. Please contact our customer service for a pension estimate.
Your pension will be increased annually by the pension index confirmed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
The pension accrued on the projected pensionable service is added to the pension that has already accrued. The component for projected pensionable service is calculated based on the earnings during the five years preceding the onset of the illness. Pension on the projected pensionable service will accrue until the lower old-age pension age specified for the age group.
You will receive the pension on projected pensionable service if your earnings subject to pension insurance during the ten years preceding the disability amount to at least EUR 20,571.69 (in 2025).
If you have been on a disability pension for five calendar years, your pension will be subject to a one-time increase at the turn of the next year. You will be granted this one-time increase if you lost your ability to work when you were under 50 years old. The younger you were when you lost your work ability, the larger the increase.
If you are 24–31 years old at the time of the one-time increase, you will receive the full increase, which is 25 per cent of your pension amount. If you are 55 years old at the time of the one-time increase, you will receive a 1-per-cent increase. If you are older than that, your pension amount will not be increased. You can receive the one-time increase also if you receive survivors’ pension.
This one-time increase will increase your pension permanently and you are not required to apply for it separately. We will inform you of your increased pension amount.
Applying for a disability pension
A disability pension and cash rehabilitation benefit are applied for with the same application. If your work ability deteriorates when you are on partial disability pension and you want to apply for a full disability pension, you must fill in the disability pension application.
To apply for a disability pension, do this:
- Get a Medical Statement B
- Fill in the disability pension application in the MyPension service about three months before your sickness allowance period ends. Attach a Medical Statement B that is no more than six months old to your application. Please only submit the official Medical Statement B. We cannot process your case based on photos or screenshots taken of MyKanta or texts from the Kanta archive. Please note that Ilmarinen does not have access to MyKanta.
- Once your application has arrived, we will assess your right to a pension and you will receive a decision within approximately two months. If necessary, we will ask you for additional information for processing the application.
When you receive a pension decision
We will send you a text message when the decision has been issued.
If you have consented to e-services, your pension decision can only be read in MyPension. If you have not given your consent, the decision will be sent to you by post.
Please make sure that your contact information is up to date in MyPension.
Below, we have compiled information on different decisions.
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A disability pension can be granted as a permanent disability pension or a fixed-term cash rehabilitation benefit. If we find that your work ability has been partially reduced, your pension can be granted as a partial disability pension or partial cash rehabilitation benefit.
The pension decision and the calculation of the amount of pension granted to you are available in our MyPension service. After the decision, you will also receive an earnings-related pension card.Your disability pension will be automatically converted into an old-age pension of an equal amount without a separate decision when you reach your lowest old-age pension age. If you have worked alongside a pension, apply for the pension accrued from it by submitting an old-age pension application.
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It is possible that you will receive a negative pension decision even if your doctor has recommended a pension for you. If your work ability is considered sufficient for continuing to work, we will provide you with additional instructions in the decision.
Read more about what happens when your disability pension application is rejected
If you are not satisfied with the decision you have received, you can appeal it.
Starting your disability pension
If you have received sickness allowance from Kela, the pension is granted from the beginning of the month following the end of the sickness allowance.
- Kela can grant sickness allowance for a maximum of 300 days. Kela confirms the end date of your right to sickness allowance at 150 days.
If you have not received sickness allowance from Kela, the pension is granted from the beginning of the month following the start of your disability.
The pension starts on the first day of the month and fixed-term disability pension, i.e. cash rehabilitation benefit, ends on the last day of the month.
Further information
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Payment of the disability pension
The pension is paid on the first business day of the month. We also pay your pension retroactively.
Read about payment and see payment dates -
Taxation of the disability pension
The pension is taxable income and you need a pension tax card for this. Request a tax card from the start date of the pension.
Read more about taxation and the pension tax card -
Working on a disability pension
During your disability pension, you can work within your personal earnings limit.
Read more about working during retirement -
Entrepreneurship on a disability pension
During your disability pension, you can work as an entrepreneur within your personal earnings limit.
Read about entrepreneurship during retirement