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Years-of-service pension

If you have worked a long career in heavy labour and your work ability has deteriorated, you may be entitled to a years-of-service pension. You can retire on a years-of-service pension at the earliest at the age of 63.

When can I receive a years-of-service pension?

You can receive a years-of-service pension if

  1. you are at least 63 years old and you have not yet reached your lower old-age pension age
  2. you are not on any other pension (excluding partial early old-age pension)
  3. your work ability has weakened due to an illness or injury
  4. you have worked full-time in strenuous, exhausting jobs for at least 38 years and
    • o short periods of illness and unemployment do not shorten the duration of a career
    • periods of maternity, paternity and parental allowance shall not be deducted from the duration of the career if they are no longer than three years
  5. your most recent full-time work that causes strain and wear is still ongoing, or it has not changed or ended more than 12 months before the age of 63.
    • part-time work is not considered to be strenuous and wearing full-time employment

  1. If you have already reached your lowest retirement age, your pension will be granted directly as an old-age pension.

      • the minimum age for old-age pension for those born in 1958 is 64 years
      • the minimum age for old-age pension for those born in 1959 is 64 years and 3 months
      • the minimum age for old-age pension for those born in 1960 is 64 years and 6 months
      • the minimum age for old-age pension for those born in 1961 is 64 years and 9 months
      • the minimum age for old-age pension for those born in 1962 is 65 years

    Example:

    Mika was born on 6 May 1959 and is applying for a years-of-service pension from 1 October 2023.

    Mika is not entitled to a years-of-service pension because he has reached his lowest retirement age on 6 August 2023 (64 years 3 months). His pension will be granted directly as an old-age pension from 1 September 2023.

  2. Partial early old-age pension does not prevent one from receiving a years-of-service pension if the other conditions for receiving a years-of-service pension are met. If a years-of-service pension is granted, the partial early old-age pension is terminated until the last day of the month preceding the start of the years-of-service pension. If the years-of-service pension begins on 1 October 2023, the partial early old-age pension will be terminated on 30 September 2023. However, the amount of the partial early old-age pension is taken into account in the amount of the years-of-service pension.

    • Mikael’s employment relationship ended on 7 June 2022 and he turns 63 on 11 August 2023.

    Mikael does not have the right to a years-of-service pension because more than 12 months have elapsed since the end of his full-time work to the minimum age for a years-of-service pension.

    • Milla has done work that causes strain and wear for 41 years. She has moved on to 4 hours of part-time work per day at the beginning of 2022. Milla turns 63 on 15 August 2023.

    Milla does not have the right to a years-of-service pension because more than 12 months have elapsed since the end of her full-time work to the minimum age for a years-of-service pension.

    • Mika has done work that causes strain and wear for 42 years. He has worked in the construction sector as a carpenter and, due to his state of health, he has made his work lighter since 11 May 2021. He started working with the same employer as a foreman and continued working as a carpenter for half of his working hours. In the foreman’s work, Mika plans the shift lists, finds replacements, supervises the work, purchases supplies, plans the budget and monitors its implementation. He will reach his years-of-service pension age of 63 on 4 May 2023.

    Half of Mika’s working hours are light office work as a foreman, which is not considered work that causes strain and wear. Half of his working hours are carpenter’s work, which is considered work that causes strain and wear. As Mika has worked for more than 12 months with a lighter job description that cannot be considered full-time work that causes strain and wear, he is not entitled to a years-of-service pension.

What is work that causes strain and wear?

A certain professional title does not automatically entitle you to a years-of-service pension because the content of the work may be different within the same title.

When assessing whether work causes strain and wear, at least one of the following criteria must be met. Work-related strain and wear are assessed objectively as work done by anyone, regardless of their work ability or state of health.

The work has to a significant extent included one or more of the following factors:

  1. Work movements requiring high muscle strength or long-term muscle stress;
  2. Excessive respiratory and circulatory strain;
  3. Strenuous and difficult working positions;
  4. Repeated work movements that require force or high speed or movements which simultaneously include hand compression, rotation and force;
  5. Working in interactive work that is particularly demanding and causes exceptional mental strain, or
  6. Working in a task requiring constant caution or special attention and involving a high risk of accident or an obvious threat of violence.

  1. When assessing whether the work includes, to a significant extent, one or more of the factors mentioned in paragraphs 1–6 as factors that increase strain and wear, the following are taken into account:

    1. Extraordinary physical factors of the work
    2. Use of protective equipment which increases strain
    3. Shift work involving repeated night work or otherwise strenuous work and
      Recurring long shifts
    4. Strenuous 24-hour ties to production animals for entrepreneurs.

    An additional factor alone does not entitle an applicant to a years-of-service pension.

The amount of your years-of-service pension is the pension accrued to you from work earnings and social benefits by the time you retire. You can check the amount of your accrued pension from your pension record in MyPension.

Check your pension record in the MyPension service

Your pension will be increased annually by the pension index confirmed by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

Applying for a years-of-service pension

If you are still working, you can apply for a preliminary decision on a years-of-service pension. You can apply for a preliminary decision 6 months before you turn 63. If you have already stopped working, you can directly apply for a decision on the payment of your years-of-service pension.

When you want to apply for a years-of-service pension, do this:

  1. Complete the application form (online form)
  2.  Attach the following documents to the application:
  3. Send the application and attachments using the Send message function in the MyPension service.

Please note that Ilmarinen does not have access to MyKanta.

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You can also send the application and attachments by post to: Keskinäinen Eläkevakuutusyhtiö Ilmarinen, PL 1, 00018 ILMARINEN.

Describe your work history in detail in your application

As receiving a years-of-service pension requires at least 38 years of work that causes strain and wear, it is important that you describe in detail in section 7 of the application all the work you have done throughout your entire work history:

  • professions as well as what kinds of tasks and workload factors have been involved, and
  • how long you have worked in each profession.

Processing of a years-of-service pension begins when we have received an application for the years-of-service pension, a Medical Statement B and the online form about the employer's description of the pension applicant's work. A carefully completed years-of-service pension application and Medical Statement B are sufficient for entrepreneurs.

We assess two issues in processing:

  1. Has your work ability been permanently reduced due to an illness or injury? The assessment of work ability is based on medical reports.
  2. Have you worked full-time in jobs that cause strain and wear for 38 years? The assessment is based on the information in the application, the Medical Statement B and the employer’s description.

When assessing the strain and wear caused by work, the content of the work is looked at objectively, i.e. as if it were performed by any person, and your health and coping in your work will not affect the assessment.

You will receive a decision on the years-of-service pension within approximately two months of the start of processing.

  1. If you are not entitled to a disability pension or a partial disability pension, we will only issue a years-of-service pension decision.

    If you are found to be entitled to a disability pension, we will ask you for your consent to it. If you are found to be entitled to a partial disability pension, we will give you a separate preliminary decision on this.

When you receive a decision on the years-of-service pension

We will send you a text message when the decision has been issued. You can see your pension decision in MyPension.

As you cannot find the notification of retirement to a years-of-service pension in MyPension, you will also receive your pension decision and its attachments by post to your home address. Please make sure that your contact information is up to date in MyPension.

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Read more about different decisions below.

  1. If you are entitled to a years-of-service pension, first we will give you a positive preliminary decision. Your preliminary decision is valid for six months. 

    When you want to retire on the years-of-service pension, agree with your employer on retirement. Notify us of the time when you want to begin your pension. You will receive the notification form along with the preliminary decision.

  2. We will give you a decision on the payment of your years-of-service pension once we have received your notification of retirement and your employer has reported the earnings of the month preceding the start of your pension to the Incomes Register.

    The years-of-service pension is always granted until further notice, and the pension begins on the first day of the month.

    The pension payment decision is issued, and the payment usually begins during the month in which the pension begins, because we wait to see the earnings of the last month registered by your employer.

    You will also receive your earnings-related pension card by post within approximately two weeks of the decision.

  3. It is possible that you will receive a negative pension decision even if your doctor and employer have assessed that you are entitled to a years-of-service pension.

    If you are not satisfied with the decision you have received, you can appeal it.

    Read about how to appeal your decision.

A years-of-service pension automatically becomes old-age pension

When you reach your lowest old-age pension age, your years-of-service pension will automatically become an old-age pension of an equal amount, and no separate decision will be given on it. You do not need to take any action.

Please note, however, that if you have registered earnings for the month of starting your pension or the period after it, you must apply for a pension accrued from these earnings at your lowest retirement age. To do this, fill in the old-age pension application in MyPension.

Any registered supplementary pension taken by your employer will be automatically added to your pension at the lowest retirement age.

  1. Payment of the years-of-service pension

    The pension is paid on the first business day of the month. We also pay your pension retroactively.

    Read more about pension payments

  2. Taxation of a years-of-service pension

    The pension is taxable income. You must request a pension tax card from the tax authority for your pension.

    Read more about taxation

  3. Working on a years-of-service pension

    During your years-of-service pension, you can work within your personal earnings limit.

    Read more about working during retirement

  4. Entrepreneurship on a years-of-service pension

    During your years-of-service pension, you can work as an entrepreneur within your earnings limit.

    Read about entrepreneurship during retirement
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